The schism over gays that has seen two dioceses vote to “leave” the US Episcopal Church is threatening to split the Church of England.

On October 14 parishes were urged to seek alternative oversight from another bishop if their own diocesan bishop expounded “unbiblical” teaching.

Evangelicals at a conference in London were told that the Church of England now consists of “two religions”, one liberal and pro-gay and the other, conservative and strictly biblical.

The Rev Rod Thomas, chairman of Reform, the conservative evangelical grouping that represents dozens of Anglican congregations, told parishes they should go ahead and seek alternative oversight, even if the Church of England fails to “accommodate” this solution through its General Synod.

Without agreement from the Synod of the kind that set up “flying bishops” for traditionalists who opposed women bishops, to seek alternative oversight from a bishop outside the diocese would be tantamount to schism in all but name.

Two bishops in the frame to provide this oversight are the Bishop of Rochester Dr Michael Nazir-Ali and the Bishop of Lewes Wallace Benn.

However, it is also possible that Reform could consecrate its own new bishops, in effect setting up a “rival” Church of England diocese.

Of the 25 congregations understood to be interested, several are already outside the formal structures of the established church, having failed to win recognition from their local diocese. A new structure would also bring these congregations into the fold.

It would be run under the auspices of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, the new body set up by the summer’s Global Anglican Future meeting of conservative Anglican bishops, clergy and laity from around the world.

Evangelicals from Reform will continue the meeting today (October 15) to discuss the proposals.

The aim is to find an “English” solution to the problem of splits in the Church caused by the growing divergence between conservative and liberal teachings, in particular on homosexuality but also on women bishops.

Although they want “conservative” oversight, English Anglicans do not want a split in the Church comparable to that in the US. There, costly litigation looms after two dioceses, San Joaquin and a few days ago Pittsburgh, voted to “leave” The Episcopal Church and re-align with the Southern Cone province in Latin America, headed by English-born primate Greg Venables.

Mr Thomas told the Reform conference, in Holborn in central London: “Taking alternative oversight first: the reason we’re interested in Episcopal oversight at all is that we believe in being part of an Episcopal church for good theological and pragmatic reasons.”

But he continued: "However, where the teaching and actions of a bishop promote an unbiblical way of thinking, then we simply have to look elsewhere for a bishop. If we fail to do this then our congregations will not see us taking New Testament teaching seriously and the process of accommodation will continue.”

He urged evangelicals to mobilise to take over the General Synod by making sure that evangelicals stood for election whenever possible.

“We want to insist that we are not setting up a separate ecclesial organisation,” he said. “Rather, we are a fellowship operating within a wider federation. And as a fellowship we seek to reach out to whoever wants to be a partner in the gospel. We must win friends to the cause.”