Neff Powell

Bishop Neff Powell, the leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, said Friday afternoon that he has called for the hiring of a successor and plans to retire by spring 2013.

Powell, bishop since 1996, made his decision formal during the diocese's 93rd annual council meeting, in front of more than 200 congregational leaders who gave him a standing ovation.

"I feel it's a good decision, and it's a tender decision," Powell said. "I love this diocese, and it's going to mean saying goodbye to it."

Powell, 64, is leaving as he nears retirement age and as the diocese - like the Episcopal Church itself - is grappling with slowly declining membership, attendance and revenues. A committee is presenting over the weekend a proposal that would partially decentralize resources to the parishes.

"Rather than me staying for these changes, I think it's time to call for a new bishop," Powell said.

Powell graduated from Claremont McKenna College in California in 1973, served small parishes in Oregon until 1983, then served administrative roles for the Diocese of North Carolina before he was named the fifth bishop of the Southwest Virginia diocese.

He was consecrated to the office of bishop in a ceremony at Burruss Hall auditorium at Virginia Tech in October 1996, with 21 other bishops, including retiring Bishop Heath Light, playing a role.

Powell supported the ordination of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, one of the most divisive issues all mainline Protestant denominations have faced in the past generation. He also has been a vocal proponent of the ordination of female clergy.

During his tenure, he said he has seen a trend in this diocese that has reflected declining and aging populations in Southwest Virginia and declining contributions to churches during the longest recession since World War II. Membership declined to about 9,700 in 2008, down 10 percent from 1998, and parishioner contributions slid to $8.8 million in 2008, down 4 percent from 1998.

Powell said Friday that one of his focuses has been to create activities for young people. He helped created a youth council that had about 30 members at its inception and more than 200 this year, he said.

He said that when he became bishop he was surprised by the intimacy of ordaining pastors and of knowing that every parish prayed for him.

"Both of these surprises continue to humble me and touch my heart and inspire me," he said.