In recent years, the Episcopal Church has faced dissent over the consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire and the blessing of gay unions practiced in some congregations.
There is also disagreement over the role of women. San Joaquin is one of only three U.S. dioceses that do not consecrate female priests.
DISPROPORTIONATE INFLUENCE
The Episcopal Church represents less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, yet its members have long had a disproportionate influence on American political and societal life.
Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson went to Episcopal churches. In the 20th century, U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt, George Bush, the father of the current president, and Gerald Ford were Episcopalians.
Dioceses in Pittsburgh and Fort Worth, Texas, have also taken preliminary votes to leave, but their final decisions are a year away.
"They are going to be watching this quite closely to see what the Episcopal Church does," said Rev. Ian Douglas, a professor at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "I don't see this as suddenly becoming a landslide."
Schofield said he hoped others would follow San Joaquin's lead.
"This will give encouragement to dioceses that want to go but haven't had the courage to make that first step," the bishop said.
A few liberal parishes within the diocese are expected to stay with the church.
"It's a giant step toward the past," said the Rev. Charles Ramsden, a vice president of the church-owned Church Pension Group, who was a nonvoting observer. "It's about property, it's about millions of dollars and it's about power."
Both sides are prepared for a protracted and expensive legal battle over church assets and other issues.
