What should the Anglicans do?

By Steve Addison
http://www.steveaddison.net/2008/02/28/what-should-the-anglicans-do.html
2/28/2008

It is no exaggeration to say that the global Anglican church of is at a crossroads facing its greatest crisis since the Reformation. It's been there at least since the 1998 Lambeth Conference when the vast majority of Anglican bishops worldwide rejected "homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture."

Despite this the Episcopal church in the US and the Anglican Church in Canada have pursued an agenda of acceptance of homosexuality and the ordination of practicing homosexual clergy.

A decade later, at next July's Lambeth Conference, the battle over the nature of the Anglican communion will continue. The church is going through a painful and protracted identity crisis. Whatever happens at Lambeth, this crisis will not go away.

So what is to be done? What is the future for the world's 82 million Anglicans?

Here are some suggestions from a movements perspective. A word of qualification, I am not an Anglican. These are the musings of a concerned outsider who none-the-less loves the Anglican church.

1. Return to who you are.

Movements are renewed by making an innovative return to tradition. Rediscover the essence of the Anglican tradition in it's unity and diversity. Here's a good start from JI Packer: Who We Are and Where We Stand.

2. Don't forget innovation!

Returning to your tradition is only half of the equation. You must make an innovative return. Institutions spend an inordinate amount on energy on non-essential traditions. In contrast, movements are willing to change everything except their core beliefs in pursuit of their mission.

3. Say goodbye to the hegemony of the West.

It's time to catch up to what God is doing around the rest of the world and learn from it. Read the story of Archbishop Peter Akinola and the amazing growth of the Anglican church of Nigeria. Peter Jenkins demonstrates that throughout the "Global South" it is a biblically orthodox version of the Christian faith that is capturing the hearts of ordinary people. There lies the future of the Anglican church.

4. Learn from John Wesley

John Wesley was born and died an Anglican. Unfortunately the Anglican church of the day was not big enough to contain him. He once said, "I love the rites and ceremonies of the Church. But I see, well-pleased, that our great Lord can work without them."

Wesley was a loyal Anglican but when the clergy forbade him to preach in "their" parishes he proclaimed, "The world is my parish!" and preached without their permission to thousands who gladly heard him and joined the Methodists.

5. Make room for more Wesleys

Expect God to raise up a new generation of John Wesleys. Is the Anglican church big enough to give them room? What should happen when a bishop seeks to block the planting of a new church by Anglicans in "his" diocese despite it's decline? Will they be given room?

6. Pour fuel on the fire

Where is the Anglican church prospering? Where are lives being transformed by the Gospel? Where are disciples being made? Where are pioneering leaders to be found? Where are churches being planted? Where is God at work? Go there and learn.

Visit the Anglican church of Nigeria. Visit St Mary's London. Find out why the Sydney diocese has no problem growing leaders. Get excited about what the Church Army is doing down in Berkley NSW. Find out where there is unexpected success, learn from it and multiply it.

Make sure you devour the writings of Roland Allen, CMS missionary and mission strategist. Almost a century ago he wrote Missionary methods : St. Paul's or ours? and we still haven't got the message.

7. Have some grandchildren

Having grandchildren is a wonderful way to become young again, vicariously. The Anglican church has already birthed a dynamic movement called Methodism. Why not do it intentionally? That's what the Southern Baptists are doing in world missions. They are planting indigenous churches that are biblically orthodox but not necessarily "Southern Baptist".

Central Coast Evangelical Church is just one of the churches in a growing movement of Independent Evangelical Churches started and led by graduates of Moore College. Other Anglican churches are planting non-Anglican churches where the parish system frustrates the advance of the Gospel.

8. Remember your heroes

The Anglican church has produced some great leaders throughout it's history: John Wesley, Charles Simeon, William Wilberforce, Henry Martyn, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Wilson Carlile, CS Lewis, John Stott, David Watson, and many more.

Study their lives. Tell and retell their stories and the lessons from their lives to a new generation.

9. Plant some trees

The best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. The second best time? Now.

Charles Simeon was the pastor of the Anglican church at Cambridge for 50 years. When he began in 1782 there were only a dozen evangelical ministers left in the Church of England. When he finished 54 years later, one in three Anglican churches were led by evangelicals. The vast majority of them were men influenced by Simeon in Cambridge. Many of them were converted through him.

