English Synod affirms ACNA

(Staff)  THE GENERAL SYNOD of the Church of England has affirmed the desire of the newly-formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) “to remain within the Anglican family."

Meeting in London on Feb. 10, the Synod passed the motion with a resounding 309-69 margin (with 17 abstentions).

More than half the Provinces in the Anglican Communion already formally recognize ACNA. Now the mother church of the global body has insisted on due process in order for ACNA to become a Communion member but has, in effect, now set that process in motion.

The original motion wanted the Synod to “express a desire that the Church of England be in communion” with the new group. However, following a long deliberation of several amendments the motion that finally passed reduced this to an awareness of the distress caused by the divisions, but also recognised and affirmed the desire of the ACNA to be “part of the Anglican family.” The amended motion reads as follows:

That this Synod, aware of the distress caused by recent divisions within the Anglican churches of the United States of America and Canada

a) recognise and affirm the desire of those who have formed the Anglican Church in North America to remain within the Anglican family

b) acknowledge that this aspiration, in respect both of relations with the Church of England and membership of the Anglican Communion, raises issues which the relevant authorities of each need to explore further; and

c) invite the Archbishops [of Canterbury and York] to report further to the Synod in 2011

In introducing her original private member’s motion, lay member Lorna Ashworth of Chichester argued that the Church of England was in communion with other churches around the world that were not part of the Anglican Communion. In supporting the motion, the Rev. Norman Russel, Archdeacon of Berkshire, said that in a visit to the US he was convinced that “the ACNA are classical Anglicans … they are the kind of Anglicans I want to be.”

Ashworth, in her speech to Synod, asked: “Who is it that is causing division? Those who remain unchanged in their doctrine and practice as Anglicans? Or a small minority within the worldwide Anglican Communion who are imposing doctrinal innovation and not allowing space for traditionalists to remain.”

Despite fears from others that passing the motion would be an insult to The Episcopal Church or the Anglican Church of Canada, or would appear to be a lack of support for theological conservatives who have remained in either body, the motion was eventually carried with a significant majority

ACNA formed in June of 2009 with 703 congregations and today unites 800 Anglican congregations across North America. It is generally considered more theologically conservative than either The Episcopal Church or the Anglican Church of Canada.

The motion was amended by the Rt. Rev. Michael Hill, Bishop of Bristol. His purpose, in his own words, was "to encourage those who are part of the Anglican Church in North America; to commend the process of recognition afforded by the Instruments of the Anglican Communion; and to ask the Archbishop of Canterbury to report progress back to Synod in a year's time.

The Most Rev. Robert Duncan, archbishop of ACNA, thanked Ashworth for bringing the new church body to the attention of the Synod. "We are very grateful to Mrs. Ashworth and the scores of other friends in the Synod of the Church of England for all they did to give us this opportunity to tell our story to the mother church of the Anglican Communion.  It is very encouraging that the Synod recognizes and affirms our desire to remain within the Anglican family."

"We are deeply thankful that we were given the opportunity to tell the Synod about our church, and our vision for reaching North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ,” said Bishop Donald Harvey. Harvey is the moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada, which is a founding member of ACNA. “This chance to speak directly to our Anglican family was very rewarding.”

English commentator, the Rev. Peter Ould, noted that the motion passed “implicitly says that they are [already] part of the Communion by using the word ‘remain’….The motion is a firm slap on the hand to TEC’s wish to marginalise ACNA and to have the Church of England treat them as ‘schismatics.’ That approach was squarely dismissed and with it the notion that TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada are the exclusive representation of the Communion in North America.”