The Virginia diocese's resolution, passed in the closing minutes of its annual council at the Richmond Marriott, promised to "seek the highest degree of communion possible" with Christians with whom it disagrees.

The diocese's 90,000 members, it said, "would make every effort to cooperate as co-laborers within the Anglican Communion," the 70-million-member body to which the Episcopal Church belongs.

St. Anne’s, a church body of 250 members, has remained steadfast and loyal in their commitment to the Holy Scripture, the historic teachings of Christianity and the Anglican Communion for over 100 years. However, the Episcopal Church USA has chosen a path that no longer reflects the membership’s steadfast faith.

The resolution, which does not mention homosexuality, was adopted in the closing minutes of the 211th Annual Council of the Virginia diocese yesterday at the Richmond Marriott. About 1,000 Episcopalians from across the state attended the two-day meeting.

The Standing Committee reportedly plans to issue a public letter soon explaining its decision. But, with Bennison insisting that his resignation is "not in the best interests of the diocese," it seemed that the jurisdiction could be in for a tug of war similar to that in the late 1990s in the Diocese of New Jersey. There, Bishop Joe Morris Doss held out against calls from diocesan leaders for him to leave, though he eventually took a severance package valued at $1.2 million to do so.