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, 5:00-7:00 pm CT, and the Funeral at St Vincent’s Cathedral will be on Friday, October 11 at 2:00 pm 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.
