The Rev. Elyse Gustafson had accused Howard of LGBTQ+ discrimination in a case that summarized broader complaints about how he had treated gay and lesbian clergy in the Jacksonville-based diocese, which he’d led for nearly 20 years. A separate, unrelated complaint had accused Howard of a series of financial improprieties during his tenure.

“The church had a chance to do something important. We had a chance to hear the truth,” Gustafson wrote. “The presiding bishop chose not to do so. It was his choice. I believe it was the wrong one.”

Florida Bishop John Howard stepped down in October 2023 after reaching the church’s mandatory retirement age of 72. Photo: Diocese of Florida

Rowe announced Oct. 1 that he had reached an accord with Howard to end those cases without disciplinary action and without Howard admitting any wrongdoing, though he later asked Rowe to remove him from ministry as a bishop and Episcopal clergyperson. Rowe said he had concluded that proceeding to hearings, which had been scheduled for Oct. 27 and Nov. 10, would have subjected the diocese to more pain and unnecessary cost. Instead, he said he hoped the diocese would “continue the extraordinary progress you have been making in fostering unity, transparency and shared governance.”

Gustafson said she strongly disagrees with that decision, which ends efforts by critics of Howard’s leadership to hold him accountable under the church’s Title IV canons on clergy discipline. The accord between Rowe and Howard was approved by the Disciplinary Board for Bishops.

Gustafson expressed particular shock that the decision was made so close to Howard’s hearings, saying she and several other witnesses were prepared to testify against the bishop.

“Now we are left to the same confusion, distrust, and shame that we had before, characteristics that always, always embolden those willing to abuse power while leaving people like me without recourse or protection. Only it is worse now because I no longer have Title IV as an option. The disappointment is suffocating, and it is quickly and predictably evolving into fear.”

A church spokesperson, when asked for comment on the reaction, said Rowe sent Gustafson a letter Oct. 2 apologizing to her on behalf of the church and “acknowledging that she has borne an outsized share of the harm inflicted by an unhealthy past diocesan culture–and intimidation by a bishop who failed to acknowledge the equality and belovedness of LGBTQ+ people.”

Howard stepped down in October 2023, after reaching the church’s mandatory clergy retirement age of 72. The two Title IV cases against him were first revealed publicly in June 2024.

The Diocese of Florida’s Camp Weed & Cerveny Conference Center in Live Oak, Florida. Photo: Camp Weed

The Episcopal Church’s Title IV disciplinary canons apply to all clergy, though cases involving bishops follow a separate process from those at the diocesan level. Early on, Rowe had been in conversation with Howard on a possible accord, but in February 2025, Rowe announced that the cases would proceed to a hearing panel, marking a more public phase of the process.

“As the hearing panel processes have gained momentum, the pain of these last several years has been compounded by the human and financial toll of preparing for them,” Rowe said in his Oct. 1 letter to the diocese. “Even as the costs have mounted, it has become increasingly clear that any restrictions imposed by a hearing panel would have had little practical effect.”

Because Howard had reached the church’s retirement age, he was “unlikely ever to have sought or to have been granted leave to exercise active episcopal ministry again,” Rowe said.

Gustafson, however, argued in her response that it would have served a purpose to allow complainants and other witnesses to present evidence and testimony at a hearing. “None of that will happen now,” she said. “The loss takes my breath away. It would have helped us. It would have helped any future bishop of the Diocese of Florida. Light and air would have done us so much good.”

The Consultation, a network of progressive Episcopal groups, also responded to Rowe’s decision by saying the individuals harmed and the wider church “deserve to understand what took place.”

The church spokesperson said Rowe, in his letter to Gustafson, invited her and “anyone else in the diocese who would find it healing” to “participate in a time of public story sharing.”

“He is committed to ensuring that her story and those of other LGBTQ+ people who have been harmed can be heard by the entire church in a forum that is not subject to the adversarial nature of a disciplinary proceeding,” the spokesperson said in written comments that did not specify when or where such a forum might be convened.

