A new plan by the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops to provide pastoral oversight for parishes and individuals who disagree with their diocese's stand on gay clergy and same-sex blessings was met yesterday with skepticism by two conservative church organizations.

Despite the church's presiding bishop lauding the plan as being "generous toward those who feel themselves in some sense alienated from our common life," a statement from one conservative group -- the American Anglican Council -- said the document showed "the House of Bishops has proven once and again their dysfunction and inability to acknowledge, much less address, the crisis of the Episcopal Church."

The three-page document was hammered out late Tuesday in the midst of a weeklong retreat in Texas for about 160 active and retired Episcopal bishops.

It has no canonical or constitutional permanence, since any changes in church policy must be approved at the denomination's triennial general convention.

The next convention is scheduled for 2006 in Columbus, Ohio.

The Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan Jr., bishop of the Pittsburgh diocese and moderator of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, a group that opposes gay ordination and same-sex blessings, questioned in a statement whether the Episcopal Church had "the will" to offer a plan workable for conservatives.

Called "Caring For All The Churches: A Response of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church to an expressed need of the Church," the plan sets forth a four-step process.

First, a bishop and congregation meet "with a consultant."

If unsuccessful, the second step involves implementing a plan for "delegated oversight." A diocesan bishop may appoint another bishop to provide pastoral oversight for the congregation.

If conflict remains, the third step is an appeal to the bishop serving as president or vice president of the congregation's geographical province.

The 2.3-million-member Episcopal Church is divided into nine provinces in the United States and parts of Central and South America.

Finally, the provincial bishop can request two other bishops "representative of the divergent views of this church" to consult and recommend action.