10. Thank God for the Episcopalians

We can be thankful that the Episcopalians in the US provide an insight into the future of the Anglican church. . . if the decline continues. The Episcopalians are in free fall. In 2008 they led the way with the fastest rate of denominational decline in the US.

Why would that be?

According to Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Episcopalians aren't interested in replenishing their ranks by having children. "They tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations." You've got to give her credit for creativity. Here's the real reason.

Is that the future you want for the rest of the Anglican church?

END



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OHIO: Breakaway churches begin to organize amid confusion

Effort would unify conservative congregations disaffiliated from the Episcopal Church USA

By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer
http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/15791202.html
February 20, 2008

FAIRLAWN: Bishop Roger Ames is no longer a cleric in the Ohio Diocese of the Episcopal Church USA.

But he is a leader in the global Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church USA.

Then there's the church that Ames pastors - St. Luke's in Fairlawn. Its incorporation papers list its name as St. Luke's Anglican Church and Ames as pastor. Diocesan records, however, show that it is St. Luke's Episcopal Church and that the pastorate is vacant.

The status of both Ames and the church is an indication of the level of confusion in the denomination and of what might very well be the beginning of a new Anglican province in North America.

Both Ames and Bishop Martyn Minns, the missionary bishop for the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), say an effort is under way to unify the theologically conservative parishes that have broken away from the Episcopal Church.

"We're trying to hold onto the traditional teachings of the church and stop the fragmentation that is going on across the country by bringing people together," Minns said. "We definitely have some real divisions (in the Episcopal Church) and we are trying to develop tight connections with the international church and the churches in this country."

Appointment controversy

Minns, of Herndon, Va., was elected by the Anglican Church of Nigeria, the largest province in the global communion, to lead the CANA parishes that have left the Episcopal Church USA. His August 2006 consecration in Abuja, Nigeria, was controversial because both the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church USA and the Archbishop of Canterbury had requested that it not proceed.

Subsequently, the archbishop did not invite Minns to the 2008 Lambeth Conference, saying Minns' appointment had caused "exceptionally serious division or scandal within the communion."

The Lambeth Conference, in Canterbury, England, is a once-a-decade, by-invitation-only assembly of Anglican bishops. Minns said it is not too late for him to be included on the invitation list for the July conference.

Realigning themselves

Dissension has torn the communion, since the Episcopal Church consecrated its first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, in 2003. A decision in 2004 by the Canadian province of Westminster to bless same-sex unions fueled the tension.

Since then, some of the more theologically conservative churches, such as St. Luke's, have disaffiliated from the Episcopal Church and realigned themselves with Anglican provinces and organizations that share their view on issues like homosexuality.

In fact, St. Luke's is the place where the national movement to defy liberal bishops in the American church was launched. On March 14, 2004, five retired Episcopal Church USA bishops and a diocesan bishop from Brazil confirmed 110 people at a multicongregational service at St. Luke's without the permission of the local bishop.

St. Luke's subsequently voted to leave the Ohio diocese and aligned itself with CANA, which was formed in April 2005. The organization now claims 118 clergy and 161 congregations, compared with 19 clergy and 14 congregations in November 2006.

CANA consecrated Ames and three others to serve as suffragan, or assistant, bishops to Minns on Dec. 9 in Herndon, Va. Their ordinations were in response to the rapid growth in CANA's membership, Minns said.

Ames oversees the 16 parishes in CANA's Great Lakes region. The region includes the five churches that have left the Cleveland-based Ohio Diocese of the Episcopal Church: St. Luke's, Church of the Holy Spirit in Akron, St. Barnabas in Bay Village, Church of the Good Samaritan in Cleveland and St. Anne in the Fields in Madison.

Clusters created by CANA are geographical and relational, but do not follow strict lines like the diocesan structure of the Episcopal Church, Ames said.

Common Cause

"There are now domestic bishops. That's the beginning of a new Anglican province in the U.S.," Ames said. "CANA is just one of the operations that came in to rescue orthodox, evangelical parishes that could no longer stay in the Episcopal Church. All of those streams have come together in something called Common Cause."

Common Cause, chaired by Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, is a partnership of organizations with roots in the Anglican Church that have unified to create an ecclesiastical structure apart from the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada. Its initial meeting in late September in Pittsburgh was to bind its members and discuss their direction for the future.

