Jack Iker

Jack Leo Iker (August 31, 1949 – October 5, 2024) was an American Anglican bishop. From 1995 to 2019, he was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. In this capacity, he was a leading figure in the Anglican realignment, overseeing the departure of the Diocese of Fort Worth from the Episcopal Church in 2008 and co-founding the Anglican Church in North America. He was also a leading figure in American Anglo-Catholicism and an opponent of women's ordination to the priesthood.

Biography Iker was a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied at the University of Cincinnati and the General Theological Seminary. Prior to his election as bishop, he was the Rector of the Church of the Redeemer, the largest Episcopal parish in Sarasota, Florida. Like many Anglo-Catholic clergy, he was a member of the Society of the Holy Cross.

Iker was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, consecrated as co-adjutor in 1993 and as incumbent in 1995. He was one of the most theologically conservative bishops during his tenure and would be one of the last Episcopal bishops opposed to women's ordination. In 2008, most of the clergy and parishes in the diocese left the Episcopal Church and affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America. Iker left the Episcopal Church with them, becoming the first bishop of the new diocese. He was one of the founding bishops of the Anglican Church in North America in 2009.

Although Iker's diocese was no longer affiliated with the Episcopal Church, they still wanted to keep owning church properties and the name "The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth". In response, the Episcopal Church sued Iker and his diocese three different times. After twelve years of legal battles, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of Iker. Although the Episcopal Church attempted to appeal the case to the US Supreme Court, the court declined to hear the case.

In 2017, Iker declared his diocese was in impaired communion with ACNA dioceses which ordain women:

After being diagnosed with cancer Iker retired in December 2019, and was succeeded by Ryan S. Reed, SSC.