Here is an excerpt from Archbishop Bob Duncan's address,
"Anglican 1000
Church planting is now understood as the central work of our Province. If we are to reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ, we will do it through the agency of the local congregation. The Constitution of the Anglican Church in North America wisely recognizes the local congregation as the fundamental mission agency of our Church. It also recognizes the people of God as the fundamental agents of that mission.
The Provincial Assembly that opens tomorrow opens under the banner of "captivating disciples, multiplying congregations and transforming communities." That work is the work of the local congregation. The call to plant 1,000 new congregations, given three years ago at our Inaugural Assembly, has, in Canon Dave Roseberry's words, "changed the subject in this Church." We have long ago stopped talking about where we came from and long since focused on what God has called us to do. If we are to reach America, we must plant churches.
More than 200 new congregations have been planted. This in itself is remarkable. We have a long way to go. Will we plant another 800 in the next two years? It is a challenge way beyond us, but not too big for our God. Anglican 1000 was launched and guided from Christ Church Plano. For the first two and one half years Dave Roseberry was Chairman and Daniel Adkinson Executive Director. Had it not been for them we would not be where we are today. But it became clear to the Chairman early in this year that the next phase of Anglican 1000 needed to be centered in the Provincial office, at the Province's heart - if the next phase of what had to be done was to be done. We launched a global search. Tomorrow, I will announce its result. We are thrilled with the outcome. To those who know him well, the Vicar for Anglican 1000 is described as the Barnabas ("Son of Encouragement") and the catalytic leader required for the next phase of our signature initiative, for us to go quite literally from strength to strength. One thousand remains our aim and our endeavor. To God be the glory."
11 comments:
A very ambitious statement for the leader of a schismatic breakaway Church (from North America's official Anglican Province of TEC).
Duncan's assumption of primatial oversight of a schismatic Church finds no favour with the legitimate Canterbury-led Churches of the Anglican Communion.
Nor does he have any backing from loyal members of ACANZP. But, hey, he obviously has some individual high-level supporters in ACANZP. Perhaps they would like to move to the U.S. to join them. One person (Julian Dobbs) did leave and became a schismatic Bishop very quickly. This could be a rapid promotion exercise - especially for those who write in their support in N.Z.
There are three churches in North America offering to the people of North America the gospel of Christ with an Anglican flavour ... One of the two [of the three] for instance, meets in its general assembly in July.
If TEC still had any continuing association with the Gospel, then ACNA would not exist. It was TECs functional repudiation of the Gospel that lead to ACNAs formation in the first place.
carl
Hi Ron,
You are in error with some of your assertions.
ACNA finds plenty of favour with full members of the Anglican Communion who are in communion with Canterbury. Note, for instance, ++Bob Duncan's presence at the recent GAFCON/FCA meeting, where reps from some 30/38 members were in attendance, including two of the bishops of our church, and two of the vicars in our own diocese.
While I have not done an actual survey, I think you will find that there are plenty of loyal members of ACANZP who support ACNA, especially among the evangelical parishes of these islands, and within the Diocese of Nelson.
Carl is right: if TEC and ACCan were preaching the gospel in a manner which built up fellowship rather than divided it, we would not be reckoning with the situation we find in North America today.
For what it is worth, in case of misunderstanding, my current view is that we should include ACNA in the Communion while retaining TEC and ACCan as members.
PS I am not planning to leave NZ anytime soon. I don't even have a current passport ...!
In April 2010, the Global South held its meeting in Singapore, attended by 20 Primates of the Anglican Communion or their authorised representatives (there are 38 provinces in the Communion so this meant a majority of provinces).
++Duncan was invited to preside over Holy Communion, which was attended by said Primates or their representatives, and also by two bishops of TEC (+Lawrence of South Carolina and +Howe of Florida).
I doubt that any of the participants would have taken part in a Eucharist with ++Duncan (let alone invited him to preside over it) if they considered him the leader of a "schismatic breakaway church".