In addition to CANA, members of Common Cause include the American Anglican Council, the Anglican Communion Network, the Anglican Mission in the Americas (which includes Hudson Anglican Fellowship on Darrow Road), the Anglican Province of America, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, Forward in Action, the Reformed Episcopal Church, the Anglican Essentials Federation and the Anglican Network in Canada.

"All together, these groups will birth a new American province that could encompass the U.S. and Canada," Ames said. "This will include the diocese of San Joaquin in California, which voted in December to leave the Episcopal Church. We anticipate that three or four more whole dioceses will leave this year and join us."

Some of the parishes across the country that have left the denomination are involved in legal disputes over church property. That is not the case in the Ohio Diocese, which covers the northern 48 counties of the state.

"We are looking for a faithful resolution to the property issues involving the congregations that have elected to leave the diocese," said Martha Wright, diocesan spokeswoman. "The priests in those congregations have asked to be released from their orders and their requests have been granted, but we have not taken any action where the property is concerned."

Ames said the diocese and parishes are in discussions to resolve the property issue and to negotiate a "just" settlement.

Bishop Mark Hollingsworth, who leads the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, declined to comment.

"We have been able to avoid litigation. We appreciate Bishop Hollingsworth's willingness to continue the dialogue and his gracefulness in releasing the clergy," Ames said. "There is a strong possibility that Ohio could set a precedent for Christian resolution to this property issue that has led to angry, nasty litigation in other places. We're trying very much to let the Lord and the Holy Spirit lead in this process."

END



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Venables Interview

http://acl.asn.au/a-tragedy-for-the-church/
February 28, 2008

Archbishop of the Southern Cone, Gregory Venables was interviewed on CBC Radio in Canada earlier this week.

It's very very sad that it should come to this, it's a tragedy for the church, for the church in Canada and for the church throughout the world - but it shows how serious the division is. We are grateful for this transcript of the interview (the audio is available here in RealAudio format). Questions are from CBC's The Current presenter Anna Maria Tremonti -

Also joining us was The Most Reverend Gregory James Venables, Presiding Bishop of the Province of the Southern Cone. He's also the Bishop of Argentina and the leader of the parishes that have split with the Anglican Church of Canada. Archbishop Gregory James Venables spoke to us from Buenos Aires.

What is your response to the recent votes here in Canada, what do you think of these decisions?

It's very, very, sad that it should come to this, it's a tragedy for the church, for the church in Canada and for the church throughout the world - but it shows how serious the division is. This has never happened before. It has happened significantly with very large groups in the United States in recent years and recently with a whole diocese moving - and now it's happening in Canada. It shows how serious this division is and how strong the convictions are which are pulling the church apart.

In your view is this solely about the Canadian churches stand on homosexuality? Does it go beyond that?

No. This is about two versions of Christianity which are in a strong state of difference. You've got the original biblical Christianity which the church, the Christian church throughout the world has held to over the past two thousand years and then you've got this new liberal post-modern Christianity which has evolved especially in the western world over the last 100 years or so. It's like two ships that have gradually pulled apart and can longer really sail together and the trouble is it's pulling the church apart as it does that.

And how did you personally, in Argentina, get involved with the Canadian congregations?

We've got good links with folk in Canada, we are all a part of the Americas. Also I had been a part of the Primates' debate on this for a long time now and therefore I'd been in contact with Canadians who'd been in touch with us and discussed things with us and asked our advice and that's what has led to this situation - that in the end they came to us and said, "Look we are going to have to break away from something we can no longer walk with - will you please give us somewhere to live while this thing works itself out?" and we talked about it with other Primates - there were a number of provinces that were prepared to make an offer to receive these congregations and in the end the decision was to come down to us.

And in practical terms what does that mean to take on these Canadian parishioners?

It means basically that these people cannot say that they agree with their local Church, with the national Church where they are, but they want to remain within the Anglican church and - since they can't remain within the Anglican Church if they leave the Canadian Church and don't go anywhere else - they are coming to us for shelter until the situation is resolved. We hope it will be a temporary thing and that something more practical and able to be worked out locally will come out of this in the long term. As it stands there are two bishops who will be looking after these congregations, two retired Canadian bishops who will be doing the practical work for us but the overall coverage will be under the Province of the Southern Cone which includes the six countries you mentioned.

