The Episcopal Church is no stranger to controversy and schism. From its founding to the present day, it has been periodically caught up in waves of inner turmoil, often when it attempts to refine its dogma as the world around it -- and the average churchgoer within it -- changes, or resists that change.

The very genesis of the Episcopalian Church is one of upheaval, and its story is uniquely American.

According to the Encarta Encyclopedia, when English settlers colonized Jamestown in 1607, they brought with them the Anglican faith, which was the dogma of the Church of England, that country's official established church since the Protestant Reformation. This Christian sect, while rejecting Catholic trappings such as indulgences, kept many Catholic traditions, including sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.

During the colonial period, the Church of England was weak in New England and numerically weak in the South (only the upper echelon of society preferred it), although Pennsylvanians and New Yorkers were solid Anglicans. (Most signers of the Declaration of Independence were Church of England members.)

The Episcopal Church in America continued to have major divisions throughout the years following its tumultuous formation, oftentimes resulting from the church's attempts to evolve ecumenically.

St. Theodore's Episcopal Church in Bella Vista is no exception to the ecumenical rule.

"Absolutely," says Kenneth Parks, the newly-installed rector of St. Theodore's. "We spend a lot of our energy on ecumenical efforts. That's one of our hallmarks."

Parks, who came to St. Theodore's in May, speaks enthusiastically about his new congregation's outreach and Christian education programs, all things that St. Theodore's can do with other groups.

"This (congregation) is not insular," he says.

Formed in 1977, and receiving mission church status and the name "St. Theodore's" in 1978, St. Theodore's was the only Episcopal congregation in the village for more than 25 years, and in 1999 had an estimated regular attendance of more than 400.

In 2003, however, the Episcopal Church's long history of schisms caught up with Bella Vista and St. Theodore's. That was the year that the Episcopal Church raised Gene Robinson, an open and practicing homosexual, to the rank of bishop.

This move touched off a firestorm of controversy amongst the Episcopal Church, and the tremors were felt in St. Theodore's as well.

A group at St. Theodore's was among those concerned about the increasingly liberal stance of the national church, and had been holding prayer meetings to discuss their unease. When the church consecrated Robinson, however, and St. Theodore's -- as a member of the Episcopal Church of the United States -- endorsed the action, they decided the time had come to go their own separate way.

Deacon Bobby Hall said prayer group members felt they could no longer stay in St. Theodore's, if for no other reason than the money they gave as offering at St. Theodore's would eventually go to an organization supporting values they feel are morally wrong.

After making this decision, Hall and approximately 20 other St. Theodore's parishioners began meeting in homes, and eventually enlisted the help of Reverend Ron Pfluger, the pastor at Bella Vista Lutheran, who agreed to let the new congregation hold services on Saturdays in the Lutheran building.

Now, almost two years later, Hall and his group of parishioners have purchased an old home in Bentonville and are renovating it. They hope to hold services in their new building within six months.

The new Episcopal parish will operate under the auspices of the United Episcopal Church of North America, according to Hall, and use the 1928 prayer book. In doing so, the new congregation will retain autonomy, as opposed to deeding their property to the diocese, and will reject the doctrines of female ordination and the condoning of homosexuality.

Despite an air of excitement surrounding the establishment of their new congregation, the pioneering group laments the split. Some attend the new congregation's Saturday service in Bella Vista Lutheran and the Sunday service at St. Theodore's. "We're not mad at anyone," says Hall. "We all have good friends there."

For his part, Pastor Parks says that splits such as this have always been a part of church life.

"We split, we get back together," he says. "That's just the way things are -- I don't know why."

He says that allowing people to fully realize their own unique spiritual reality -- no matter what -- is a part of the Episcopal way of life.

"We will respect the dignity of every human being," he says with conviction. "We want people (to be) fully informed about their faith, and their own relationship with Christ."

In the meantime, Parks says he is not intimidated by taking over the pastorship of a congregation experiencing such turmoil. On the contrary, he is excited by what he sees as a challenge and a chance for spiritual growth for all involved -- both in St. Theodore's and the new congregation.

"We have a great opportunity," he says of the current Episcopal climate in Bella Vista. "I can't imagine anyone not wanting to be here."

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