Category : * Anglican – Episcopal

News and Commentary about the Anglican Communion

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina this day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s speech at the International Meeting for Peace

Reconciliation is not an event; it is a process taking generations. In 1945, Europe was a hopeless and bankrupt slaughterhouse of hatred and cruelty. Today, there are huge struggles, but the only place we ever truly express rivalry and hunger for victory is on the football field. And France is remarkably successful.

Reconciliation requires human participation. It happens through the brilliance of leadership, de Gasperi, Adenauer, Monnet, Schumann, de Gaulle, Churchill, General Marshall. Defying the bloodshed of the past, it beats swords into ploughshares. Reconciliation means history that is true. It means healing past hurts and admitting wrongs.

Reconciliation is not only agreement, although agreement is necessary; reconciliation is the transformation of destructive conflict into creative rivalry underpinned by mutual acceptance and love. It is a cycle of peace, justice, and mercy, building up a structure shining in the love of God. A moment of peace opens the way to truth telling. Truth telling sows the seeds of relationships. They allow a gram more of peace. In this thin soil of peace, justice can be sown. Amidst justice a fragile confidence appears. From confidence the next and better circle can begin.

But the foundation of it all is prayer, for in prayer we commit ourselves to partnership with God.

Read it all.

Posted in --Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Foreign Relations, Globalization, Politics in General, Religion & Culture

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina this day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

A Prayer for today from the Church of England

Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,
and so bring us at last to your heavenly city
where we shall see you face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Posted in Church of England (CoE), Spirituality/Prayer

(Church Times) House of Bishops’ Crown Nominations Commission debate rouses ire of central members

Proposals to reform the CNC should have included its current members, and imputations about the unfairness of the process were off the mark, some observers of Wednesday’s House of Bishops meeting said (News, 18 September).

On Thursday, the longest-serving central member of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), Christina Baron, criticised the bishops for not consulting CNC members before drawing up proposals.

“The way in which these proposals came forward without any consultation, without even any notice, has made all the elected members of the CNC very angry,” Ms Baron said.

The message to CNC members seemed to be, she said, that their work “is not respected, is not valued, that we are not taken seriously”.

Read it all.

Posted in Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops, England / UK, Ethics / Moral Theology, Pastoral Theology, Religion & Culture

(Church Times) Church of England invests millions to slash its carbon emissions

Further tens of millions of pounds are to be pumped into efforts to drastically reduce the Church of England’s carbon emissions over the next six years, the first impact report on its net-zero programme says.

The report summarises progress on the General Synod’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2030, which was set in 2020 (News, 12 February 2020). The Synod approved a “route map” to this goal two years later (News, 15 July 2022).

In real terms, the target is to decrease the Church’s emissions — mainly from its buildings — by 90 per cent against the current baseline: 415,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent (415,000T CO2e). The remaining ten per cent is to be offset by carbon-cancelling schemes, such as tree-planting and installing solar panels.

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Posted in Church of England (CoE), Corporations/Corporate Life, Ecology, Ethics / Moral Theology, Stock Market

A Prayer for the Feast Day of Theodore of Tarsus

Almighty God, who didst call thy servant Theodore of Tarsus from Rome to the see of Canterbury, and didst give him gifts of grace and wisdom to establish unity where there had been division, and order where there had been chaos: Create in thy Church, we pray, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, such godly union and concord that it may proclaim, both by word and example, the Gospel of the Prince of Peace; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Posted in Archbishop of Canterbury, Church History, Spirituality/Prayer

(AAC) Phil Ashey–Turning The Church Into The Wind (Part 3): Is Our Anglican Theological Education And Formation Of Clergy Enough?

I want to address the third and fourth “existential crises” Warren Cole Smith suggested we address in his public letter to the ACNA on “Why the Anglican Church faces existential challenges.”. Under the challenge of “Theological Education,” he writes:

“Because ACNA has so many refugees from other denominations, it is tempting to call it a ‘melting pot.’ But the current reality is less a melting pot than a salad bowl.

That is a glib way of saying that a lot of Anglicans are not … well … truly formed in the Anglican faith. They have retained the spiritual formation of the tradition from which they came — everything from Calvary Chapel and Vineyard to high church Episcopalians and Catholics. Again, that diversity can be a strength, but it is a diversity that must be more intentionally integrated into Anglican theology and polity.”

