The Convocation of the West, formerly the Diocese of the West, is a convocation member of the Missionary Diocese of All Saints, as a former

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member ...

diocese, also a part of the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba ...

. It has 10 congregations in six states:

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. On April 6, 2016, the diocese transitioned to a convocation within the Missionary Diocese of All Saints.

History

The Diocese of the West was founded in 1998 as part of the

Anglican Province of America The Anglican Province of America (APA) is a Continuing Anglican church in the United States. The church was founded by former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States in order to follow what they consider to be a more truly Christian ...

(APA), a

Continuing Anglican The Continuing Anglican Movement, also known as the Anglican Continuum, encompasses a number of Christian churches, principally based in North America, that have an Anglican identity and tradition but are not part of the Anglican Communion. Thes ...

church in the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

tradition. In 2008, its bishop, Richard Boyce, arranged for the diocese to affiliate with the Reformed Episcopal Church. To that point, the APA and REC had been in full communion, but Boyce sought for the Diocese of the West to have full participation in the Common Cause Partnership that led to the creation of the Anglican Church in North America in 2009. The Diocese of the West was the only diocese of the

Continuing Anglican Movement The Continuing Anglican Movement, also known as the Anglican Continuum, encompasses a number of Christian churches, principally based in North America, that have an Anglican identity and tradition but are not part of the Anglican Communion. Thes ...

to join the ACNA. In 2011,

Winfield Mott Winfield Mott is an American Anglican bishop. He is a bishop in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and at the Reformed Episcopal Church. He became the second bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Diocese of the West in 2011. He was briefly th ...

, the co-adjutor bishop of the West, became diocesan bishop upon Boyce's retirement. Anticipating Mott's retirement in 2016, and without the support of REC bishops to elect a diocesan bishop necessary for the diocese to continue, the standing committee of the Diocese of the West voted unanimously to transition from an REC diocese into a convocation within the Missionary Diocese of All Saints. The last synod of the Diocese of the West was held on April 5–6, 2016, and the organizing synod of the Convocation of the West was on April 6–7, 2016, and overlapping the concluding synod of the Diocese of the West. At the organizing synod,

was elected the Vicar General. He expressed his wish that the Convocation of the West would become a diocese again, with the help of the Missionary Diocese of All Saints. He was replaced the same year by Canon Michael Lenfield.Anglican Convocation of the West Official Website
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References

External links

* Former dioceses of the Anglican Church in North America Anglican dioceses established in the 20th century {{anglicanism-stub