Fr. Mark Polley, rector and dean at St. Vincent's Cathedral of Bedford, Texas, took to his Facebook account to give his condolences, calling the late bishop "an incredible example of a Godly man faithfully living the gospel of Jesus Christ."

"God only knows how many people he positively influenced with his faith, courage, steadfastness, but perhaps above all, his love for the people under his care and his humor in the goodness of this life," Polley wrote.

"To say that he is loved and will be missed would be a huge understatement. Rest well, Bishop. I can't thank you enough for your ministry and your years of love and support, both personally, and for global Anglicanism."

Born in 1949 and a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Iker served as a church rector in Florida before he was consecrated as bishop coadjutor for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth in April 1993. He then became bishop of the Fort Worth Diocese on Jan. 1, 1995.

A theological conservative, Iker joined a majority of the diocese's clergy and lay representatives as they voted to leave The Episcopal Church in November 2008 over the theologically liberal direction of the denomination.

Iker is credited with co-founding the Anglican Church in North America, a theologically conservative denomination that became the home for many Episcopal congregations that left the liberal mainline Protestant church.

The national denomination, however, refused to recognize the dismissal, which led to several years of litigation over which side rightfully owned the property and marks of the diocese.

In May 2020, the Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of the breakaway group, saying that they owned the approximately $100 million in property assets, not the national denomination.

A few months before that, in December 2019, Iker retired as bishop of the Fort Worth Diocese, being succeeded by the Rt. Rev. Ryan S. Reed.

Iker had previously battled cancer in 2018 while still serving as bishop, ultimately surviving the bout and being declared "cancer-free" by May 2019 following treatments at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

In early August, a short statement was posted on the Facebook page of Bishop Jack Leo Iker by his family, explaining that "Bishop Iker has had a recurrence of cancer which has metastasized" and noted that he was going into hospice care.

"He was a pastor's pastor," Bishop Reed said of Iker, as quoted by The Fort Worth Report. "His first loyalty was to the clergy and their families. If you did something wrong, he would discipline you, but the purpose was to correct you out of love or hold you accountable."

BISHOP JACK IKER JOINS THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT

A personal reflection

by the Rev. Cn. Phil Ashey
October 8, 2024

Bishop Jack Leo Iker, retired Bishop of the Diocese of Ft. Worth (TEC and ACNA) and longtime Trustee of the American Anglican Council (AAC), passed into glory after a long bout with cancer Saturday evening, October 5. His family and Bishop Ryan Reed (ACNA Ft. Worth and AAC Trustee) were with him. Bishop Iker is survived by his wife Donna, their three daughters, and four grandchildren.

Bishop Iker is also survived by the thousands of lives he touched as a leader of the great Anglican-realignment in North America, especially within the diocese he led in Ft. Worth. Tributes from the clergy of Ft. Worth are pouring in on Facebook and other social media. There is a wonderful tribute to Bishop Iker, which you can find in the Ft. Worth Report here. Bishop Iker was nick-named “The Lion of Ft. Worth” by virtue of his middle name, Leo. In a recent interview, Bishop Ryan Reed said of Bishop Iker, “His stance for the biblical Christian faith made him either a hero, both within our church or even within ecumenical circles, where he had good relationships, or it made him despised, depending on the perspective of the audience. He didn’t back down from what we’ve received in terms of biblical faith.”

I had the privilege of working with Bishop Iker when he served as a bishop trustee of the AAC. I will always remember the time he hosted a gathering of supporters several years ago at the Ft. Worth Club when we had our board meeting at St. Andrews, Ft. Worth. He stated that he supported the AAC “because they get things done.” It was high praise from the Lion of Ft. Worth, who himself “got things done” as he led the Diocese of Ft. Worth out of TEC and never backed down during 12 years of ultimately exceptional and successful litigation against TEC.

“From the early days of the AAC, Bishop Jack Iker could always be counted on standing with us for orthodox Anglican Faith,” said Bishop David Anderson, Chairman of the AAC Board of Trustees. “His clear steady voice was so important in the Episcopal House of Bishops, but unfortunately his message was ignored by Episcopal Church leadership. His presence at the great Plano, Texas Conference in October of 2003 helped launch the structured coherence of the resistance movement and the beginning of the Exodus. Bishop Iker was a long-time member of the AAC, and his words of wisdom, his faith, and his example were always a source of strength and inspiration. I knew that I could always count on Bishop Jack Iker. He was for so many of us like the Rock of Gibraltar. His promotion to the Halls of Heaven are their joy but our sorrow in his departure, as he will be greatly missed.”

Archbishop Emeritus Robert Duncan, Vice-President of the American Anglican Council, gives this tribute to Bishop Iker: “+Jack was a dear friend of more than fifty years. We met when I helped him unload a moving van at General Seminary in August, 1971. Nara and I were also close to Donna. It is hard to imagine how the ACNA could have come together without his personal and corporate support. Rest in peace and rise in glory, dear brother.”

AAC Bishop Trustee, the Rt. Rev. Clark Lowenfield, shared this tribute in a bulletin to the ACNA Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast: “Bishop Iker was a dear friend and mentor to me, faithfully serving the Lord for three decades as a bishop. He was a great champion of the faith, a friend to our diocese, and truly a prince of the church. I will miss him deeply.” But it was not only fellow bishops and archbishops whom Bishop Iker touched so deeply, as AAC Trustee, Mr. Bill Bugg, noted: “I admired Bishop Iker for many years as one of the most faithful and stable leaders in the Church. His practical and godly manner greatly helped us keep our feet walking in the footsteps of Jesus.”

Bishop Iker’s cancer resurfaced in the summer of 2024, and his family announced in an August Facebook post that he had entered hospice care. Bishop Ryan Reed remembers taking him to dinner right before his 75th birthday. “He was a pastor’s pastor,” Bishop Reed said. “His first loyalty was to the clergy and their families. If you did something wrong, he would discipline you, but the purpose was to correct you out of love or hold you accountable.”

Please let us keep Donna Iker, Bishop Iker’s children and grandchildren, and the clergy and people of Ft. Worth in our prayers as they both grieve and celebrate his life and ministry. There will be a Visitation at St Vincent’s Cathedral this Thursday, October 10, 5-7 pm CT, and the Funeral at St Vincent’s Cathedral will be on Friday, October 11 at 11am CT.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
AMEN.