The archbishop's proposal will play out dramatically in California, which includes churches at both ends of the ideological spectrum: San Francisco clergy have been blessing gay unions for 27 years, while the Diocese of San Joaquin still refuses to ordain women.

California "shows the extremes in the church," said the Rev. Ann Coburn, outreach director for the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, an Episcopal seminary.

The faith has no centralized power -- the archbishop of Canterbury cannot dictate policy as the pope does in the Roman Catholic Church -- and gives relatively broad independence to member churches, which are linked mainly by their common ancestry in the Church of England and generally follow its practices.

So Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams' proposal for tiered membership based on agreement with a covenant -- even one that addresses gay and lesbian clergy and same-sex unions among parishioners -- was an unusual break from tradition.

The requests by the dioceses of San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Fort Worth, Texas, were the first ever by an entire diocese, a collection of geographically connected churches led by one bishop, to join another, foreign sector of the Anglican Communion.

"Prejudice and bigotry are clearly wrong and must be exposed and rejected," South Carolina diocesan leaders said in a statement released Wednesday. "The rhetoric of 'inclusion' has, however, often been used to obscure the Communion's teaching that, on the basis of Holy Scripture, the church cannot bless same-sex unions nor can we ordain those engaged in homosexual practice."

Controversy over gay clergy has been brewing since 2003, when the Episcopal Church's general convention approved the consecration of Gene Robinson -- who is gay and lives with his partner -- as bishop of New Hampshire. Of the Anglican Communion's 38 global provinces, 22 are in "broken" or "impaired" communion with the Episcopal Church as a result of Robinson's elevation.

Individual congregations in Southern California already have left the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion and now are affiliated with Uganda's Anglican branch. A dispute remains over who holds title to the church buildings and land they sit on.

In 2004, a commission Williams established called for a moratorium on the consecration of bishops who are in same-sex relationships. But the Episcopal Church has not barred such elevations.

In fact, on Wednesday, the Diocese of Newark, N.J., nominated as a finalist to become its next bishop the Very Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, who is gay and lives with his partner in San Francisco. Barlowe, congregational development officer for the Diocese of California, declined comment through a spokesman.

Bishop William Swing, who plans to retire next month from leadership of San Francisco's diocese, urged that its acceptance of gay clergy and same-sex unions be tempered with an understanding of how its actions affect other members of the Anglican Communion.

"It's one thing to say, by our canons and constitutions, we can elect a gay bishop," said Swing, who believes his diocese has ordained more gay, lesbian and female priests than any other in the nation. "We have the freedom as Christians to do that. On the other hand, the body of Christ in the Anglican Communion is saying, 'You're causing us enormous agony, could you show some restraint?' "

Swing's purview, called the Diocese of California, includes churches in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

The Rev. Van McCalister, a spokesman for the Diocese of San Joaquin, did not return calls seeking comment.

The breakaway diocese are desperate to escape the Episcopal Church of the United States, said Cynthia Brust, a spokeswoman for the American Anglican Council, a network of dioceses, churches and parishioners disillusioned by the decisions of the Episcopal Church.

"This is a situation -- a crisis -- that's deteriorating so quickly, we have such a strong sense of urgency for this action," Brust said. "The archbishop's letter sets the stage for that action."

The scope of California's contrasting beliefs was on display Wednesday at Grace Cathedral, the Nob Hill church that is the seat of the Diocese of California.

The Rev. Michele Racusin had driven three hours and 45 minutes from her home in Clovis (Fresno County) to perform the service. The Diocese of San Joaquin, in which she lives, does not ordain women, like a handful that have resisted the change the Episcopal Church adopted 30 years ago. But Swing ordained her in 2005, so she makes the 71/2-hour round trip three times a month as a way to practice her priesthood.

"It's like going from darkness to light, going from a diocese that is so exclusive to one that is inclusive," she said of her treks to San Francisco. "We're not the ones to sort out who belongs and who does not. That's God's job."

Even though the Diocese of California strongly supports gay and lesbian inclusion, Swing said, the diocese can flourish spiritually if it isn't hard-line about inclusion of lesbians and gay men. He said Williams' proposal will not change anything in the Diocese of California, but he said the diocese understands "the minority position that we represent."

"As Christians, we live with radical freedom and we live with the responsibility for radical restraint," he said. "And where those two touch is the growing edge of the church."

The New York Times contributed to this report. E-mail Matthai Chakko Kuruvila at mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGTOJMHB01.DTL Copyright2006 San Francisco Chronicle