 He then became rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Raleigh, North Carolina, while in 1887 he became rector of St James's Church in Wilmington, North Carolina.In 1900 he transferred to Richmond, Virginia to become rector of St Paul's Church.On May 26, 1904, Strange was elected Coadjutor Bishop of East Carolina and was consecrated on November 1, 1904 in St James's Church by the Bishop of South Carolina Ellison Capers.