Upcoming Documentary, All Are Not Welcome: The Downfall of the Episcopal Church and How to Reform Her
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2026
McLean, Va. — The Church Reform Initiative today announced the upcoming release of “All Are Not Welcome: The Downfall of the Episcopal Church and How to Reform Her,” premiering Oct. 6 at the Church Reform Initiative. “All Are Not Welcome” is a documentary examining the theological and institutional transformation of the Episcopal Church through the testimony of those who lived it from the inside.
The film features the Rev. Jake Dell, author of the forthcoming memoir “Exile and Return” (Good Hill Books, Nov. 17, 2026); podcaster and vestry member Ann Jambor; the Rev. Ian Montgomery; and the Rev. John Jordan. Combining archival footage with firsthand accounts, it traces the denomination’s changes from the late 20th century to the present — on sexuality, marriage, abortion, gender, biblical authority, clergy discipline and the power of bishops over local congregations.
Its title engages the Episcopal Church’s best-known message, “All are welcome,” and asks whether that promise still holds for Christians with traditional convictions.
Montgomery and Dell describe informal “blacklists” and interference with parish searches, and both recount being targeted under the church’s Title IV disciplinary canons. Jordan recounts the conflict over the Diocese of Fort Worth and the litigation over who controls local church property.
“I think the Episcopal Church is like a trust fund alcoholic,” Montgomery says in the film. “In all likelihood, the trust fund alcoholic is going to die from alcoholism before they hit rock bottom.”
Yet the film is not only an account of decline. Jambor and Dell argue that vestries and parishioners still hold real authority under the church’s own rules, and that reform can begin in the parish. The documentary closes on cautious hope, pointing to congregations — including the New England church Dell now serves, founded in 1659 — where traditional preaching and historic worship continue to draw younger Christians and families.
“God’s not done with the Episcopal Church,” Jambor says near the film’s conclusion.
About “All Are Not Welcome”
“All Are Not Welcome” is produced by the Church Reform Initiative. Through interviews, archival footage and firsthand testimony, it examines the history of conflict within the Episcopal Church and the possibility of reform from within.
Media Contact
Church Reform Initiative
ATTN: Jon Harris