A group of 55 congregations that split from the Episcopal Church last year plans to appeal a court ruling awarding all centrally held diocesan assets to the 27 congregations that remained, they announced yesterday.

"We believe we have to make this stand," said the Rev. Jonathan Millard, chair of the Alliance for an Anglican Future and rector of Church of the Ascension in Oakland, one of the 55 congregations that left.

The group also announced that it was changing its name to The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. It was formerly known as the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (Anglican). The group it split from is the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church of the United States.

The split was created on Oct. 4, 2008, when the majority of clergy and laity at a diocesan convention voted to follow then-Bishop Robert Duncan out of the Episcopal Church, which they believed had failed to uphold biblical doctrine on matters ranging from salvation to sexuality.

On Oct. 6, Common Pleas Judge Joseph James ruled that in accordance with a 2005 agreement, the 27-congregation Episcopal diocese was entitled to all centrally held diocesan property.

The Anglican diocese said it was appealing that decision because it feared it would set a precedent that would lead to the Episcopal diocese taking not only $6 million of centrally held diocesan assets, but also $14 million of diocesan assets that are held in trust for local parishes.

Rich Creehan, a spokesman for the Episcopal diocese, said the value of all diocesan assets is estimated at $16 million to $18 million, but he said he could not divide the amount into centrally held assets and parish assets until an inventory by a court-appointed special master is completed.

In a statement released yesterday, the Episcopal diocese said it was "disappointed" in the decision to appeal the ruling.

"We had hoped that they would not [appeal], because Judge James's ruling was so explicit," said Mr. Creehan. He said the Episcopal diocese is willing to negotiate the division of parish assets within the parameters of the 2005 agreement, which provided a process for doing so.

But the Anglican diocese said it was worried the court ruling created an uneven balance of power for those negotiations.

"The reason why we're appealing is for the defense of our parishes," said Anglican diocese spokesman Shawn Malarkey.

Both dioceses were scheduled to meet yesterday with a court-appointed special master.

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