And along with the issue of faith when it comes to the running of a church there are legal and financial considerations how do those shake down with these changes?

Well I suppose the most difficult thing will be where the clergy go in terms of stipend, pensions and medical coverage and all that which implies an enormous sacrifice, which shows again how serious this is and how strong the convictions are. But also the tragedy is going to be over buildings - who actually owns the buildings. Because although buildings are secondary in our faith, the church is the temple - we are the temple and God lives in His people - but even so buildings are very very precious to us and they mean a lot, especially locally where families have lived for a long time in one locality so that is going to be probably the hardest thing of all. And what's been happening in the states is tragic because there are multi-million (dollar) court cases going on at this moment in which even members of vestries are being taken to court for 'abandoning the communion' as they say.

I can hear the regret in your voice.

Yeah. Oh yeah. It's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking. It's tragic because the church is meant to be a demonstration of love - and one of the things that really breaks us up is that there seems to be so little love in this. I said at a Primates' meeting a while back that in a marriage, generally, in spite of difficulties you keep going because you want to, because you love each other and in spite of the fact you face terrible problems sometimes you want to stay together and that's what keeps you going. But there seems to be little love and little desire to remain together and that is the tragic revelation of this situation.

And yet we're talking about a tug of war over a view of Christianity.

Over two versions, one which is the ancient historic version and one which has grown up more recently but unfortunately you would have thought there would be enough in common to hold it together.

And do you think there is, you think there is a chance of doing that?

We thought that for a long time, we met together as Primates over and over again and every time we said, "Please don't go on with this, hold back, let's talk about this, let's find a way" - but even on one situation when we had a meeting in Brazil, with all the Primates and we put out a letter and said, "Please don't do this", within 48 hours a Canadian diocese had gone ahead with moving on same sex blessings which took our breath away, we hadn't even sent the letter out more than 48 hours I think it was. The other tragedy is, having been in this situation for so long and having taken part in it there's been very little real dialogue. There's been long silences but there hasn't been real dialogue and that is a tragedy. If Christianity is what it should be then we should be able to sit down and work it out in spite of differences and that is part of the sadness too.

Okay, well I understand there is a conference for the end of April in BC by the Anglican Network of Canada that is the group of more traditional or so-called essential Anglicans. You're going to that conference, what do you hope that will achieve?

I hope to be there. I hope it will give us a chance to clarify even more how this thing is going to work out and to affirm the position that people are taking so that there's a security within this and simply to be able to pray together and to say okay we've taken a step, how can we know be the sort of church that God wants us to be in a world that really needs to find some hope. And if the world is the creation of God what can we do to help the world find its place within that world vision.

END



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Minns to Anglican District of Virginia

The following is a letter from Bishop Martyn Minns, Missionary Bishop of CANA, to all the churches of the Anglican District of Virginia, in preparation for the ruling that should come at any time from Judge Randy Bellows.

February 27, 2008

Anglican District of Virginia newsletter.

Dear Friends,

I'm writing to you all to express my gratitude for your faithful witness as we have embarked on this journey together to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ during one of the most challenging periods in the history of the Anglican Communion. We have experienced those challenges not only within the global communion, but particularly right here in Virginia. Your sacrificial giving in supporting the work of ministry through your time, your talents, and your financial resources is a powerful witness to the world of your dedication to Jesus Christ and to the work of His church. Your devotion to the integrity of a biblical witness is a testimony of steadfast faith in Christ in a time of great challenge.

As you know, CANA continues to grow at a remarkable rate. In the past year alone we have quadrupled in size and we continue to receive and plant new congregations. Here in Virginia, the CANA and Ugandan congregations of the Anglican District of Virginia continue to reach out with Christ's love to preach the Gospel, to serve one another, to extend a warm hand of fellowship to our communities, and to celebrate the sovereignty and faithfulness of our God as we go from strength to strength.

You also know that another milestone is soon to be upon us. I ask you all to be in prayer and preparation for the time when we receive the decision from Judge Bellows in Fairfax Circuit Court. We expect him to rule on the applicability and constitutionality of Virginia Statue 57-9 under which we filed reports of votes to sever ties with The Episcopal Church. As you remember, following those filings we entered into negotiations with the Diocese of Virginia based on the protocol unanimously recommend by a committee chartered by Bishop Lee. TEC forced the Diocese to break off those negotiations and to file suits against all 11 churches, their rectors, and vestries. We expect Judge Bellows ruling at any time.