He goes on to note that many nationally recognized seminaries offer a course or two that allow them to claim they have an “Anglican Track” but that these courses are minimal at best. And so, he concludes that this lack of Anglican formation in the clergy presents a vulnerability to leaders at odds with the history and fundamental doctrines of the ACNA. He then goes on in his fourth crisis to cite the recent problem with the Luminous Church in the ACNA diocese of C4SO as Exhibit A, a congregation whose clergy and website affirmed LGBTQ Pride events and played “fast and loose” with fundamental Anglican doctrines of baptism—among other things.

Read it all.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, - Anglican: Analysis, Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), Parish Ministry, Seminary / Theological Education

(PN) Cambridgeshire Church with ‘angelic’ ceiling at risk of deteriorating

The bells of St Wendreda’s church have not rung for almost two years after a piece of metal fell to the spire floor in 2023. Now, its vicar fears that the church, famous for its ‘heavenly host’ ceiling, could be put on an at-risk list unless £250,000 is raised to pay for its repairs.

Rev Ruth Clay discovered that metal bars in the spire of St Wendreda’s, Cambridgeshire, were corroding. Engineers estimate the damages and scaffolding needed will cost £250,000.  

The church is unique – firstly in its stunning ceiling of carved angels, dating over 500 years.  It is also the only church to be named after St Wendreda, an Anglo-Saxon nun. Thought to be the daughter of King Anna of the East Angles, Wendreda used her knowledge of herbs to help heal sick people and animals.

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Posted in Church of England (CoE), England / UK, Parish Ministry, Religion & Culture, Stewardship

(Church Times) Bishop of Sheffield warns Lords of financial threat to higher education

The economic, social, and public benefits provided by universities are “threatened by the financial crisis” in higher education, the Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Pete Wilcox, has warned.

Contributing to a two-hour debate on the subject in the House of Lords last week, Dr Wilcox said that, in his diocese, the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University “support more than 19,500 jobs and generate more than £1 billion annually for the local economy. What is true in Sheffield is true across the country: universities are generally hugely beneficial to the communities within which they are situated.”

The Church of England believed that higher education should serve the common good, he said. The universities mentioned did this in a variety of ways, including private investment, and volunteer and work placements across health, social care, the law, and other areas.

Read it all (registration or subscription).

Posted in * Economics, Politics, Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops, Economy, Education, England / UK, Religion & Culture

The Venerable Rhiannon King, currently Archdeacon of Ipswich, announced as new bishop-designate of Southampton

Rhiannon’s ordained ministry to date has spanned the dioceses of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Birmingham and Ely. She was ordained deacon in 2000 and worked first in a team ministry in the market town of Huntingdon, followed by being the Rector of a multi-parish benefice just outside Cambridge. She then became Director of Mission for the Diocese of Birmingham which involved leading their Growing Younger project and helping to implement their ‘Transforming Church’ and church-planting vision.

She currently serves as the Archdeacon of Ipswich and Director of the ‘Inspiring Ipswich’ project. Rhiannon is also a trustee of ‘Leading your Church into Growth’.

She is married to Philip, a physicist and photographer based in Oxford, and together they love to travel in the UK and further afield whenever possible.

Read it all.

Posted in Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina this day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

Kendall Harmon’s Sunday sermon–Jesus Heals the Man who is Deaf and has great trouble speaking (Mark 7:31-37)

You may listen directly here:

Or you may download it there

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * By Kendall, * South Carolina, Anthropology, Christology, Pastoral Theology, Preaching / Homiletics, Sermons & Teachings, Theology, Theology: Scripture

(Church Times) Sydney diocese report warns of ‘impaired communion’ with Church of England

The Anglican Church of Australia (ACA) would “automatically” cease to be in communion with the Church of England if the Appellate Tribunal determined that the C of E was “inconsistent” with the Australian Church’s “Fundamental Declarations”, a report to the Sydney synod by the diocese’s doctrine commission suggests.

The Appellate Tribunal is the church’s highest court, and the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Revd Kanishka Raffel, is a tribunal member.

The report says that the Church of England could be ruled “inconsistent” if it “rejected the scriptures as ‘the ultimate rule and standard of faith’ or if they ceased to ‘obey the commands of Christ and teach his doctrine’”.

