Thread by @DOMA_Misconduct

TIMELINE: How @DioceseWGC's episcopal election in @the_ACNA devolved into chaos.

A nominee targeted for his Biblical views. Parishes threatening to leave for the sake of women's right to preach. A deadlocked synod. Intervention by the College of Bishops.

READ IT ALL below. 1/🧵

Background. The Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast (DWGC) constitutionally ordains women to the diaconate but not the priesthood. However, the bishop ordinary, Clark Lowenfield, has made a practice of licensing female deacons to preach at Eucharistic services. 2/

Dec 2025. The Episcopal Nominations Team (ENT) announces Fr Ben Sharpe as the sole nominee for next bishop ordinary. This is approved unanimously by the ENT, diocesan council, Bp Lowenfield, & Bp Kevin Allen (provincial advisor). It is framed as the will of the Holy Spirit. 3/

Jan 2026. Individuals from @ADChristOurHope reach out to deacons in DWGC to report “troubling” positions held by Sharpe:
1. That he required women to wear head coverings;
2. That he opposes the female diaconate;
3. That he doesn't permit women to preach at the Eucharist. 4/

The same month, A Zoom call occurs between Fr Sharpe, Dcn Lisa Schwandt (Dean of DWGC College of Deacons) & Dcn Katie Dearman. Both are deacons at HopePointe, Bp Lowenfield's former parish. They address the three claims. Sharpe denies claim #1 and #2, but not #3. 5/

The diocesan council is told that during the Zoom call Sharpe "claimed that no deacons male or female would be permitted to preach in the Eucharistic assembly". Sharpe's team denies this as false & writes to the diocesan council to correct the record. 6/

Fr Sharpe sends a position paper to the diocesan council addressing his views on the diaconate & "three streams" Christianity. He says he is opposed to "female deacons preaching in the eucharistic assembly" & was unaware that it "was an expected practice of your diocese". 7/

Feb 2026. Dcn Shelly Sorem, a leader of the Women's Leadership Network (WLN), joins DWGC parish @AllSaintsConroe, the home of WLN leader Anthea Kotlan. The same month, the WLN plans a seminar platforming a book which frames complementarianism as sexist abuse. 8/

Mar 2026. The diocesan council reverses course & announces a second nominee for bishop ordinary, Fr Russell Martin, based on "concerned feedback from clergy and lay leaders". Martin is clergy in residence at @AllSaintsConroe. A special electing synod will occur in May. 9/

Apr 2026. A member of the ENT confirms that there are parishes in DWGC "threatening to leave if Fr Ben is elected" over his views on women preaching. Reportedly, these are HopePointe (Dcns Schwandt & Dearman) and @allsaintsconroe (Fr Russell Martin, Dcn Sorem, & Ms Kotlan). 10/

Apr 2026. At walkabouts, Bp Lowenfield announces he is seizing control of the election from the Episcopal Transition Team (ETT). During the first walkabout, Fr Martin indicates that he is "not settled" & "open" on women priests but would respect DWGC's current practice. 11/

During the first walkabout, Fr Sharpe is forced to refute rumors that he concealed his opposition to preaching by female deacons, citing his Jan position paper. "It's just fallacious. And quite frankly, it's malicious." He says he will not revoke current preaching licenses. 12/

Apr 2026. At the second walkabout, Fr Martin shares that his mother was an Episcopal priest & that he was "raised by a feminist, and rightly so". Pressed how he would vote on women's ordination to the priesthood in the college of bishops, he equivocates. 13/

Meanwhile, @jonbeadle, rector of @allsaintsconroe, questions Fr Sharpe on the female diaconate. Beadle smirks, while Beadle's wife accuses Sharpe of "illegitimizing" women. Sharpe wonders aloud: "Can a man with my Biblical convictions be a bishop in the ACNA?" 14/

Apr 2026. At the 3rd walkabout, Fr Martin says of the prohibition in 1 Timothy on women teaching in church: "That's what Paul says … I haven't seen where it says God does not permit that." When later asked, he clarifies that he does hold the passage to be inspired Scripture. 15/

Meanwhile, Fr Sharpe exhorts members of the diocese to "make your decision courageously". "Courage is contagious", he says. "Let your courage be contagious." According to reports within the diocese, Bp Lowenfield personally lobbies clergy to vote for Fr Martin. 16/

May 12 2026. Fr John Goodman II, a former DWGC priest, publishes a scathing essay describing a spiritually abusive culture fostered in DWGC by Bp Lowenfield. On the nominating process: "Clarkstantinople itself is what turned it into a bakeoff". 17/
goodmanii.substack.com/p/where-i-come…

May 16 2026. Bp Lowenfield presides over the DWGC's special electing synod. At the outset of the synod, he successfully motions to seat 'alternates' & others unable to be at the previous synod—including Dcn Shelly Sorem of @allsaintsconroe. 18/

Lowenfield has his chancellor share a resolution passed to send both names to the college after a deadlock. Lowenfield interrupts him with Fr Bill Kotlan (@allsaintsconroe) who says: "We thought we would want to have … more of a Holy Spirit process." 19/

After the synod approves the new arrangement as part of a rules change, the synod holds the election & deadlocks between its two houses, clergy & laity. Results are consistent over 7 rounds: Clergy support Martin; the laity support Sharpe. 20/

https://x.com/GeorgeConger8/status/2055831725150798109

At this point, Lowenfield successfully pushes to adjourn & explains that, because of the resolution, the synod is now faced with an ultimatum: Send both names to the college of bishops, or else be forced to restart entire search process from scratch. 21/

May 18 2026. After the synod narrowly votes to send both names to the college, Lowenfield frames the decision as the will of the Holy Spirit: "I have a very strong sense of His Spirit that this is in His Will and will promote greater healing in our family." 22/

May 19 2026. On @AnglicanTV, Kevin Kallsen & Fr George Conger discuss the idea of sending in former Abp Bob Duncan as interim: "They need to send in someone akin to a Bob Duncan or a Martyn Minns, somebody who could step in for a year or two." 23/

May 21 2026. With Lowenfield's backing, acting primate Julian Dobbs successfully passes a resolution in the college of bishops calling on the diocesan council to "accept the appointment" of Abp Duncan as interim bishop & "seek fresh consent" to hold a further election. 24/

May 27 2026. In a 7 am email, Lowenfield joyously announces that the diocesan council accepted the appointment of Duncan "earlier today". Duncan is widely known for his support for ordaining female priests, a stark departure from the DWGC's constitutional prohibition. 25/25

CLARIFICATION: Post #6 of this thread incorrectly states that Fr Sharpe's team wrote to the diocesan council. This is an error. In reality, the attached email from Fr Sharpe's team was addressed to members of the Episcopal Nominations Team (ENT).

https://x.com/BenjiSDavis/status/2060013970778394981