Frequently Asked Questions

As of midday on June 28th, the 81st General Convention in Louisville, KY, approved the joint resolution from the Dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee to rejoin as the Diocese of Wisconsin. In light of this, we have this new website as our shared landing page for Episcopalians across the state.

Our staff are dispersed throughout the state of Wisconsin, representing the three historic diocese that we have rejoined into one.

There is a lot we still have to do to consolidate our resourcing from three dioceses into one so we appreciate your patience with as we undertake this huge project. Please email rector@stjohnswausau.org if there are specific resources that you'd like to see and Father Samuel Cripps will add them into the web construction pipeline. For commonly found resources: marriage judgment application, clergy compensation minimums, etc., expect those resources on the site in the next few weeks.

In the coming weeks you'll hear about all sorts of new things with our reorganization and reunion. We'll be introducing new regional missioners, introducing our staff, and other opportunities and news.

The Trialogue model also includes regional missioners, who would be members of the clergy responsible for a given region (see proposed map). Regional missioners would receive a stipend and be accountable to the bishop and canon to the ordinary, and be responsible for checking in with each parish and mission in their region on a monthly basis and for gathering the clergy in that region to foster a community and provide encouragement, relationship-building opportunities and support. Their insights and knowledge will be indispensable to ensuring that diocesan staff stay closely connected to and informed about each part of the diocese.

Bishop Matt Gunter, bishop of Fond du Lac, bishop provisional of Eau Claire and assisting bishop of Milwaukee, will be the first bishop of the reunified Diocese of Wisconsin and would lead our new diocese through its initial years. Sometime no later than mid-2028, Bishop Gunter would call for the election of his successor, and the diocese would undertake the search for a new bishop—a process that typically takes about 18 months. Bishop Gunter would retire no later than December 2029, when he reaches the canonically required retirement age of 72.

The Steering Committee believes that, for the meantime, a reunified diocese should retain each of its historic cathedrals—one in Eau Claire, one in Fond du Lac, and one in Milwaukee. All are home to vibrant congregations, and we expect that they will contribute additional regional strength to our diocese by hosting diocesan celebrations and gatherings. Other Episcopal and Anglican dioceses have more than one cathedral, and so our decision to retain each of our cathedrals for the time being is not unique.

As the Trialogue Task Forces and Steering Committee have discerned that God is leading us toward reunion, we have heard that our congregations need a diocesan structure that has enough resources to foster the vitality of our congregations by providing expertise, grants, leadership development, and collaborative opportunities. The proposed financial model outlines what the income and expenses of a new Diocese of Wisconsin, organized for mission, might look like.