George Brian Fincke (November 21, 1953 – December 3, 2016) was an American

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop of the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican Church. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of the ...

(REC).

Early life

Fincke was born to a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister, the Rev. George W. Fincke Jr., and Mary Louise Patterson Fincke in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, in 1953.

Ministry career

He was ordained as a presbyter in 1981 and was received into the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1986. He had an M.Div. from

Reformed Episcopal Seminary The Reformed Episcopal Seminary is a Private university, private seminary in Oreland, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1887 as the first seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. History The Reformed Episcopal Seminary was founded in 1887 in W ...

and served in the

Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic The Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with the Convocation of Eastern Canada, formerly known as the New York and Philadelphia Synod, is a founding jurisdiction of the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1873 and, more recently, a founding dioce ...

before his election as bishop ordinary of the nascent Missionary Diocese of the West. In addition to serving as a bishop, Fincke also served as a parish pastor in California. In October 2000, Fincke suffered a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

and was substantially disabled. As a result, his office as bishop ordinary of the Missionary Diocese of the West was declared vacant. After his recovery, Fincke served as an assisting bishop in the

Diocese of Mid-America The REC Diocese of Mid-America, with the Convocation of the West and Western Canada, is a Reformed Episcopal Church and an Anglican Church in North America diocese, since its foundation in 2009. The REC Diocese of Mid-America is distinct from a d ...

and a rector in Fargo, North Dakota. In 2015, Fincke became rector of an

Anglican Province of America The Anglican Province of America (APA) is a Continuing Anglican church in the United States. The church was founded by former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States. History In the 1960s, the Episcopal Church in the United States ...

congregation in

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, r ...

Personal life

Fincke was married for 37 years to Ann Caskey. They had three daughters and one son. Fincke died on December 3, 2016, in Prescott.

References

1953 births 2016 deaths Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church People from Camden, New Jersey Christian clergy from New Jersey {{anglican-bishop-stub