“Bishop Rowe has pledged that the church will make a substantial contribution to the diocese’s ongoing efforts toward healthier governance, greater accountability in financial matters, increased transparency, and full inclusion in matters of human sexuality.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

Bishop John Howard led the Jacksonville-based Diocese of Florida from 2004 to 2023. Photo: Diocese of Florida

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe has reached an agreement with former Florida Bishop John Howard to end the two Title IV cases against Howard without any disciplinary action and without Howard admitting any wrongdoing. Rowe said this would spare the church and the diocese the further pain and expense of taking the Diocese of Florida’s retired bishop to disciplinary hearings in the coming weeks on allegations of LGBTQ+ discrimination and financial improprieties.

Rowe’s agreement with Howard, known as an accord under The Episcopal Church’s Title IV disciplinary canons for clergy, required the authorization of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, which voted to accept it late Sept. 30. Rowe informed the diocese of his decision to end the two cases in a letter that was released Oct. 1 by the diocese and the churchwide Office of Public Affairs.

“Whether this comes as welcome news or as a disappointment to you, I want you to understand my motivations for negotiating this accord,” Rowe said. “Your diocese’s continued healing and vitality is my highest value in this matter, and I believe that ending these Title IV processes is the best possible way for you to continue the extraordinary progress you have been making in fostering unity, transparency, and shared governance.”

Rowe’s message also said that the 74-year-old Howard, independent of their agreement to end the cases, informed Rowe after he’d signed the accord that he wished to be released and removed from ordained ministry. Rowe granted that request, meaning Howard is no longer a bishop or clergy in The Episcopal Church.

The two cases previously had been scheduled for hearings, similar to civil trials, on Oct. 27 and Nov. 10, though church leaders had recently raised alarm that Howard had not been responsive to the process for most of this year.

UPDATE: Priest who filed complaint against former Florida bishop says presiding bishop erred in ending case

“The matter has, in recent weeks, become a significant distraction to the good work you are doing to reinvigorate healthy systems and structures,” Rowe said. The two Title IV cases also have been costly, he noted. The church already had spent more than $100,000 investigating the allegations and preparing for the hearings, and church leaders anticipated even greater costs ahead, “money that would not have been available for other mission and ministry,” Rowe said.

“The goals of Title IV include healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and I grieve that at this stage, we cannot achieve those goals with your former bishop,” Rowe said in a message to the Diocese of Florida. “My hope is in Christ, and I will not stop praying that John may be reconciled to you.”

The Jacksonville-based diocese’s standing committee president, the Rev. Justin Yawn, issued a written statement acknowledging that the outcome of these cases “brings a range of emotions across our community.”

“We honor the perspectives of all those affected. Our focus remains on the path ahead in proclaiming the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and continuing to build unity and trust among each other,” Yawn said. “While we acknowledge this moment’s complexity, we are grateful to God for where we are today and remain committed to continued healing, growth, and progress in the months and years ahead.”

Howard served the Diocese of Florida for 20 years until his retirement in October 2023, after reaching the church’s mandatory clergy retirement age of 72. One of the two cases filed under the church’s Title IV canons alleged that the diocese, under Howard’s leadership, engaged in a pattern of discrimination against LGBTQ+ clergy and aspirants to ordained ministry, as well as their supporters. The second case was unrelated and centered on three diocesan financial matters during his time as bishop.

Howard submitted written responses to these allegations in August 2024. He affirmed many of the underlying facts but denied all wrongdoing. Episcopal News Service has been unable to reach him for a more recent response.

The Episcopal Church’s Title IV disciplinary canons apply to all clergy, though cases involving bishops follow a separate process from those at the diocesan level. Early on, Rowe had been in conversation with Howard on a possible accord, but in February 2025, Rowe announced that the cases would proceed to a hearing panel, marking a more public phase of the process.

“As the hearing panel processes have gained momentum, the pain of these last several years has been compounded by the human and financial toll of preparing for them,” Rowe said in his Oct. 1 letter to the diocese.

