To some extent, the proof will be in the pudding. The first thing to do is to learn from the mistakes made by conservatives in the United States.
Over recent decades there was a growth of evangelical and Catholic groupings formed to wage cultural warfare within the American Church. The alarming trajectory of The Episcopal Church towards heterodoxy was not always obvious to insiders and protests against divisive, controversial leaders like the über-liberal Bishop Spong were disorganised and fragmented.
Personality differences and impatience led to fragmentation. Many churches and leaders left The Episcopal Church altogether leaving the conservatives and orthodox weakened. It came to a point at which valiant attempts to regroup at the 1998 Lambeth Conference, and the 2000 Denver General Convention, though largely successful, were already doomed to failure.
The resulting formation of a new province in North America became almost inevitable in the light of the fact that conservatives were so divided and fragmented in the early days that their rearguard actions were ultimately ineffective. Although my own sympathy is with those who don’t give up and continue trying to reform The Episcopal Church, I recognise that will not always be possible.
So why should anyone support FCA and why should it be launched now? Firstly, it’s a way of supporting Anglicans in North America who are struggling to remain Anglican in very difficult circumstances.
Secondly, it’s a direct link to the Global South provinces….
In a related matter … while Andrew Carey was not involved (so far as I know) in public comments by FCA leadership claiming to have the support of Her Majesty … after seeing copies of the actual letters … I find the FCA comments very underhanded. Somehow they manage to find “support” in the common pleasantries of formal language … even though one of the letters states, “I should explain, however, that the Queen, as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, would not intervene in the day-to-day running of the Church of England.†Subsequently, Buckingham Palace — which never comments on private correspondence — has felt compelled to deny that it lends support to their cause.
In short … the FCA leadership — most of whom are both subjects of Great Britain as well as also employees of the State — has intentionally misrepresented Her Majesty. They should be ashamed of their devious nature!