AMIE (formally the Saint Augustine Society) is grateful for the statement from Lambeth Palace of Tuesday July 5th. We are very pleased to note the welcome given to new mission initiatives and also the recognition of AMIE’s desire to remain within the Church of England.
Those recommended for ordination had already been through due processes of selection and training and were recommended after a thorough process of discernment.
According to a report at a recent conference, half the serving clergy of the Church of England will retire in the next ten years, a little acknowledged fact with no apparent strategy to address it. Meanwhile there are delayed candidates offering, parishes willing to sponsor them, and others eager to receive their ministry, congregations wishing to remain within the Church but not receiving recognition, and missional church plants needing authorisation. Many senior clergy are concerned about the quality of ministry that may be available in the future.
AMIE has come about precisely in order to retain within the Church of England those who share passion for gospel mission and wish to minister within this Church despite some problematic issues.New problems are not being raised. Discussions on these issues have taken place with Lambeth Palace and its representatives over a period of four and half years. They were again rehearsed over the last year with three bishops appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to meet with those now forming the panel of bishops and steering group of AMIE. They were fully communicated to Lambeth Palace in a document presented in July 2010.
Significant challenges face those called to minister in England at this time. Its ordained clergy need oversight and encouragement from those who believe in their work and ministry and who will walk with them step by step both theologically and missiologically. Such encouragement has been given by the Primates Council of GAFCON.
Episcopal collegiality within England needs to be matched by both Episcopal collegiality with the wider Anglican Communion and Episcopal integrity in upholding and teaching the truth of the Christian faith as found in the Scriptures.
We warmly welcome the invitation to meet to clarify the goals of AMIE which are to preach and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the standard for Episcopal integrity and collegiality in upholding and teaching the Christian faith.
Paul Perkin (Chair) on behalf of the Steering Committee
I am glad that our side has finally decided to use the same tactics others have previously used to destroy the Church. Say you want to have a conversation and remain one big happy family while all the while moving full speed ahead.
What AMIE proposes to do is to simply feed and care for the Church properly ([i]which is against the current agenda group’s goal of pushing the pansexual lifestyle and apologetics down their throats[/i]) and reminds me of the best way to weed Southern lawns, according to a Master Gardener and Horticulturalist – the instructions say to feed and water the grass according to soil conditions and recommendations for the type of grass, and keep it mowed to the proper height. Pretty soon the good grass will crowd out the weeds.
Some weeds such as crab grass should be removed as soon as possible, and can be extracted by hand with the proper tools by the watchful and diligent caretakers. Sounds a lot like the Epistles’ instructions to the churches, eh?
[blockquote]Episcopal collegiality within England needs to be matched by both [i]Episcopal collegiality with the wider Anglican Communion and Episcopal integrity in upholding and teaching the truth of the Christian faith as found in the Scriptures[/i].
We warmly welcome the invitation to meet to clarify the goals of AMIE which are to preach and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. [i]The gospel is the standard for Episcopal integrity and collegiality in upholding and teaching the Christian faith.[/i][/blockquote]
Those are the money quotes IMO – setting out clearly, simply, and non-defensively the basis for collegiality and mission at a time when a never-ending indaba is the alternative gospel.
The fact that they are [i]also[/i] acting to put more clergy in play at a time when the CoE is about to face a catastrophic loss of clergy and is not coming to terms of that, is secondary but still important – it quietly underlines the difference between orthodoxy and non-orthodoxy when it comes to ensuring the vitality and future of the church.
Amen, Mark.
Even take it one step further down to the laity – the orthodox make disciples and plant churches; the liberals don’t.
Its good to see some strong public statements being made within England – the faithful there have been oppressed for too long.
And yet there are clergy in England who can’t find work who are prefectly orthodox and morally sound, becasue diocesan politics excludes them.
Moreoever, great numbers of those in training are women in their 40s and 50s doing part-time, Scripture-lite courses, who are not likely to pioneering new churches or growing existing ones. They will just manage decline.
Let’s hope that we are seeing the beginnings of a process which will lead to the prejudice against orthodoxy in being broken.