Following several months of retreats and meetings about the future of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh's relationship with the national church, the bishop's office last week launched a Web site to provide resources for parishes and individuals "in deciding how to go forward."

The site -- www.parishtoolbox.org -- will collect information on the critical issues at hand involving not only the diocese's future configuration but also the question of whether it remains part of the national church. A majority of the diocese's 20,000 members disagree with actions the Episcopal Church has taken since 2003, including a failure to stop same-sex blessings and the election of an openly gay bishop.

At a May retreat, diocesan leadership and Bishop Robert W. Duncan Jr. outlined four options for the diocese: maintaining the status quo, "submitting" to the will of the national church, "dissolving" the diocese or attempting, as a diocese, to leave the church.

Bishop Duncan said at the time he would not remain bishop under the first two alternatives, and would eventually leave his position if the diocese were dissolved.

District meetings have been held throughout the diocese during the past two months.

No binding decision will occur before the annual diocesan meeting in November. That will be preceded by resolutions submitted to the diocesan council.

Peter Frank, the diocese's director of communications, said the Web site will be a tool to help parish leaders explain all sides of the ongoing debates within the church. He said the site will accept submissions from all church perspectives.

"People need to have a place to see different positions and how to go forward," Mr. Frank said. "The decisions we make in the next few months will have monumental implications, whichever road we choose."