Judge Bellows has signaled he could rule in one of three ways, either that:

1. There has been a division and the 57-9 statute is constitutional. 2. There has been a division and the 57-9 statute is unconstitutional. 3. There has been no division and so that 57-9 statute does not apply.

As you can see, each possible ruling will require responses from us as well as from the Diocese of Virginia and The Episcopal Church. Whichever way he rules, we must bear in mind that this will be only one of a number of issues on which he will likely ultimately rule, and we must stay focused on our ministry and mission. Thanks to the Lord and to your support and prayers, we are ready for all three possibilities.

Last week I asked Jim Oakes, Vice Chair of the Anglican District of Virginia, to gather some leaders together from the CANA churches in the ADV to pray and plan for our next steps. John Yates, the rector of The Falls Church, opened our time together with a reading from Habakkuk 3:

The Sovereign LORD is my strength~ he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

I can assure you that we will continue to seek the Lord in providing for our needs as we earnestly ask Him for His help. He works through you as you continue to pledge and give to this very public witness of standing firm for the Gospel and for the integrity of His Word. We also hear from friends in other denominations in Virginia and around the United States who support and pray for us, knowing that the decisions and actions here will be felt beyond our own denomination. We appreciate the prayers and financial support that comes from inside and outside our denomination. We are not alone.

Please pray as we await this first decision. Pray for Judge Bellows in the great responsibility he's been given to make this first decision. Pray for the legal team and the CANA churches leadership as we respond to this first decision.

And pray for Bishop Lee and the Diocese of Virginia as they also respond to the decisions of the court. Pray for all the churches in the ADV that we may, even through difficult times, continue to trust the Lord with our future, being assured that He will not let us go. Pray that we will continue to seek Him first and His righteousness, eager to stand in the gap and eager to forgive.

As soon as Judge Bellows hands down this first decision, all the ADV churches will be notified. We have been blessed by a remarkable legal team and we are grateful for their diligent preparation for this decision and the work ahead. May the Lord bless you and keep you as we solemnly observe this season of Lent, looking forward to that day when we celebrate His victory through the cross.

Angela and Rachel and I keep you in our prayers. We are confident that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

The Sovereign LORD is our strength. May He, indeed, make our feet like the feet of deer, enabling us to go on to the heights together and for His sake. Amen.


Your brother in Christ,

+Martyn
The Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns
Missionary Bishop of C.A.N.A.



------------------------

One View of Realignment

Chuck Collins Writes His Parish: Realignment update

Posted by Kendall Harmon at TitusOneNine:

Baroness Caroline Cox, several times this past weekend, quoted Archbishop Ben Kwashi: "We have a message worth living for; we have a message worth dying for; don't you [in the West] compromise the message we are dying for."I heard from a friend in England several weeks ago that an announcement was imminent that would be very good news for the orthodox in the U.S. I learned from others that it would involve a plan for churches to connect to the Anglican Communion apart from the Episcopal Church - this is what we have been waiting for since the vestry letter September 2006. It was reported that this would have the blessing of the Presiding Bishop and the Archbishop of Canterbury. I hoped that this would allow Christ Church and churches like ours to disassociate from the Episcopal Church with the blessing of Canterbury, yet still remain a member of the Anglican Communion.

This is the news I've been waiting for but, I'm sad to say that it is not good news.

It turns out that the four U.S. bishops have only resurrected an old idea that was earlier rejected as inadequate by orthodox Episcopalians, i.e. the Presiding Bishop's plan for alternate episcopal oversight. The plan of the four Windsor bishops is unworkable on every level. It will not help orthodox churches in hostile dioceses because it depends on the good will of revisionist bishops towards their orthodox congregations. For no reason at all bishops can say "no" to episcopal visitors (Communion Partners), and can still require churches to financially support the Episcopal Church (in their lawsuits against conservative congregations!). How is this good news for traditional churches? And for churches like Christ Church, it provides no way to connect to the Anglican Communion apart from the Episcopal Church. No wonder the Presiding Bishop endorsed it; it's her plan and she gives up nothing! The plan of these four bishops is a last gasp from a dying institution.

