no question that today 's vote in the House of Bishops was an historic move forward and a great day for all who support the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ , '' said Susan Russell , president of Integrity USA . The vote shows the Episcopal Church `` striving to actually become the church former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning called us to be nearly 20 years ago now ... a church where there are no outcasts , '' she said in a statement on the group 's Web site . The Episcopal Church created controversy in 2003 with its decision to ordain Gene Robinson , who is openly gay , as a bishop . The move raised the possibility of a split within the worldwide Anglican Church , the third-largest Christian denomination , with about 70 million members around the world . The Episcopal Church , the U.S. branch of the Anglican Church , has not ordained another openly gay bishop since Robinson . `` The decision has been to kind of chill out on a bunch of things , '' Silk said . But Monday 's vote ends what had been , in
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Episcopal Church has moved decisively closer to full acceptance of gay men and lesbians , taking steps toward recognizing same-sex marriage and gay bishops . Gene Robinson is the Episcopal Church 's first -- and so far only -- openly gay bishop . A key committee voted overwhelmingly Monday to start putting together blessings to be used in same-sex marriages , the church 's official newspaper reported . Separately , the House of Bishops voted by a wide margin to allow gays and lesbians to become bishops , Episcopal Life reported . Both measures must be approved by the church 's General Convention before taking effect , but expert Mark Silk said there is `` little reason '' to think the changes will not `` sail through . '' `` They basically decided to move forward on all fronts with regularizing the status of gays and lesbians within the church , '' said Silk , director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Connecticut . A leading campaigner for gay rights within the Episcopal Church welcomed the vote on bishops . `` There is