The bishop overseeing the splintered congregation of Saint John's Episcopal Church said Monday he was saddened and shocked upon learning most of its members have left the Episcopal Church.

The pastor of the North Augusta church and a majority of the 90-member congregation cut ties with the national denomination on Sunday in a dispute over church teachings on gay clergy and the authority of scripture.

"It was a complete surprise to me," said Bishop Dorsey F. Henderson of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina.

It is shocking, he said, that the Rev. Rob Hartley would lead a congregation away from the church without first discussing the decision with church leadership.

"I ordained Father Hartley. I saw him through the process of ordination," he said. "I wish we could have talked and prayed about this, but I respect if this is what their conscience requires."

The bishop hasn't decided what will happen to the Saint John's property. It is owned by the diocese, which could appoint a new pastor to lead the members who didn't follow the Rev. Hartley to his newly created Church of the Holy Trinity.

After gauging reaction to Sunday's announcement, the senior warden of Saint John's, Paula Wahl, said she doubts anyone will remain with her former church.

"I only know of one person, maybe two," she said.

Bishop Henderson says he's not deterred by the prospect of a small returning flock.

"When I became the bishop 14 years ago, Saint John's was down to a mere handful of members," he said. "Father Hartley built that congregation up. I think that can happen again."

It's the second time in less than a year that Bishop Henderson has had to decide the future of a parish.

Last spring, the Rev. George N. Gray Jr. resigned from St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in Spartanburg.

"When he left, he took about half the congregation," said Bishop Henderson, who is based in Columbia. Almost a year later, "They are growing gradually. I've just appointed a new vicar. They're going to make it."

The same, he said, could happen with Saint John's.

In the meantime, he's coming to terms with his disappointment over the congregation's decision.

"Any division in the Church weakens the Church's mission," he said in a statement released after learning of the church's decision on Monday. "And when people leave they not only deprive those with different views of their voice, but they also deprive themselves of prayerful viewpoints which they need to consider.

"The Episcopal Church -- indeed, traditional Anglicanism -- respects highly the individual intellect and conscience, and I respect the decisions of Fr. Hartley and others at St. John's as a decision of conscience. Nevertheless, it breaks my heart."

Reach Kelly Jasper at (706) 823-3552 or kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com.