Not only does this plan fail to address any real issues, it threatens to change the focus of discussion in dangerous ways. Instead of calling the Episcopal Church to repentance for breaking the trust of the Anglican Communion, these four (and other Windsor bishops?) are now figuring out ways to let the Episcopal Church continue with what it is doing now and in the future. The problem for these four bishops is not the Episcopal Church, but orthodox churches and dioceses that threaten the unity because they can no longer associate with the Episcopal Church. The strategy is to blame Peter Akinola and Bob Duncan for the disunity we face, rather than the Episcopal Church who repeatedly refused to respond positively to the pleas of the Anglican Communion.

Everything in this discussion hinges on the "pendulum." Windsor bishops are 100% invested in the idea that the Episcopal Church, that has swung wildly to the liberal side, will one day swing back to a moderate centrist theology. But there is no indication in recent history or church history in general that there will be such a swing. There is no pendulum. Instead, I believe, the Episcopal Church is set on a trajectory away from mainstream Christianity that will never again intersect with mainstream Christianity. There are simply two churches within the Episcopal Church today with two totally different theologies and agendas. My concern is that we might get 5, 10, 20 years down this road before realizing that the likes of Louie Crew, Presiding Bishop Schori and Bishop Jon Bruno (and the next generation of revisionists that will control the Episcopal Church) will never concede to anything like a more balanced view of theology and morals.

Bishop Lillibridge gave a forceful address at the Diocesan Council last Friday for the essentials of the faith (See the next blog entry--KSH. It was heartening to hear him so strongly upholding the core teachings of the faith as nonnegotiables. As he attends the meetings of the Windsor Continuation Group in the months proceeding Lambeth we need to be praying for him. I will ask him to take to their meetings our concerns (and of many in West Texas from the feedback we've received) that churches who cannot in conscience submit any longer to the Episcopal Church be given a way to continue being "Anglican." Hopefully this Continuation Group will uphold some of the disciplinary portions of the Windsor Report, something that hasn't happened to date.

I am thoroughly energized by what God is doing at Christ Church these days. Our effort at Council last week was a remarkable witness to the vitality and life we are experiencing in the Holy Spirit. Leslie Kingman and Linda Camp, and the over 200 volunteers, deserve a huge thanks for showing our bishops and diocese that we are positive about our future and that we want to help guide and influence our diocese. Caroline Cox was overwhelmed by the spirit of our worship and fellowship on Sunday. I also appreciate the work the vestry and others are doing to collect information on the areas pertaining to the realignment.

The following is offered with the unanimous support of our parish leaders (meeting at the vestry retreat a few weeks ago) to assure our congregation that we continue steadfast in our mission and core values: As the Vestry of Christ Church

»We remain firmly committed to Jesus Christ and the authority of Scripture.
»We are prayerfully seeking God's wisdom and direction in light of the dilemma within the national Episcopal Church.
»We are preparing for our future, valuing our community and our rich heritage.

--The Rev. Chuck Collins is rector, Christ Church, San Antonio, Texas

Realignment News from Canada

From the Toronto Globe and Mail:

More Anglican parishes to leave the fold
Bishop's prediction follows on the heels of seven new congregations joining breakaway traditionalist movement

JILL MAHONEY

February 19, 2008

More conservative Anglican congregations will join those that have already cut ties with the Anglican Church of Canada, the head of a breakaway group predicts.

In the past week, seven parishes voted to leave the Anglican Church of Canada to seek the authority of a South American archbishop in a long-running dispute over theological issues, including the blessing of same-sex marriages, which they oppose.

So far, six Anglican parishes in Ontario, eight in British Columbia and three in Alberta have decided to operate outside the jurisdiction of the Anglican Church of Canada and joined the recently formed Anglican Network in Canada. Ten of the 17 breakaway parishes have voted to align themselves with the more orthodox, traditional Province of the Southern Cone, which covers most of South America. More are expected to consider the issue in the following week.

"I'm quite confident that this is just a beginning," said Bishop Donald Harvey, moderator of the recently formed Anglican Network in Canada, a "haven" for breakaway congregations that is under the jurisdiction of the South American archbishop, Gregory Venables.
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* Go to the National section

The Globe and Mail

Bishop Harvey said parishes across the country are considering the issue - and they are on his organization's mailing list - although he doesn't know of any others that have votes planned.

"It's at a discussion level. I think that what has happened in the last week will give those who were hesitant some courage to know that if they do make this [step], they won't be alone, that there are other parishes right across the country who have made similar moves," he said in an interview from his home in St. John's.