“Even as the costs have mounted, it has become increasingly clear that any restrictions imposed by a hearing panel would have had little practical effect,” Rowe said. Because Howard had reached the church’s retirement age, he was “unlikely ever to have sought or to have been granted leave to exercise active episcopal ministry again.”

“John was your bishop for 20 years, and I acknowledge with gratitude his struggle in the early years of his episcopacy to keep the Diocese of Florida in The Episcopal Church during a time of schism and dissension over matters of human sexuality. I am also mindful that in the ensuing decades, as The Episcopal Church has prayed, studied, and discerned the evidence of God’s blessing in the lives and love of LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ, John’s approach did not serve equally well all contexts of the diocese’s ministry and caused deep pain for many.

“For those painful years and the harm that came from them, I offer my deep and heartfelt apology to the LGBTQ+ community and its allies in the Diocese of Florida and across The Episcopal Church, and to all who have been harmed by the last several years of unrest and division in the diocese.”

The Diocese of Florida has been without a diocesan bishop for the two years since Howard’s retirement. In 2022, the diocese twice tried to elect Howard’s successor, but both times the elections were successfully blocked by objections filed by some Florida clergy and lay leaders, leaving Florida unable to consecrate a new bishop.

In the meantime, the diocese hired former El Camino Real Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, who is trained in conflict mediation, to lead and facilitate a period of healing and discernment among members of the diocese involving a series of conversations across difference. The process was not intended specifically to enable a new bishop election, though diocesan leaders previously indicated healing would be necessary before a new election could be held.

In March 2025, the Diocese of Florida Standing Committee announced it was launching a new bishop search. The standing committee’s tentative timeline would allow for an election in late summer or early fall 2026 and the bishop-elect’s consecration in early 2027. Central Florida Bishop Justin Holcomb and Southwest Bishop Douglas Scharf are assisting the Diocese of Florida during its leadership transition.

“We have made significant progress thanks to the help and involvement of many — from Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves and our assisting bishops, to our clergy, staff and laity across our diocese,” Yawn said. “We recently hosted a successful annual convention and have named members of our bishop search and transition committees as we work productively and transparently toward a bishop election late next year.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

The Jacksonville-based Diocese of Florida announced recently that Central Florida Bishop Justin Holcomb and Southwest Florida Bishop Douglas Scharf have agreed to serve as assisting bishops and “will primarily serve in important advisory roles as we continue our bishop search and election process.”

The new assistance from Holcomb and Scharf follows the service of two other bishops, former Georgia Bishop Scott Benhase and former New Jersey Bishop Chip Stokes. Benhase will end his work in the Diocese of Florida on Sept. 30. Stokes will continue to provide “sacramental support” through Florida parish visitations and ordinations. The diocese also has been working with former El Camino Real Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves on a diocesan trust-building and healing process.

The Diocese of Florida has been without a diocesan bishop since the October 2023 retirement of Bishop John Howard. In March 2025, the standing committee announced it had initiated a series of steps that would allow for a bishop election in 2026 and a consecration in early 2027.

Craig Merritt, right, the church attorney in two Title IV disciplinary cases against former Florida Bishop John Howard, speaks Aug. 20 at a motion hearing before the hearing panel in the Howard cases. The panel’s chair is North Carolina Assistant Bishop Jennifer Brooke-Davidson. Howard did not attend.

[Episcopal News Service] Former Florida Bishop John Howard “sort of fell off the radar” and has not been heard from since February, a church attorney told a disciplinary hearing panel Aug. 20 in the Title IV cases against Howard, who is accused of discrimination and financial impropriety.

More than 40 people, including several clergy and lay leaders from Howard’s diocese, attended the motion hearing on Zoom. Howard was not among them.

“It’s important for the record to show that the church attorney and the hearing panel itself have taken every opportunity and taken every reasonable step that we can to be sure that Bishop Howard has notice of all of the proceedings that are taking place and that he have an opportunity to appear and participate,” Craig Merritt, the attorney for The Episcopal Church, said while outlining his motion. It asks the hearing panel to compel Howard to respond or else allow the case to proceed without his cooperation.