I suggest the GS Primates made it clear that they have accepted the existence of both ACNA and TEC. They would like both to work together in faithfulness to the teachings of the Church.
"ACNA finds plenty of favour with 'full members of the Anglican Communion who are in communion with Canterbury". - P.C. -
When Provinces boycott Lambeth and the Primates Meeting called by the ABC, I do not call that being 'In communion with Canterbury'. ACNA and GAFCON may be 'at unity in itself' - but obviously not with Canterbury. They have another ethos which is not Anglican - as many of us are familiar with that charism of 'Unity in Diversity'. Anglicansim is not a sect.
Peter, quit playing games with your identification symbols
Actually, Peter, there are more than three Anglican churches in North America:
African Orthodox Church
American Episcopal Church
Anglican Catholic Church of Canada
Anglican Church in America
Anglican Church of North America
Anglican Church in the Caribbean
Anglican Church of Mexico
Anglican Coalition in Canada
Anglican Episcopal Church
Anglican Network in Canada
Anglican Orthodox Church
Anglican Province of America
Anglican Province of Christ the King
Christian Episcopal Church
Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches
Conservative Anglican Church of North America
Diocese of the Great Lakes
Diocese of the Holy Cross
The Episcopal Church (United States)
Episcopal Missionary Church
Evangelical Anglican Church In America
Evangelical Anglican Church of America
Free Protestant Episcopal Church
Independent Anglican Church Canada Synod
Reformed Anglican Catholic Church
Reformed Episcopal Church
Southern Episcopal Church
United Episcopal Church of North America
And, of course, there may be others of which I am not aware.
Kurt Hill
Brooklyn, NY
Hi Kurt
There are only three that cut the mustard, that is, that either are or have a plausible (albeit long way off) possibility of becoming a member of the Anglican Communion.
Hi Ron,
Again, you are confused, and not by anyone playing games.
There are some members of the Anglican Communion who are in impaired communion with Canterbury.
There are no members of the Anglican Communion who have formally entered into schism in respect of Canterbury.
There are members of the Communion in impaired Communion with Canterbury and there are members of the Communion in full fellowship with Canterbury who recognise ACNA as fully Anglican and engage in fellowship with ACNA as though it were a full member of the Communion.
As I pointed out, without any game playing, there are bishops and clergy and laity of our own church who would be very happy to find that ACANZP entered into full fellowship with ACNA.
"As I pointed out, without any game playing, there are bishops and clergy and laity of our own church who would be very happy to find that ACANZP entered into full fellowship with ACNA." - Dr. Peter Carrell -
Then they might just be 'cuckoos in the nest' of ACANZP, akin to those in the Church of England who disagree with that Church's polity on women's ministry. One hopes that their sympathetic leanings towards ACNA and GAFCON will be expressed openly in the Synod Meetings of our Church, so that controversial agenda might be discerned publicly.
However, I also hope that Diocesan Ministry Officers - hose job it is to discern the call to ministry of upcoming ordination candidates in our Church - will not allow their prejudice against TEC, the Anglican Church of Canada, and other liberal progressive Provinces of our Communion (not to mention the broader perspective of most members of ACANZP) to bias their process of discernment of vocations.
Hi Ron,
I share your hope that Diocesan Ministry Officers, when called upon to assist the rather large team of discerners, led by the Bishop, act fairly and without prejudice.
In my own personal experience I have not been part of turning away Americans, Canadians or members of other liberal progressive provinces, nor of conservative regressive provinces, nor of other denominations. We are very open-minded!
Father Ron Smith wrote:
"When Provinces boycott Lambeth and the Primates Meeting called by the ABC, I do not call that being 'In communion with Canterbury'."
Why? You are comparing apples and oranges. Boycotts of Lambeth and Primates Meetings are only warning signs - they are not the same thing as cutting off all communion. One hopes that the Archbishop of Canterbury will listen to the concerns being expressed by leaders of most Anglicans in the Communion.
"They have another ethos which is not Anglican"
That's a pretty serious assertion - do you have any basis for it?
Michael, Sydney
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