Anglican Alliance turned into English Company – Not enough listening to spirits in IASCUFO report on Communion Instruments decision-making – Standing Committee now makes decisions for Church of England diocese – Claims that Bible in Life of Church Project not just to be a report on peoples’ shelves – ACO has quarter of a million pounds drop in budget – Statements and support from Anglican Communion helpful to member churches.
The final day of the Standing Committee (Tuesday) began with a presentation on the Anglican Alliance ”“ Development, Relief and Advocacy’s new status as a charitable company. The committee was told that primate of the Church of the Province of Central Africa Archbishop Albert Chama is to be the Chair of Trustees of the company
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Director for Unity, Faith and Order Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan then delivered a short report on the work of her department since November 2012. She said that, following a submission by the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order (IASCUFO) to the Anglican Consultative Council on the Instruments of Communion, “what we’ve heard from the ACC itself is that it was a fine piece of background, but not creative enough. Now we need to provoke IASCUFO to think more creatively about how the Communion can discern the work of the Spirit”.
A paper submitted to the Standing Committee by Dr Barnett-Cowan included a paragraph that read: “The Instruments all developed in particular contents in response to issues before the churches of the Anglican Communion. Their structures and ways of working reflected contemporary patterns of ways in which people meet and try to come to a common mind. What are the best models, now, of how Christians discern the leading of the Spirit? How might the Anglican Communion best incorporate these ways of working?”
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The committee was asked to elect a person in episcopal orders to serve with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London in the appointment of the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese in Europe. After voting the committee appointed an Archbishop from Nigeria. The name will be made available once that person has been informed.
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Stephen Lyon presented to the committee on the next phase on The Bible in the Life of the Church project. He asked what the legacy of the project would be: “Are we hoping that the legacy of what we’ve done goes deeper than just a report on people’s shelves?”
He believed that, for the project to really make an impact it needed to be embedded in the life of the Communion. He highlighted two major challenges for this project and others facilitated from the Anglican Communion Office:
”¢ Visibility ”“ how do Anglicans everywhere hear and understand about key Communion projects?
”¢ Viability ”“ how do we guarantee resources for such key projects?
Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Kenneth Kearon echoed Mr Lyon’s points by explaining that the work of the Anglican Communion Office in particular has continued despite a quarter of a million pounds drop in budget.
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Bishop Samuel Azariah said joint statements from the Anglican Communion were very helpful, but appealed for greater assistance from Churches of the Anglican Communion to get access to governments around the world to talk about issues affecting Christians on the ground. Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul Yak agreed that Anglican Communion support was vital for the Church’s work addressing conflict in the countries of Sudan and South Sudan.
When I saw the headline, I expected to see the “deliberations” of one of the faux diocese standing committees. Is there some reason the AC standing committee is being referred to as “rump”? It is appears to be self-perpetuating, and it is continuing to usurp the role of the Primates of the Communion, so while it is illegitimate, it also appears quite permanent.
Now they want to get “creative” with the Instruments of Communion. Which, of course, in revisionist Anglicanese, means downgrading the Primates even more, and raising the standing committee to level of Instrument primus inter pares. And establishing more commissions, and giving more power to TEC and the ACO.
I.A.S.C.U.F.O.: I am so confused, utterly failing organization.
#1, perhaps “rump” is more polite than “pointless.”
Katherine,
I do not think it has been pointless. It has accomplished several of the goals KJS set for it- it has given the revisionists complete control of the Anglican Communion committees and structure, has enabled them to reach deep into the African Churches to sow destruction, and has isolated the Archbishop of Canterbury from the rest of the Communion.