North Carolina Assistant Bishop Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, who chairs the hearing panel, agreed that Merritt’s description of Howard’s unresponsiveness is “consistent with what the hearing panel has seen.” The last procedural contact between Howard and the hearing panel was in February, when the two sides met through their attorneys and agreed on a scheduling order.

“It has been six months since we have heard anything from him,” Brooke-Davidson said.

Florida Bishop John Howard retired in October 2023 after reaching the church’s mandatory retirement age of 72. Photo: Diocese of Florida

Howard served the Jacksonville-based Diocese of Florida for 20 years until his retirement in October 2023, after reaching the church’s mandatory clergy retirement age of 72. One of the two cases filed under the church’s Title IV canons alleges that the diocese, under Howard’s leadership, engaged in a pattern of discrimination against LGBTQ+ clergy and aspirants to ordained ministry, as well as their supporters. The second case is unrelated and centers on three diocesan financial matters during his time as bishop.

Howard submitted written responses to these allegations in August 2024. He affirmed many of the underlying facts but denied all wrongdoing. Episcopal News Service has been unable to reach him for a more recent response.

The Episcopal Church’s Title IV disciplinary canons apply to all clergy, though cases involving bishops follow a separate process from those at the diocesan level. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe had been in conversation with Howard on a possible accord, or agreement, to resolve the matter, but in February 2025, Rowe announced that the cases would proceed to a hearing panel, marking a more public phase of the process.

A Title IV hearing, similar to a civil trial, had been scheduled to begin at the end of April but was postponed to allow time for both sides to pursue discovery, the process of gathering evidence, requesting documents and deposing witnesses. Howard, however, has not participated in the discovery process, and in June, Merritt filed a motion seeking to compel Howard to provide documents and answer written questions. The bishop still has not responded, Merritt said at the Aug. 20 hearing.

“We are working diligently to not let this turn into some sort of ad hominem attack on the bishop personally,” Merritt said, but Howard has given no reason for the sudden lack of cooperation, leaving the church to conclude that it is “intentional and by design.”

In addition to Brooke-Davidson, the members of the hearing panel include the Rev. Mally Lloyd, a Diocese of Massachusetts priest; former Michigan Bishop Wendell Gibbs; Bill Fleener Jr., chancellor of the Diocese of the Great Lakes; and Bethlehem Bishop Kevin Nichols. Brooke-Davidson said the panel plans to issue a ruling on Merrit’s motion by Aug. 25.

Howard’s Title IV hearing now is set to begin Nov. 10 in Jacksonville, according to a separate scheduling order. The current deadline for both sides to comply with requirements for disclosure of evidence is Aug. 29.

Merritt has asked the hearing panel to rule that Howard, by his lack of participation, has waived his right to object to any of the church’s requests for documents, testimony or other evidence. To allow Howard to resurface at a later date and raise objections “would be prejudicial to the process,” Merritt said, and could turn the proceedings into an “expensive side show.”

It also is unclear whether Howard is currently represented by an attorney in the cases. His former attorney, Stephen Busey, told the hearing panel in April that he had to step down from representing Howard, citing “personal reasons.” Busey told ENS by email that he was not sure whether anyone else is representing Howard.

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

Bishop John Howard led the Jacksonville-based Diocese of Florida from 2004 until his retirement in 2023. Photo: Diocese of Florida

[Episcopal News Service] The church attorney representing The Episcopal Church in the disciplinary cases against former Florida Bishop John Howard has accused Howard of failing to cooperate in the proceedings and has asked the hearing panel to compel the retired bishop to produce documents and written responses to questions.

“There is no plausible reason to conclude that [Howard] is unaware of the deadlines,” the attorney, Craig Merritt, said in a motion, which will be taken up in an online proceeding at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 20. The motion and the scheduling of oral arguments on the motion suggest that Howard has refused for months to cooperate in two parallel cases, one alleging anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and the other alleging financial impropriety when he was a diocesan bishop.

“The task of requesting a time extension is not daunting,” Merritt wrote. Howard “has demonstrated his ability to communicate with a Hearing Panel when he chooses, and it is likely that his failure to make such a request is anything but unintentional.”

