"For some reason, I thought that question might come up," Welby replied when Oklahoma Bishop Edward J. Konieczny asked him during an evening question-and-answer session here May 1 to elaborate on his decision and his thoughts about how to work through the disagreements in the communion over human sexuality.

The drop of nearly 5 percent is consistent with an accelerating exodus of members since the denomination redefined marriage as between any two persons in 2014.

As the saying goes, "Once ordained always ordained." This call even comes in the middle, not the end of his life's service. At the same time the sense of finishing what God has called us to do in one specific endeavor, much earlier than expected, sometimes comes along the road of ministry. This kind of occurrence appears at all levels of service both lay and clergy.

The differences have simmered for years, and came to a head in February at a conference in St. Louis where delegates voted 438-384 for a proposal called the Traditional Plan, which strengthens bans on LGBT-inclusive practices. A majority of U.S.-based delegates opposed that plan and favored LGBT-friendly options, but they were outvoted by U.S. conservatives teamed with most of the delegates from Methodist strongholds in Africa and the Philippines.