The ACA, the report continues, “has no legal power to declare whether it is in or out of communion with any other Church in the [Anglican] Communion, other than the Church of England. Nevertheless, serious breaches of gospel communion do exist within the Anglican Communion, and ‘impaired communion’ or ‘broken communion’ accurately describes this doctrinal reality.”

Read it all.

Posted in Anglican Church of Australia, Anthropology, Church of England (CoE), Ecclesiology, Ethics / Moral Theology, Marriage & Family, Sacramental Theology, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion), Theology

Kendall Harmon’s Sunday sermon–What Can We Learn from the Sending Jesus (Mark 6:7-13)?

You may listen directly here:

You may also download it there and there is a video version here.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * By Kendall, * South Carolina, Ministry of the Ordained, Parish Ministry, Preaching / Homiletics, Sermons & Teachings

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina this day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

Steve Wood urges Prayer for the Nation

Posted in America/U.S.A., Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), Spirituality/Prayer

GFSA’s Pastoral Letter Following The Church of England’s General Synod (July 5 – 9 2024)

We request all the faithful in the GSFA to uphold our faithful brothers and sisters in the Church of England, bishops, clergy and laity, who have come together as ‘The Alliance’. We stand with them in the struggle that lies ahead as they seek to establish a new Province of the Church of England that will enable them to continue their witness to Jesus with integrity and freedom.

Despite the continued opposition of almost 50% of the Synod, the bishops of the Church of England have now succeeded in gaining support for services of blessing for same sex couples and the endorsement of a timetable to enable clergy to enter into same sex marriages.

With heavy hearts we see with increasing clarity that they will not be deterred from taking a path which is entirely contrary to the teaching of our Lord as held universally by the Christian Churches for two millennia and that they will continue regardless of the hurt and dismay suffered by faithful Churches of the Global South.

This latest development serves to illustrate the new reality that we felt compelled to articulate in the GSFA Ash Wednesday Statement of Feb 20th last year. The Church of England, has set itself to cement its departure from the historic faith by liturgical change. There can therefore now be no doubt that the Mother Church of the Communion has forfeited her leadership role in the global Communion and that the legacy ‘instruments of unity’, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other instruments over which he presides, (the Primates Meeting, the Lambeth Conference and the Anglican Consultative Council) are all compromised.

Read it all.

Posted in --Civil Unions & Partnerships, Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops, Global South Churches & Primates, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion)

(Stand Firm Podcast) Tales from the Crypt: Hunter Retires, Communion with Rome, and More on Archbishop Wood

‘On this episode of the Stand Firm podcast, Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about some current events in the church: Bishop Todd Hunter (C4SO) announces his retirement, news breaks about the possibility of “full communion” with Rome, and Archbishop Wood preaches at Provincial Assembly.’

Listen to it all.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, - Anglican: Commentary, Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), Ecumenical Relations, Roman Catholic

(Church Times) Hope and dismay at C of E General Synod’s move towards stand-alone blessings for same-sex couples

Together for the Church of England, an organisation that speaks for a number of groups promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion, welcomed the vote, and pledged to continue engaging in the process of refining the detail of the proposals.

The statement expressed hope that those who opposed the changes would likewise continue to engage “with honesty and kindness, as they have so far, in order that we may seek together for the welfare of the whole Church of England”.

By contrast, the national director of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), Canon John Dunnett, said on Tuesday that it was “deeply disappointing” that the motion had been passed, “despite hearing repeatedly in speeches of the need to build trust by avoiding bad process, and CEEC’s continued advocacy of the insufficiency of delegated arrangements”.

Read it all.

Posted in --Civil Unions & Partnerships, Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops, Ethics / Moral Theology, Parish Ministry, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion)

(Psephizo) Ian Paul–Where does the C of E go on sexuality after July Synod?

And here is my speech, given after two amendments were discussed and voted on (and so limited to three minutes):

This is not a debate between love and legalities. Those who oppose this motion do so because we want to be true to the love of Christ for all—‘if you love me, keep my commandments. Remain in my love’. Love rejoices with the truth, and the truth is that, if this motion is passed, three things will certainly happen.

First, trust—already at a low—will be finally broken. There has been no adequate theology, no adequate process, no transparency, no coherence. LLF has failed all four tests of trust.

Secondly, the Church will split. Not in formal structures—I cannot see how that could work. But it will in practice. Nowhere in scripture, nowhere in the history of the church catholic, nowhere in the Church’s own doctrine—nowhere in past statements by the bishops until very recently, has this been a ‘thing indifferent’ on which we can agree to disagree. And we do not.