Howard is facing potential discipline under the church’s Title IV canons, which apply to all ordained clergy. Such cases sometimes are resolved through an accord, or negotiated agreement, in which some or all details remain confidential. In this case, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe announced in February that his discussions with Howard had not yet resulted in such an accord, and the case would proceed to the more public phase, before a Title IV Hearing Panel.

Howard’s cases previously had been scheduled for a hearing April 30-May 2, but the week before the hearing, the church announced it had been delayed to an unspecified future date.

Howard served the Jacksonville-based Diocese of Florida for 20 years until his retirement in October 2023, after reaching the church’s mandatory clergy retirement age of 72. One of the two cases filed under the church’s Title IV canons alleges that the diocese, under Howard’s leadership, engaged in a pattern of discrimination against LGBTQ+ clergy and aspirants to ordained ministry, as well as their supporters. Howard, while affirming his conservative theological beliefs, has denied the claims of discrimination.

The second case is unrelated and centers on three financial matters. Howard is accused of improperly benefiting from a home loan provided by his Jacksonville-based diocese that the diocese eventually forgave, and he is accused of spending money from a bishop’s discretionary account on home improvements. The case also details concerns about the transparency and propriety of an arrangement between Howard, an anonymous donor and an independent diocesan foundation to boost the bishop’s salary while also fulfilling corresponding pension obligations in the years before his retirement.

Howard, in his written responses to these allegations, affirmed many of the underlying facts but denied all wrongdoing.

After the church attorney alleged lack of cooperation, Episcopal News Service sought comment from Howard through his attorney, who responded that he was no longer representing Howard in the matter. Since April, no other attorney for Howard has been listed in case documents posted to the church website. ENS also reached out to Howard by email and will update this story if a response is received.

In April, the hearing panel had issued an updated scheduling order, giving both sides a series of new deadlines, including for providing requested documents and conducting depositions with possible witnesses. On April 21, the church issued a request to Howard for that evidence, known as “discovery,” but since then, Merritt said Howard has openly refused to cooperate with those requests.

“It is 53 days since service of the written discovery; and two weeks past the deadline for a response,” Merritt said in his June 13 motion, which was filed in the case related to financial matters. Merritt added that Howard had “advised the Hearing Panel that he decided to disengage from this and the other pending Title IV proceeding until August 10, 2025. He has not signaled his intentions after that date.”

Merritt has asked the hearing panel to order Howard to comply and, if he doesn’t, to allow the church to proceed with the case without his cooperation if necessary. Merritt also cautioned against allowing Howard’s unresponsiveness to disrupt the case’s timely advance.

“The church does not want to be caught in a trap, whereby the respondent, having withdrawn from the process, returns only to claim that actions taken in his absence were somehow unfair,” Merritt said.

Under the most recent scheduling order, depositions were to be concluded by Aug. 18. With that and other deadlines missed, it is unclear when the two cases might proceed to a hearing.

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

The reports were drafted by Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, who has been working with the diocese as a consultant in its healing process, since its last two bishop elections drew objections and did not result in a consecration. Gray-Reeves, trained in conflict resolution, is the former bishop of El Camino Real in California.

A special meeting of the Florida Diocesan Convention was held June 14 at the diocese’s Camp Weed and Cerveny Conference Center in Live Oak, Florida, to advance the process of launching a bishop search. Photo: Camp Weed

“The convocations for listening and sharing with one another have supported transformation, healing and reconciliation happening on many levels in the diocese,” Gray-Reeves said in a joint statement with the Rev. Sarah Minton, chair of Florida’s standing committee. “The path has not been easy, and we still have work to do. We trust the Holy Spirit as we continue to faithfully create space for the healing work that Christ is bringing among us.”

The 2025 report summarizes participants’ responses at six gatherings across the Jacksonville-based diocese in April, May and June. The report includes a six-page summary by Gray-Reeves followed by a long compilation of participants’ written responses at table groups. The 2024 report follows a similar structure and is based on three gatherings in January and May that year.

