Standing Together
The week after Easter, I attended the joint conference of the Anglican Communion Institute and the Communion Partners held in Houston, Texas, at St. Martin's Episcopal Church. This conference, Anglicanisn: A Gift in Christ, formed the second half of a teaching series on Anglicanism begun by the ACI in Toronto last November.
The speakers included the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner on "Mission and Anglicanism"; the Rt. Rev. Anthony Burton on "Anglican Worship"; the Rev. Dr. Philip Turner on "Christian Ethics and Anglicanism"; Dr. Cheryl White on "Anglican Catholicity"; the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi on "Reconciliation and Christian Witness"; and the Most Rev. and Rt. Honorable Dr. George Carey on "Holding Fast and Holding On: Instruments of Communion." These talks and those from the November sessions will be available on DVD later this year. The text of Lord Carey's talk is available at his web site.
Interspersed throughout the conference were meetings of the Communion Partners. The main topic of discussion for the bishops was a statement pertaining to the polity (functional structure) of the Episcopal Church. They expressed concern about the actions of the Presiding Bishop and the General Church that were clearly not consistent with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church (TEC).
Briefly, from its founding the TEC has been intentionally diocesan when it comes to authority. The bishop of any given diocese is the ultimate authority in his/her geographical area. In contrast to the recent actions of the Presiding Bishop, no metropolitan powers have ever been invested in that office, nor has there ever been any cardinal hierarchy in the Episcopal Church. A statement was discussed through which these bishops and others could express their discomfort with this disregard for the authorized structure of the church.
The bishops and rectors also gathered together to probe the question of how we might support one another in our common witness to the traditional doctrine and discipline of the Church. Some of the high points of the discussion included cooperation at General Convention, generating resolutions for General Convention, advocacy in the House of Bishops and our dioceses, prayer and fellowship support, and godly guidance.
The Communion Partner Rectors discussed the form our obedience to the call to witness in and to the Episcopal Church should take. We agreed that we should draft a statement in support of the Anglican Covenant and a second statement in support of the bishops' paper on the polity of the Episcopal Church. We decided to open the Communion Partner fellowship to all clergy and seminarians. We also identified more than 10 General Convention deputies in our number and charged them with the composition of resolutions for General Convention that would serve as a witness to the greater body of the Episcopal Church.
Throughout the proceedings, the tone was intentionally positive, proactive and missional. Our focus continues to be to announce and demonstrate the direction and purpose of God in the world through Jesus Christ. We continue to define ourselves according to the call God has placed on our hearts rather than identifying ourselves as "against" TEC or any other group. In addition, we continue to resist the temptation to sit back and let things happen. Witness is an activity. We witness through our lives and the way in which we interact with others. To witness is to stand for something, so we will steadfastly seek ways to represent the truth of Jesus Christ in the life and counsels of the church as a fellowship of witness.
The Rev. Charles D. Alley, Ph.D.
Rector, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
1101 Forest Avenue
Richmond, VA 23229-5845