Thirdly, the Church will continue in serious decline. In fourteen years, we have halved in size. In one diocese, the number of children has dropped by 50% in four years. There are no real signs that this is slowing, yet alone reversing. After the Scottish Episcopal Church changed its doctrine it declined by 40% in six years. The Church of Scotland will be extinct by around 2038—just fourteen years from now. No Western denomination has changed its doctrine of marriage without then accelerating in decline. We will be no different. This is not ‘catastrophising’; this is not a power play. This is honesty; this is reality.

So if you do vote for this proposal, please do it with your eyes wide open—knowing it will destroy trust, knowing it will divide the Church, and knowing it will lead to greater decline. I don’t feel any of that is a demonstration of the love of God. Vote for this—only if you think that distrust, disunity, and decline is a price worth paying. If not, vote against and let us think again together.

Read it all.

Posted in - Anglican: Analysis, --Civil Unions & Partnerships, Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops, Parish Ministry, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion)

(AF) A Summary of the LLF discussion and motions and amendments at C of E General Synod

Bishop of Bath and Wells – Against the motion

“For many, it is the absence of such clarity that is causing such rage and distrust around our process. Now I know there is colossal pressure to get the Prayers of Love and Faith done. With all of us here, I would love us to be able to to move on to something else, but we know, from our national life, where a desire quickly to cut to the end of a process gets us. Until the doctrinal work is undertaken this motion is not oven-ready.”

Rev Aneal Appadoo (UKME co-opted) – Against the motion

“We have rigorous processes for Synod, which are right and build trust and enable trust to thrive among us, even when things look dishonest. What was revealed on Saturday night was that the House of Bishops have, at best, been playing fast and loose with our processes, and, at worst, and I pray not, been intentionally deceiving this Synod. For the sake of trust and the unity of this chamber and the Communion, which I love, I urge the Synod to vote against this motion. As has devestatingly been reported the processes have not been followed and I for one feel like I’ve been tricked.”

Bishop of London – For the motion

“We talk a lot about the need to do more theology, and that is not a bad thing, however let us be honest that at times it can be a displacement activity – and the truth is we will not all agree once the theology is done. Maybe, we would be wiser to put our theology to work, regardless of our theology of marriage or sexuality. We should put it to work sothat we can create a household of faith which is not homophobic, which is not misogynistic, which is not racist, or misuses power. Because, of course, theology is not just about words it is about our deeds.”

Rev Brenda Wallace (Chelmsford) – For the motion

“Let’s not get so tied up in law and doctrine that we lose sight of the people who are at the heart of our discussions. And let’s have the generosity to reach out with Christ’s loving arms and embrace them with love and faith. We ‘ve talked a lot about trust, so let’s move forward with trust that our God of Love loves all God’s children and wants them to live in relationships which are lifegiving, life enhancing and blessed by God and by the church.”

Read it all.

Posted in Church of England (CoE), Same-sex blessings, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion)

(Church Times) C of E Synod narrowly and murkily moves forward on same-sex blessing services, leaving multiple questions unresolved

Proposals to remove impediments on the use of new blessings for same-sex couples in stand-alone services, along with the provision of delegated episcopal ministry for those who oppose the changes, were shown a pale green light from the General Synod on Monday afternoon….

A notable opponent of the motion was the Bishop of Bath & Wells, Dr Michael Beasley, who has previously voted for LLF motions and supported an amendment in November last year calling for stand-alone services to be trialled (News, 17 November 2023).

He was voting against the motion this time, he said, because he felt that it was necessary to do more work on questions about whether doctrine was being changed by the introduction of services that some feared would resemble weddings.

Read it all.