“Overall, there was support for moving forward with the election of the next bishop,” Gray-Reeves wrote in the 2025 report, “and a desire to see continued improvement in communication, transparency and greater engagement across the diocese in order to continue improving healthy, ethical, trustworthy and canonical functioning in all aspects of being a diocese of the Episcopal Church.”

The gatherings were not intended primarily to enable a new bishop election, though diocesan leaders previously had indicated healing would be necessary before a new election could be held. In March 2025, the standing committee announced it had initiated a series of steps that would allow for an election in 2026 and a consecration in early 2027.

The diocese has been without a diocesan bishop since the October 2023 retirement of former Florida Bishop John Howard, who had served for nearly 20 years. Howard, known as one of The Episcopal Church’s more theologically conservative bishops, had drawn criticism from more progressive leaders in the diocese, particularly for his resistance to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

In 2022, the diocese twice tried to elect Howard’s successor, but both times the elections were successfully blocked by objections filed by some Florida clergy and lay leaders, leaving Florida unable to consecrate a new bishop.

Gray-Reeves’ work with the Diocese of Florida has included multiple convocations, a clergy conference, a clergy day and a day of prayer. In addition, retired Georgia Bishop Scott Benhase agreed to serve Florida as a part-time assisting bishop with help from retired New Jersey Bishop Chip Stokes.

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

The Florida Standing Committee, in a statement to Episcopal News Service after the convention, said it is “continuing to lead a very productive process of healing and strengthening of our diocesan body.” While some delegates were in favor of calling for a new bishop, “the larger body of delegates sees the opportunity for further healing and strengthening.”

The Episcopal Diocese of Florida is based in Jacksonville.

A year ago, the Jacksonville-based diocese failed to receive the necessary churchwide consents for its previous bishop election. This year’s convention also took place nearly a year after the retirement of its last bishop, the Rt. Rev. John Howard.

The standing committee has been the diocese’s ecclesiastical authority since Howard’s retirement at the end of October 2023, and two other retired bishops are assisting the diocese in the interim.

The diocesan convention was held Sept. 20-21 at Camp Weed & Cerveny Conference Center in Live Oak. Seven out of eight resolutions – including two special resolutions – were passed during the diocesan convention. 

Resolution 6, which called on the standing committee to launch a new bishop election process, didn’t pass. It was instead voted to be postponed indefinitely. The resolution didn’t specify any timeframe to begin the bishop search process.

“The continued success of this process will reveal the best election timing to the Standing Committee,” the standing committee said in its emailed statement to ENS.

Over the past 10 months without a diocesan bishop, the diocese has engaged in a series of listening sessions and convocations intended to heal some of the divisions that had widened during Howard’s 20-year episcopate, particularly over Howard’s opposition to greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church. (Howard now faces two Title IV disciplinary cases related to his leadership.)

The standing committee retained as a consultant the Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves, the former bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real, who is trained in conflict mediation. In January 2024, she released a summary of her initial listening sessions and dozens of letters lamenting a “culture of acrimony and distrust” in the diocese.

Some of those tensions had risen to the surface in 2022 when the diocese twice tried to elect a bishop to succeed Howard. Both elections were blocked by objections filed by some Florida clergy and lay leaders, leaving Florida unable to consecrate a new bishop.

Earlier in September, the standing committee told ENS in writing that “everything we have done is an effort to promote healing. We have listened. We have prayed. We have sought counsel. We have worked tirelessly on the areas we knew needed attention to heal relationally and organizationally.”

The standing committee told ENS this week that delegates may reconsider Resolution 6 later. “We are blessed by the remarkable efforts of our laity, clergy and the staff of the Diocese that are moving our ministry forward with a sense of renewal, optimism and unity.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

From left, Keith Daw, Diocese of Florida chief operating officer, and two standing committee members, the Rev. Justin Yawn and the Rev. Sarah Minton, welcome diocesan members to a Sept. 3 pre-convention meeting at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Palm Coast, as seen on a diocesan video of the event.

