It was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Julian Dobbs, ordained into the Nelson Diocese in 1991 and serving there in flourishing parish ministries, was always a leader among leaders. Having moved from parish ministry to directing the Barnabas Fund in NZ and then in the USA, Julian found himself ministering within the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA). His mission expertise led to a move from the Barnabas Fund to a leadership role in ACNA. Now he is bishop-elect as a suffragan bishop within ACNA.
"Bishop-elect Julian Dobbs currently serves as an archdeacon and missioner in CANA. He and Brenda, his wife, and their three children are natives of New Zealand and have resided in the U.S. since 2006. He was ordained in 1991 and went on to plant three congregations and served as the rector of the fastest growing congregation in New Zealand. Amongst his public outreach ministries, he hosted a weekly 60-minute television program."
Interestingly, as you read the whole report in Virtue Online, you will note that Julian's election was conducted by the Church of Nigeria. It seems that ACNA is neither independent of Africa nor unattached to the Communion!
At 42 years of age, Julian will be the youngest Kiwi Anglican bishop.
8 comments:
"Julian found himself ministering within the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA). His mission expertise led to a move from the Barnabas Fund to a leadership role in ACNA. Now he is bishop-elect as a suffragan bishop within ACNA" - Peter Carrell -
'Found himself ministering' in a non-Anglican Church in North America. Ah well, we don't expect him back in N.Z. any time soon, then? So much for Julian's former connection with ACANZP
What it actually shows is that CANA is not really part of ACNA, it is still the Church of Nigeria interloping in TEC province. And that this new Nigerian bishop is as connected to the AC as is Minns, his boss.
RE: "'Found himself ministering' in a non-Anglican Church in North America."
Well -- at least in the opinion of "Father Ron Smith" . . . ; > )
But I don't expect that Father Ron Smith's opinion particularly matters to either ACNA or those within the Anglican Communion who are in communion with ACNA.
RE: "And that this new Nigerian bishop is as connected to the AC as is Minns, his boss."
Well at least Minns can celebrate eucharist in an Anglican Communion church in multiple provinces that the PB cannot.
I'm sure that Minns takes more comfort in his ability to celebrate the Eucharist in the Provinces which are in communion with CANA than in being in the organizational entity known as the AC.
Signed,
The TEC member Sarah
'The TEC member Sarah' has the same sort of relationship to TEC as does the new 'bishop' of ACNA - notional!
Not real - 0r at least in any real sense of what membership means.
Sarah needs to remember that to be a member of anything requires loyalty!
ACNA is not loyal to the Anglican Communion - not even a member.
Hi Ron,
Your support for aspects of LGBT rights and freedoms within the Anglican Communion is often well ahead of where the Communion is at, and seems to involve an understanding of marriage which involves change from the traditional norm of the universal church. Are you a notional member or a loyal member of the Anglican Communion?
I imagine you will likely respond that your loyalty to the gospel is more important than the Anglican Communion's current understanding.
But I also imagine that Sarah's loyalty to the gospel is more important to her than TEC's current understanding!
Hello Peter,
My loyalty to the Anglican Communion is to the stated attitude to LGBTs as has been recorded in the Lambeth record of the need for respect and welcome to homosexual people as children of God. As far as I am aware - without any proof to the contrary - except perhaps in the Diocese of nelson - I believe the Bishops of ACANZP accord the LGBT community the same respect. Ergo, I am in accord with the official polity of non-GAFCO/ACNA parts of the Church, and with the Gospel precepts. that do not espuse homophobia.
Does Sarah have the same loyalty to the precepts of the Gospel and TEC?
Hi Ron,
I would be surprised if you, I, Sarah and the Diocese of Nelson differed in our loyalty to the Communion's precepts, and to our respective national churches' agreements with those precepts in regard to respect and welcome for homosexuals, in accord with one part of the Lambeth 1998 Resolution 1.10.
I may have misunderstood other things you have written, but it has always struck me that your espousal of freedoms and rights for the GLBT community go beyond other parts of Lambeth 1.10. In no way do I think it wrong for you to advocate against those parts of 1.10: that is your right and freedom within the spirit of free theological enquiry in the Anglican tradition. Such advocacy is not disloyalty.
But if those such as Sarah within TEC wish to advocate for a different theology of sexuality to the general direction its Convention and hierarchy are heading in, why does that draw the charge of disloyalty from you?
CANA is part of the ACNA and of the Church of Nigeria. In the same way, the ACNA Diocese of Fort Worth (among others) is also part of the Southern Cone. These are anomalous situations that aren't likely to last forever. This is far from a perfect analogy but New Zealand is in a similarly anomalous situation where its a completely independent country, yet its head of state is the queen of another country, and until a just a few years ago, its highest court was that other country's privy council. These may not be ideal situations, but those of us who find ourselves in them usually manage to muddle through.
As for whether the ACNA is "loyal" to TEC or the Anglican Communion, perhaps not. But then again, neither is the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church or the Presbyterian Church. So, I'm not sure I see the point (especially with respect to Sarah who doesn't even belong to the ACNA). Besides one thing TEC and the ACNA have in common is that neither requires its laity to take a loyalty oath to them as institutions.
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