Posted in Anthropology, Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops, England / UK, Ethics / Moral Theology, Parish Ministry, Pastoral Theology, Religion & Culture, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion), Theology: Scripture

The Presidential Address to the C of E General Synod by the Archbishop of York

Here in the Diocese of York, we call our response to the Church of England’s Vision and Strategy and its invitation to be a Christ-centred and a Jesus Christ shaped Church, Living Christ’s story. We imagine and envisage our life of missionary discipleship to be as if, led by the Spirit, we are writing the next chapter in the Acts of the Apostles, the chapter for this bit of Yorkshire in this day and for the people and communities we serve. And when Jesus says at the end of St John’s Gospel, ‘As the Father sent me, I am sending you’ (John 20: 21); and when at the end of Matthew’s gospel, he says ‘Go into all the world and make disciples’ (Matthew 28: 19); and when St Paul says to the church in Corinth that they are a ‘letter from Christ… written by the Spirit of the living God’ (2 Cor. 3: 3), it is as if God is handing us the pen, entrusting to us his mission of love to the world and asking us, imploring us, to be his presence in the world. And of course, the foundation and the inspiration for this is the living word of God that bursts forth from the pages of scripture and lodges in our hearts and minds, changing them and shaping them so that we, indeed, become that love letter from God. But for this address, knowing that it is scripture, but also the way that scripture shapes and is shaping the lives of so many others who then become these love letters from God, there are two other books I want to mention as well.

When I first went to see my parish priest, Fr Ernie Stroud, one time member of this Synod, and spoke with him, aged about 20, about a possible vocation to the priesthood, he gave me two books to read. First Iremonger’s Life of William Temple; and second Kenneth Ingram’s biography of the slum priest, Basil Jellicoe.

I read these books when I was about 20 years old and they have made a mark on my life and groove in my ministry that has never gone away, that has laid down tracks upon which I believe I am still seeking to live and minister today.

William Temple gave me – and I believe still gives to the Church – a profound vision of how Christian Faith shapes and orders society; and since we are gathering the day after a General Election, it is especially relevant for us not only to pray for our new Prime Minister and government, but also to think afresh how Christian Faith and Christian values can shape and order the world.

Read it all.

Posted in Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, Church of England, England / UK, Religion & Culture

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina this day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

A Reflection on the ACNA General Assembly from Bishop Chris Warner

(Via email–KSH).

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Last week, lay and ordained leaders from around our province and throughout the world gathered in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, at St. Vincent’s College for the ACNA’s Provincial Council and Assembly meetings. The event began with the Conclave of the College of Bishops which resulted in the Right Reverend Steve Wood, bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas, being unanimously elected as the next Archbishop and Primate of the ACNA. Thank you for your faithful prayers over the past months!

Next followed a week filled with teaching, worship, fellowship, prayer, and business meetings. Each day we were led in a study of 2 Timothy by the Right Reverend Rennis Ponniah (Retired Bishop, Singapore). I was so grateful for the large turnout of leaders from our Diocese with more than 50 participating.

Here are several highlights from the week:

  • On Wednesday, we had a beautiful Eucharistic service in the Basilica, with a processional of almost 200 vested clergy including deacons, priests, bishops and archbishops!
  • We approved a new Provincial Misconduct Policy for Children and Adults that will soon be available to our Dioceses and will serve as a minimum template for diocesan policy. Of note, it puts the onus on the bishops to ensure the policies are enacted. Thankfully DOMA already has a strong foundation in the protection of her people. 
  • A Spanish-language Book of Common Prayer will soon be available.
  • Our ACNA Catechism is being adopted by Anglican churches throughout the world and will soon be available as a downloadable app. 
  • Attendance at ACNA churches has rebounded to pre-Covid levels. About 85,000 are now attending Sunday services with a total ACNA membership of more than 128,000. We’ve added 36 new congregations in 2023.
  • ACNA now has 265 military chaplains serving our U.S. military.
  • At the closing Eucharistic service, Bishop Wood received the Provincial Cross and the transfer of spiritual authority to take up his office. +Steve will be installed at a provincial service later this fall. 

You may also enjoy this video interview from Provincial Assembly of Archbishop Steve and his wife, Jacqui (interview at 1:41:00). Please continue to pray for Archbishop Steve and his family during this time of transition into his new role as archbishop.

Blessings,

(The Rt. Rev) Chris Warner is Bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic

Posted in - Anglican: Commentary, Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)

(AC) Jacob Davis–A Spirit of Unity: Reflections on the Provincial Assembly

I found myself staying up late with my fellow attendees each night of the assembly—on the first night, getting pizza with other clergy, ministry leaders, and lay representatives from my diocese; on the rest, spending time with new friends from throughout our province and observing the camaraderie that quickly developed. What hath Kentucky (my home) to do with California, Louisiana, Alabama, or Hawaii? The love of Christ and his Church. The mission carried forward. It’s a beautiful thing.