[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Florida will consider a resolution at its Sept. 20-21 convention calling on the Florida Standing Committee to launch a new bishop search a year after the diocese failed to receive the necessary churchwide consents for its previous bishop election.

The upcoming diocesan convention also follows nearly a year after the retirement of its last bishop, the Rt. Rev. John Howard. Over the past 10 months without a diocesan bishop, the diocese has engaged in a series of listening sessions and convocations intended to heal some of the divisions that had widened during Howard’s 20-year episcopate, particularly over Howard’s opposition to greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church. (Howard now faces two Title IV disciplinary cases related to his leadership.)

Members of the Jacksonville-based Diocese of Florida have been invited this month to four pre-convention meetings to learn more about the six resolutions that will be voted on, along with other items on the convention’s agenda. The first pre-convention meeting was held Sept. 3 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Palm Coast and was livestreamed on YouTube. A video of the session can be viewed on the diocese’s channel.

The Rev. Sarah Minton, rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Green Cove Springs and a member of the standing committee, was among the diocesan leaders who welcomed those attending the meeting at St. Thomas.

“You care about our diocese. You care about the governance of our church. You care about one another,” Minton said.

The standing committee, which has been the diocese’s ecclesiastical authority since Howard’s retirement at the end of October 2023, responded at length in writing to Episcopal News Service’s questions about the diocese’s healing process, its convention and the resolution calling for a new bishop search.

In the past year, “everything we have done is an effort to promote healing,” the standing committee told ENS. “We have listened. We have prayed. We have sought counsel. We have worked tirelessly on the areas we knew needed attention to heal relationally and organizationally.”

As it navigates a tumultuous leadership transition, the standing committee retained as a consultant the Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves, the former bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real, who is trained in conflict mediation. In January 2024, she released a summary of her initial listening sessions and dozens of letters lamenting a “culture of acrimony and distrust” in the diocese.

Some of those tensions had risen to the surface in 2022 when the diocese twice tried to elect a bishop to succeed Howard. Both elections were successfully blocked by objections filed by some Florida clergy and lay leaders, leaving Florida unable to consecrate a new bishop.

Gray-Reeves has continued to work with the Diocese of Florida, including at two convocations, a clergy conference, a clergy day and a day of prayer, the standing committee said. In addition, retired Georgia Bishop Scott Benhase agreed to serve Florida as a part-time assisting bishop with help from retired New Jersey Bishop Chip Stokes.

“We have not stopped working to heal our diocese,” the standing committee said in its responses to ENS for this story. “Healing is our top priority and we recognize it takes time.”

Gray-Reeves will join the diocese for its convention at Camp Weed & Cerveny Conference Center in Live Oak. Along with the typical votes on a diocesan budget and diocesan leadership, delegates will consider six resolutions – five proposing changes to the diocese’s charter and canons and the final resolution relating to a new bishop election.

The sixth resolution, a delegate-generated proposal, was submitted by the Rev. Jon Davis of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Palatka and the Rev. Matt Marino of Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Augustine. Their proposed resolution commends the standing committee’s work “moving the diocese forward with improved communication, transparency and leading us through convocations in order to better understand each other across our theological and contextual differences.”

While the healing process continues, the resolution asks the standing committee to “act with haste to begin the process of creating a search process for electing our next bishop for the Diocese of Florida in the first quarter of 2025.”

Marino, in an interview with ENS, described the standing committee as hard-working and “heroic” in taking over leadership of the diocese in the absence of a diocesan bishop. He also expressed gratitude to Gray-Reeves, Benhase and Stokes.

“We’ve had three bishops who are moderating, healing presences with us, and we’ve had a really, really active standing committee,” Marino said. The resolution requesting a new bishop search is not binding, but Marino suggested it reflects an eagerness among some in the diocese to return to formal episcopal leadership.

“At some point, you deal with all the question marks, and now you’re back on track,” Marino said.

The standing committee did not respond directly to the proposed resolution but outlined the steps that need to occur before calling for a new election: “The plan includes, but is not limited to, the following areas: the ordination process, audits, financial policies and procedures, website and communications, canons and constitution and the care and wellbeing of our people.”

