The ecclesiastical trial against the Rev. Martha Ann Englert, rector of Grace Church, Madison, Wis., is scheduled to resume Saturday at Good Shepherd Church, Sun Prairie, Wis. Ms. Englert is accused of making inappropriate remarks and disclosures about her parishioners.

A formal complaint also has been filed against the Rt. Rev. Steven A. Miller, Bishop of Milwaukee. The complainants allege that Bishop Miller mishandled the formal complaint against Ms. Englert and prejudiced the diocesan review committee against her.

The complaint against the bishop appears to have met the number of signatories stipulated by the Canons of the General Convention. Notarized signatures were received from 14 lay Episcopalians and two clergy in June and the complaint was filed with Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold. The Presiding Bishop and others involved in the ecclesiastical process are prevented canonically from commenting publicly on any aspect of a complaint until after a decision on whether to go to trial has been reached by the review committee. In some cases this can be more than 18 months after the complaint is filed.

Under the lengthy process set in motion after the filing of a formal complaint, if the Presiding Bishop determines that the charges are credible and serious, a presentment will be issued. In the event a presentment is issued, a review committee is required to conduct a formal investigation and to make a recommendation whether to hold an ecclesiastical trial. If the ecclesiastical court issues a guilty verdict, punishment ranges from admonishment to deposition (removal from the ordained ministry).

If Ms. Englert is found guilty under the disciplinary canon, the range of punishment is the same as that for a bishop.