Finally, the truth of Christ unites us, as does the faith we confess in the creeds each time we gather. As more than one person pointed out, we prioritize a reliance on the truth revealed in Scripture above all else. We stand together in this emphasis, even on issues on which our interpretations disagree. Resting on Scripture, supported by the historic formularies, our constitution, and canons, we have the grounding to stand firm for the faith. We shouldn’t dismiss our differences but should unite around truth.

Ultimately, we expressed this unity as the Body of Christ by coming together and receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in our two Eucharist services, one on Wednesday and one on Friday. The opening Eucharist service (in which many of the assembled clergy sweated through our vestments) featured a powerful message by the Rev. Vaughn Roberts of St. Ebbs Church, Oxford. The British clergyman’s presence, along with that of numerous Anglicans from around the globe, reminded us of the unity of orthodox Anglicans worldwide. After the consecration of the Sacrament by Archbishop Beach, we all processed forward to receive Christ: to be united in the one to whom we belong.

Read it all.

Posted in Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)

(AAC) Andrew Rowell–New Canons for ACNA

As Vice-Chair of the GTF and a Trustee for the American Anglican Council, I’ve been honored to be part of the work we did to improve our canons over the last five years. I’m particularly thankful for the now-ratified canon that places a canonical duty upon our diocesan bishops to ensure that protection plans are in place to prevent abuse to both children and adults within our churches and ministries. Sample protection plans are available through the Executive Committee of the ACNA to aid bishops in developing protection plans that fit their diocesan contexts. Perhaps even more “province-changing” are the now-ratified canons requiring diocesan bishops to develop clear processes and procedures to report misconduct by priests, deacons, and even laity. These new canons seek to improve consistency and fairness to both accusers and the accused across the province, providing easy on-ramps and off-ramps for accusations of misconduct and increasing the transparency with which such allegations are handled.

Additional changes to our disciplinary canons were ratified as well and, by God’s grace, will act to increase the tools available to our province to protect the flock of Christ from abuse and misconduct. Importantly, these changes include granting the archbishop (with the consent of a panel of senior bishops) power to give a godly admonition or inhibit a wayward bishop. They also grant the dean of the province the same power towards any wayward archbishop. God forbid such powers will need to be exercised, but discipline for every level of the Church leads to greater discipleship, as we all seek to glorify God in his Church.

Please pray for Archbishop-elect Steve Wood as he takes the provincial crozier tomorrow and carries on the good legacy of leadership begun by Archbishop Duncan and Archbishop Beach. Pray for the Governance Task Force as we continue to work on further revisions to the disciplinary canons of the ACNA. And pray for the ACNA in general, that we might continue to proclaim the Good News of Christ with boldness and vigor. What an honor it is to see God’s Spirit on the move in this branch of his body, as we seek to express the English Reformation in a way that is orthodox, evangelical, catholic, and, with the help of good canons, disciplined in all our doings.

Read it all.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, - Anglican: Analysis, Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)

(The Stream) Rome Takes Historic Step Towards ‘Full Communion’ with Conservative Anglicans

The Vatican is taking historic strides towards achieving “full communion” with Anglicans who do not ordain female priests. It is doing so by recognizing Anglican holy orders and churches, but not requiring them to merge with or convert to Roman Catholicism.

“We are scheduled to begin our talks at the Vatican this coming September 26-27,” Bishop Ray Sutton, presiding bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church in the U.S., announced in an Ecumenical Relations Task Force Report of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) College of Bishops.

The ACNA bishops, who oversee 128,000 Anglicans in more than 1,000 congregations across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, met during a provincial council from June 20-25 at St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The report reveals that Archbishop Foley Beach, who was then the primate of ACNA; Bishop Eric Menees, the chair of dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church; and Bishop Sutton flew to the Vatican for meetings at the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) in June 2023.

Read it all.

Posted in Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), Ecumenical Relations, Roman Catholic

(ACNA) Get to Know Archbishop Steve Wood

The following links can direct you to videos of Archbishop Steve Wood from Assembly.

  • A conversation with Archbishop Stephen Wood and his wife, Jacqueline, at the 2024 Provincial Assembly here.
  • Archbishop Wood’s sermon at the closing Eucharist where authority was passed to him here.
  • Passing of authority to Archbishop Wood here.
Posted in Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), Marriage & Family, Ministry of the Ordained