“We do not yet have a specific date when we will call for an election, but we are much closer than we were in November,” the standing committee said. “While working to ensure we can have a successful election, we continue to seek counsel on moving forward to call for election. Our goal is to host an election that is procedurally correct and fosters trust, confidence and healing across our diocese.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

The four-page summary was drafted by the Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves, who is trained in conflict mediation and was retained as a consultant by the Diocese of Florida as it navigates a tumultuous leadership transition. Gray-Reeves, the former bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real, now serves as managing director of the College for Bishops.

Florida Bishop John Howard, who retired on Oct. 31 after 20 years with the diocese, had been accused of a pattern of discrimination toward LGBTQ+ clergy and their supporters. Tensions over his leadership flared publicly after the diocese tried twice in 2022 to elect a bishop to succeed him. Both elections were successfully blocked by objections filed by some Florida clergy and lay leaders, leaving Florida unable to consecrate a new bishop.

In the interim, retired Georgia Bishop Scott Benhase is serving Florida as a part-time assisting bishop, with help from retired New Jersey Bishop Chip Stokes. The standing committee serves as the diocese’s ecclesiastical authority during the diocesan bishop vacancy. The Jacksonville-based Diocese of Florida is one of five Episcopal dioceses in the state.

Gray-Reeves, in addition to meeting last year with key groups in the diocese, invited Episcopalians to share their thoughts and feelings on the state of the diocese in confidential letters. Gray-Reeves’ summary, dated Dec. 30 and released Jan. 22, indicates she received 71 responses.

“Most letters expressed concern for the overall health and well-being of the diocese, offering prayers and sincere hope for its recovery,” she said. “There was concern that the level of conflict, the general culture of acrimony and distrust, were significant barriers to a productive future.”

Many letters raised administrative concerns, Gray-Reeves said. “Among these letters were concerns about Bishop Howard’s impact as a leader,” as well as Howard’s former canon to the ordinary, the Rev. Allison DeFoor. Some encounters with Howard and DeFoor were described as “disrespectful to the individual or congregations, biased or inconsistent with canons or diocesan parties.”

Some letters also identified perceived bias and exclusion relating to LGBTQ+ persons, as well as women and people of color.

“A few letters reflected upset and disappointment in the outcome of the [bishop] election process,” Gray-Reeves continued, both from those who thought the winner of the elections, the Rev. Charlie Holt, should have been consecrated and those who objected to his election.

“The level of conflict is obviously very high in the Diocese of Florida,” she said. “The climate of the diocese is one currently governed by conflict generally, characterized by deep mistrust, fear, hurt, isolation and lowered functioning, productivity and innovation. What was expressed in the letters typifies, I believe, a psychologically unsafe environment.”

The Diocese of Florida holds its convention Nov. 11 at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, as seen on video of the proceedings.

Gray-Reeves plans to attend the Jan. 27 convocation at the diocese’s Camp Weed, which was scheduled by the standing committee as part of the ongoing healing process in the diocese. This is intended as the first of three such convocations, with attendance expected by all clergy in the diocese and at least two lay leaders from each congregation.

“These will offer a safe space for diocesan members to engage in processes that will lead to reconciliation between groups and individual members of the diocese, the wider diocese and The Episcopal Church,” the convocation steering committee says in its online invitation. “The longer-term objective of the convocations and the homework built into the process is to cultivate tools for reconciliation and healing that will ultimately become part of the cultural pattern in the life of the diocese.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

The standing committee previously had announced that retired Georgia Bishop Scott Benhase would serve the Diocese of Florida as part-time assisting bishop starting this month following Florida Bishop John Howard’s retirement at the end of October. Stokes will support Benhase.

“Bishop Stokes will be actively involved in parish visitations for confirmations and pastoral support, regional gatherings, clericus meetings and ordinations,” the standing committee said in its latest update.

Stokes retired as bishop of the Trenton-based Diocese of New Jersey in June 2023.