John-David Schofield

Schofield has his devout friends and enemies. He strongly believes that the Episcopal Church USA violated biblical principles by consecrating the openly gay Bishop, V. Eugene Robinson of New Hampshire. He also opposes such issues as abortion and woman priests.

Schofield maintains that he has no unilateral authority to take his diocese out of the American church. That lies with the delegates at next week's convention.

He also invites St. John's or any other church that disagrees with the convention's vote regarding the diocese's future to leave the diocese.

"If they are free of debt, they can take away their buildings, their priests, the works, and they can go with my blessings," Schofield told the News-Sentinel during a visit to Lodi in February.

In a written statement on Nov. 16, Schofield announced that the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of South America, meeting in Chile in November, invited the San Joaquin Diocese and any conservative dioceses to leave the American Episcopal Church and join the its group. The Southern Cone also invited conservative Canadian Anglicans to join.

The Episcopal Church USA is part of the British-based Anglican Communion, formerly the Church of England. Canada, which has a different organization called the Anglican Church of Canada, is also divided among liberal and conservative groups.

"We welcome the invitation extended by the Anglican Church of the southern Cone," Schofield said. "The invitation assures the diocese's place in the Anglican Communion and full communion with the See of Canterbury."

Schofield added that the diocese will be free to join the South American Anglican group provided that San Joaquin convention delegates approve a series of amendments to the diocese constitution next week. A two-thirds majority is required.

The amendments include language that lists the diocese as a member of the Anglican Communion rather than Episcopal Church USA and that the diocese bishop has ecclesiastical authority rather than the nationwide presiding bishop.

Katharine Jefferts Schori

Katharine Jefferts Schori

Jefferts Schori is presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church USA. She has sent letters stating that if convention delegates at San Joaquin and other conservative dioceses adopt amendments to their constitution opposing the national Episcopal church, she will ask a special review committee to determine whether Schofield and the San Joaquin delegates have "abandoned" the communion of the Episcopal Church.

Jefferts Schori, 53, was bishop of the Nevada Diocese before being named presiding bishop nationally in November 2006.

A ruling favorable to Jefferts Schori could result in her removing Schofield as bishop of the San Joaquin Diocese and the convention delegates. An "assisting bishop" would fill in on a temporary basis until a new bishop is selected.

Andee Zetterbaum

A Stockton resident, Zetterbaum is a lay Eucharist minister at St. John's and one of four voting convention delegates representing St. John's. The three other voting delegates are Ejae Brown, Richard Cress and Jim "Corky" Kuykendall.

Parish priests are also allowed to vote, but St. John's doesn't have a permanent priest. Interim Priest Basil Parker-Matthews doesn't have a vote, Zetterbaum said.

Andee Zetterbaum

Zetterbaum strongly opposes any movement by the San Joaquin Diocese to leave Episcopal Church USA. She says that Schofield signed a contract with the national church that she considers to be equivalent to a prenuptial agreement saying the bishop will be "loyal to the denomination."

Despite her protests, Zetterbaum expects convention delegates to pass constitutional amendments that could lead to the diocese's departure from the American church.

Schofield has widespread support among delegates, she said, because priests and parishioners who disagree with him theologically have left their congregation for other churches.

Schofield's desire for the San Joaquin Diocese to consider another affiliation has made it difficult for St. John's to get select a new priest to replace Father Rick matters, who left in May for a church in Carmel — and a new diocese.

"We have had priests who have said, 'I love the Central Valley, but as long as Schofield is bishop, I won't apply, ' " Zetterbaum said.

Zetterbaum said it isn't clear whether Schofield or convention delegates have the authority to join the Southern Cone of South America. It's an issue that could very well be decided in court, she said.

"St. John's has made it clear it will remain in the (American) Episcopal Church." Zetterbaum said.

Van McCalister

McCalister wears several hats with the San Joaquin Diocese. He is a priest at a small Episcopal church in Corcoran, south of Fresno and is the diocese's vocations officer, dean of the Schools for Ministry and public relations officer. He also conducts training to prevent sexual misconduct within the diocese.

Van McCalister

McCalister says that someday, the Central Valley could have separate Episcopal and Anglican dioceses.

Church officials disagree on what authority dioceses and the national church have, McCalister said, because they're venturing into uncharted territory.

"The framers of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church never envisioned this kind of scenario," he said. "There is nothing stating how to get out of the Episcopal Church."

There's more confusion because Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is "trying to introduce a hierarchical model into the church as if we're Catholic or Orthodox," McCalister said.

The Episcopal and Anglican churches don't have a pope like the Roman Catholic Church does. No one in the Episcopal Church or Anglican Communion as the same authority that a pope has, McCalister said.

"The Episcopal Church was put together by pretty much the same people who put together the U.S. government in the 18th century," he said. "We have college of bishops. (Jefferts Schori) is trying to frame herself as an archbishop or primate. There's no such thing. She can't remove a bishop unless the post has been abandoned."