Francis "Frank" Raymond Lyons III (born 1954) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

-born

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 who has been a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

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. From 2001 to 2012, he was bishop of Bolivia. In 2012, he was appointed assistant bishop in the

Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh is a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. It has parishes in the several counties of Western Pennsylvania. In addition, the diocese has oversight of several parishes that are not located within its ...

. In January 2015, he became assisting bishop in the

Anglican Diocese of the South The Anglican Diocese of the South is a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America, encompassing 50 parishes in the American states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennesse ...

Early life, education, and career

Lyons was born in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and raised in an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

parish near

Potomac, Maryland Potomac () is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 47,018. It is named a ...

. At 17, he discerned a calling to serve as a bishop, based on

1 Timothy The First Epistle to Timothy is one of three letters in the New Testament of the Bible often grouped together as the pastoral epistles, along with Second Timothy and Titus. The letter, traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul, consists m ...

3:1. Lyons attended Wheaton College for both bachelor's and master's degrees. It was there that he met his future wife, Shawnee. He attended seminary at

Nashotah House Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries ...

, and after graduation unsuccessfully sought ordination in the

Episcopal Diocese of Washington The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is a diocese of the Episcopal Church covering Washington, D.C., and nearby counties of Maryland in the United States. With a membership of over 38,000, the diocese is led by the bishop of Washington, Mariann ...

. Why Lyons' pursuit of ordination there was refused is a matter of controversy. Lyons was ordained in 1980 in the Episcopal Church's extraprovincial jurisdiction in Ecuador, where he and his wife served as missionaries. They later served at churches in California, and then from 1993 to 2001 in Honduras. The Lyonses were supported by the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders.

Episcopacy

In 2001, Lyons was elected bishop of the Diocese of Bolivia, one of seven dioceses in the

Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America The Anglican Church of South America () is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion that covers six dioceses in the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Formed in 1981, the province has 35,000 members. The ...

(now called The Anglican Church of South America). The diocese was very small; at the time of his election, it included only four parishes. By 2012, that number had grown to eight. Lyons became known in the United States for providing oversight to

theologically conservative Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ana ...

Episcopal parishes who wished to break away from the Episcopal Church after its consecration of

Gene Robinson Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected Coadjutor bishop, bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he se ...

as a bishop in 2003. By 2007, he oversaw as many as 40 parishes and was an active participant in the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone's role in the

Anglican realignment The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episco ...

. These U.S. parishes were known as the "Northern

Deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

" of the Diocese of Bolivia. In August 2012, Lyons accepted an appointment as assistant bishop in the

. He supported Robert Duncan in his dual roles as diocesan bishop of Pittsburgh and archbishop of the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba. ...

. Lyons had a special assignment to oversee parishes outside of the Pittsburgh region. In January 2015, Lyons became assisting bishop in the

. He assists Archbishop

Foley Beach Foley Thomas Beach (born October 31, 1958) is an American Anglican bishop. He was the second primate and archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, a church associated with the Anglican realignment movement, and is the first diocesan bi ...

in providing episcopal pastoral care and leadership including confirmations and ordinations, and leading the deans, along with other areas of leadership and care within the diocese.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, Francis R. 1954 births Living people Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America 21st-century Anglican bishops in South America Christians from Maryland Anglican bishops of Bolivia Anglican realignment people