In voting to leave the Anglican Church of Canada, conservative Anglicans will retain ties with other Anglicans who share their traditional views. The congregations plan to seek episcopal oversight under Bishop Harvey, who is under the jurisdiction of Archbishop Venables of the Province of the Southern Cone.

Vianney Carrière, a spokesman for the Anglican Church of Canada, noted that despite the recent departures, there are still almost 2,300 congregations in the Canadian fold.

The congregations' decisions to break ties could lead to battles over church buildings, which at least some want to keep using. Before they voted, parishioners were told that the buildings belong to the Anglican Church of Canada, not to the congregations, and that they may be locked out.

"Our position, and I guess this is where the controversy is likely to come in, is that they cannot take property with them," Mr. Carrière said.

In the United States, the Anglican Episcopal diocese of Virginia fought several congregations in court over ownership of church buildings. The congregations voted to quit the Episcopal Church and affiliate with the Anglican Church in Nigeria.

As well, two priests of St. Mary's of the Incarnation in the Victoria suburb of Metchosin, which voted to leave the Anglican Church of Canada on Sunday, were disciplined. *****

Divisions in the church

Turmoil in the Anglican Church, as presented by the Anglican Network in Canada, an alternative group working outside the Anglican Church of Canada:

1998: An international meeting of leadership in the Anglican Church, held once a decade, endorses a non-binding resolution that states homosexual practice is incompatible with scripture and that it "...could not advise the legitimizing or blessing of same-sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions."

June, 2002: The Diocese of New Westminster ignores the so-called Lambeth Resolution 1.10 and becomes the first Anglican diocese in the world to formally authorize the blessing of same-sex unions.

June, 2007: The Canadian General Synod resolves that same-sex blessings are "not in conflict" with the core doctrine of the Anglican Church of Canada and rejects a motion upholding Lambeth Resolution 1.10 as the current standard of Anglican teaching.

November, 2007: The Province of the Southern Cone synod votes to welcome North American Anglicans into membership.

February, 2008: More than a dozen parishes across Canada vote on whether to request episcopal oversight of Donald Harvey of Newfoundland, a bishop within the Province of the Southern Cone under Archbishop Gregory Venables.

CANA Quadruples Congregational Membership in One Year

HERNDON, Va. (February 12, 2008) – The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) has experienced momentous growth in one year, quadrupling its congregational membership.
“CANA is leading the way for the new era of American Anglicanism. CANA is modeling the unifying presence for which many of us have longed,” said CANA Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns.

In November 2006, CANA began with 19 clergy and 14 congregations. By March 2007, the number of clergy grew to 47 and the number of congregations totaled 34. By November 2007, CANA was comprised of 118 clergy and 61 congregations. Overall, CANA clergy have increased by 621% and congregations have increased by 436%.

Bishop Minns attributed several factors to CANA’s growth, including the 10 congregations that Bishop Francis Lyons of Bolivia (Anglican Province of the Southern Cone in South America) recently transferred to CANA.

“Also, among CANA’s clergy we currently count no less than three bishops or archbishops from other continuing Anglican bodies who have humbly laid down their Episcopal positions in order to join CANA as priests. These clergy recognize CANA as a key part of the emerging orthodox Anglican ecclesiastical structure in North America,” Minns continued.

“CANA’s mission is to reach and serve the least, the last, and the lost. Our growth is a testament to committed orthodox Christians who want to be transformed by the Good News of Jesus Christ and to then transform our culture for Christ through evangelism, discipleship and church planting.”

The Convocation of Anglicans in North America currently consists of approximately 60 congregations and 100 clergy in 20 states. About a fifth of the congregations are primarily expatriate Nigerians. CANA was established in 2005 to provide a means by which Anglicans living in the USA, who were alienated by the actions and decisions of The Episcopal Church, could continue to live out their faith without compromising their core convictions. CANA is part of the Common Cause partnership that includes representatives of more than 250 Anglican congregations that are connected to the rest of the Anglican Communion, a worldwide fellowship of some 70 million, through various pastoral and missionary initiatives. For more information, please visit CANA at www.CanaConvocation.org.

To schedule an interview with a CANA representative, please contact Kelly Oliver at 703–683–5004 (ext. 140) or Caitlin Bozell (ext. 119)