Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic

Last updated
Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic
All Saints' Church, Dale City, Virginia 06.jpg
The Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic headquarters is located at All Saints' Church in Dale City, Virginia.
Location
Ecclesiastical province Anglican Church in North America
Statistics
Parishes41 (2024) [1]
Members8,540 (2024) [1]
Information
Rite Anglican
Current leadership
Bishop Christopher Warner
Website
Anglican Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic

The Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic is an Anglican Church in North America diocese, encompassing Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and northeastern North Carolina, with 38 congregations, including several church plantings. [2] The diocese was originally organized in 2006 as the Anglican District of Virginia when a group of Virginian congregations withdrew from the Episcopal Church. It achieved diocesan status on June 21, 2011. [3]

Contents

History

Founding congregations

The Anglican District of Virginia was organized on December 17, 2006, by nine congregations that broke away from the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. These congregations voted overwhelmingly to leave the Episcopal Church and formed the Anglican District of Virginia as part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), a ministry to Nigerian Anglicans living in North America that had also become an agent of Anglican realignment. The district was led by Martyn Minns, the Missionary Bishop of CANA.

The founding congregations were:

  1. Church of the Epiphany, Herndon, Virginia
  2. Truro Church, Fairfax
  3. The Falls Church (Anglican), Falls Church
  4. Church of Our Saviour, Oatlands, Leesburg
  5. St Margaret’s Church, Woodbridge, Virginia
  6. Church of the Apostles, Fairfax, Virginia
  7. Church of the Word, Gainesville, Virginia
  8. St Stephens (Anglican), Heathsville, Virginia
  9. Potomac Falls (Anglican), Potomac Falls, Virginia
  10. Christ the Redeemer (Anglican), Centreville, Virginia

Growth

A tenth congregation that had broken from the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia in October 2006, Church of the Messiah in Chesapeake, also later joined the district.

With the creation of the Anglican Church in North America in 2009, the Anglican District became a part of the new province while it continued to maintain its relationship with CANA. In May 2011, the district held a constitutional convention in Herndon, Virginia, where it voted to apply for formal diocesan status within ACNA and elected John Guernsey, USA Bishop of the Ugandan Diocese of North Kigezi and former rector of All Saints Church in Dale City, Virginia, as its first bishop. [4] The Anglican Church's provincial council approved its admission as a diocese on June 21. [3] Guernsey took office on September 10, 2011. [5]

Church of the Word retained its property and rejoined DOMA in April 2016. In July 2021, Church of the Word changed its name to St. Thomas Anglican Church. In 2021, the historic Christ Church in Accokeek, Maryland, disaffiliated from the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and joined DOMA while retaining its property. [6]

On October 15, 2022, Christopher Warner was selected as bishop-elect to succeed Guernsey. He was consecrated and invested in February 2023. [7]

Misconduct Allegations

In September 2023, Warner ordered an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against a youth minister who had been employed by The Falls Church Episcopal in the 1990s and early 2000s. The independent inquiry concluded that the youth minister “engaged in sexual abuse of students who participated in the youth program while he was employed.” At the conclusion of the investigation, Warner took the unusual step of publicly announcing that he had issued "Godly Admonitions" against the former and current rectors of The Falls Church Anglican, criticizing them for failing to investigate the allegations when first informed. [8]

In August 2025, DOMA responded to allegations of purported abuse of ecclesiastical power and imposition of religious beliefs concerning the ordination of women by Warner at Incarnation Anglican Church in Williamsburg, Virginia, assuring that Warner was not the subject of any disciplinary actions or investigation by the Provincial Office of the ACNA. [9]

Bishops

  1. John Guernsey (2011–2023)
  2. Christopher Warner (since 2023)

Parishes

As of 2021, the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic had 43 parishes. Notable parishes in the diocese include:

ChurchImageCityYear foundedYear completedNotes
Christ Church Christ Church Accokeek 05.jpg Accokeek, Maryland 16981747
Truro Church Truro Anglican Church, Fairfax, Virginia (1959) 05.jpg Fairfax, Virginia 17661959
Church of the Epiphany Church of the Epiphany, Chantilly, Virginia 01.jpg Chantilly, Virginia 19862018
The Falls Church (Anglican) The-falls-church-anglican-2.jpg West Falls Church, Virginia 20062019Separated from The Falls Church (Episcopal). Largest church in the diocese (2022) [10]
Restoration Anglican Church Restoration Anglican Church Arlington VA 02.jpg Arlington, Virginia 20092014Second-largest church in the diocese (2022) [10]
Church of the Good Shepherd First Baptist Lynchburg Nov 08-1.JPG Lynchburg, Virginia 20111886Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

References

  1. 1 2 Walton, Jeff (July 10, 2025). "What are the Largest Anglican Dioceses and Parishes?". Juicy Ecumenism. Institute on Religion and Democracy. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, Find a church near you Archived 2013-07-26 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed August 24, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Anglican Church in North America, "Anglican Church Adds Two Dioceses, Two New Dioceses in Formation", June 21, 2011. Accessed August 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ Anglican Church in North America, "Mid-Atlantic Anglicans Vote to Move Forward with Becoming a New Anglican Church Diocese" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine , May 21, 2011. Accessed August 24, 2011.
  5. ↑ Anglican Church in North America, "Bishop Investiture and Consecrations to Take Place in September", August 9, 2011. Accessed August 24, 2011.
  6. ↑ Walton, Jeffrey (4 May 2021). "Christ Church's Amicable Episcopal Separation". Juicy Ecumenism. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  7. ↑ "DOMA Votes Chris Warner for Bishop-Elect — Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic".
  8. ↑ Shapira, Ian (15 January 2025). "Minister accused of sex abuse landed one high-profile job after another". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  9. ↑ Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic (29 August 2025). "Statement from the standing committee of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic on compelling acceptance of women clergy". Anglican Ink. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Synod Delegations" (PDF). Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
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