Episcopal Diocese of Newark
Diocese of Newark Diœcesis Newarkensis | |
---|---|
Province II | |
Statistics | |
Congregations | 94 (2022) |
Members | 18,743 (2022) |
Information | |
Denomination | Episcopal Church |
Established | 1874 |
Cathedral | Trinity & St. Philip's Cathedral |
Language | English, Korean, Malayalam, Spanish |
Current leadership | |
Bishop | Carlye J. Hughes |
Map | |
Location of the Diocese of Newark | |
Website | |
www.dioceseofnewark.org |
The Episcopal Diocese of Newark is a
History
Though Newark was originally a Puritan settlement, Anglicans have been worshipping in the area since 1695. An Anglican congregation was established in Newark by 1729 and a church, Trinity Church, was under construction in 1742. Two other current parishes, Christ Church Archived 2006-06-21 at the Wayback Machine in what is now Belleville (1746) and Christ Church in Newton (1769), were established by charter of the British Crown. The church, with its association with Britain, suffered during the American Revolutionary War, but by the time the first bishop of New Jersey was elected in 1815, there were 27 congregations. By 1832, there were 85 congregations statewide.
The Diocese of Northern New Jersey was separated from the larger
In June 1967, the region was rocked by the
The next bishop, John Shelby Spong, was and remains a lightning-rod for controversy. In addition to his positions on war and the ordination of women, Spong advocated for the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy, a stance which drew much criticism and continues to be a subject for much contention in the church. Since his retirement, Spong enjoyed considerable success as a writer and public speaker. Under Spong's watch, the Oasis Commission, the first diocesan ministry to LGBT persons, was formed. Spong's many books have challenged Christian orthodoxy, including the Virgin Birth and the physical Resurrection of Jesus. He also described as "barbaric" the notion that Jesus Christ died for the sins of all mankind.
Under the ninth bishop,
Croneberger also established a Canon for Congregational Development, which is helping churches with the challenging task of planning for the future. In the past 30 or so years the diocese has struggled to keep up with the growing population in the region. 23 congregations have closed (compared with a 2% increase nationwide) due to dropping attendance. A major obstacle is the concentration of churches, many of which are over 100 years old, in traditional population centers that do not reflect the growth patterns in the state. Numerous churches are within five miles of 15 other congregations. Another diocesan commission, the Bethsaida Team, helps churches overcome obstacles for people with disabilities.
Between 2000 and 2004, donations from parishioners increased 11.5 percent, but Sunday attendance decreased 11.8 percent since 2000. [1]
From 2005 to 2010 not only did attendance decrease, but so did donations and several churches were closed.[2]
Tenth bishop
On September 23, 2006, the Rev. Mark M. Beckwith, a former associate rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey, was elected bishop of Newark on the third ballot from a field of six candidates.[3] He was consecrated on January 27, 2007 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
The election brought some controversy because one candidate, Michael Barlowe, was openly gay.
Eleventh bishop
On May 19, 2018, the Rev.
Bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark
# | Portrait | Bishop | Term | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
- | - | Uzal Ogden, Jr. | - | While elected as bishop at a diocesan convention 1798, he was not consecrated as the General Convention considered him too "Methodistical" and for having abandoned the Prayer Book in favour of "extemporaneous prayers". He joined the Presbyterians soon after.[4] |
- | - | John Croes | 1815-1832 | As Bishop of New Jersey before partition of the diocese in 1874. |
- | - | George Washington Doane | 1832-1859 | As Bishop of New Jersey. |
I | - | William Henry Odenheimer | 1859-1879 | As Bishop of New Jersey until 1874, afterwards first Bishop of Northern New Jersey. |
II | - | Thomas A. Starkey | 1880-1903 | At first as second Bishop of Northern New Jersey; after 1888 as Bishop of Newark. |
III | - | Edwin Stevens Lines | 1903-1927 | With Coadjutor Bishop (1917)
|
IV | - | Wilson Reiff Stearly | 1927-1935 | With Coadjutor Bishop (1932)
|
V | - | Benjamin Martin Washburn |
1935-1958 | With Coadjutor Bishop (1953).
|
VI | - | Leland Stark | 1958-1974 | With Coadjutor Bishop (1970).
|
VII | - | George Rath | 1974-1979 | With Coadjutor Bishop (1976)
|
VIII | - | John Shelby Spong | 1979-2000 | With Coadjutor Bishop (1998–2000)
|
IX | - | John Palmer Croneberger |
2000-2007 | With Carol Gallagher as Assistant
|
X | - | *Mark M. Beckwith | 2007–2018 | |
XI | - | Carlye J. Hughes | 2018–present |
References
- ^ a b New York Times, 2006. For New Jersey diocese, picking bishop means facing rift by Tina Kelley / New York Times, August 6, 2006. Retrieved from The Detroit News on August 30, 2006.
- ^ Virtue Online Jan. 10, 2010
- ^ Voice Archived 2007-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, diocesan newspaper, Fall 2006. Congratulations to the Rev. Mark Beckwith.
- ^ Merritt Ierley, An Inheritance of the Faithful: A 225 Anniversary History of Christ Episcopal Church Newton, New Jersey (Newton, NJ: Christ Church, 1993), 16.