Why will this be the 177th Annual Convention and why is Bishop Gunter be the 12th Bishop of Wisconsin?

Reunion means a merger of dioceses who came out of each other in the Episcopal Church. This is distinguished from juncture, a merger of those who didn’t come out of each other. The historic Diocese of Fond du Lac split off from the Diocese of Wisconsin (which later renamed itself Milwaukee). The historic Diocese of Eau Claire split off from Milwaukee and Fond du Lac. When the Diocese of Wisconsin was renamed Milwaukee, it continued the sequential numbering of conventions and bishops because it was the continuing Wisconsin diocese.

Our reunion resulted in all Wisconsin dioceses returning to that continuing entity. Though its form and name changed, it never ceased to exist. This “return” to a continuing entity is part of state law (Chapter 181) thankfully, because the steps for legal transition with a continued entity are far simpler and easier to accomplish than if this wasn’t the case. This is true even though we determined to rename the continuing entity from its current name (Milwaukee) to the original name (Wisconsin). The result is that the next annual convention will be number 177 and the bishop will be number 12 of the Diocese of Wisconsin. 

The Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan (soon “Diocese of the Great Lakes”) will juncture since parts of each diocese came from another diocese. There is no continuing entity. That is the Diocese of Michigan, which is not part of the juncture (if they were, it would be a reunion). So, the Diocese of the Great Lakes will be a NEW diocese. One could say the Diocese of Wisconsin is a regenerated diocese. Of course, the importance is we are holding a convention and have a bishop to continue and strengthen the church’s work in serving God through the mission and ministry of the church — regardless of the numbers.

~Matthew P. Payne