When General Synod meets later this week they will be debating a motion which includes a clause to:
"establish the basis for the provision of Pastoral Reassurance through a House of Bishops’ Statement and Code of Practice which provides for the delegation of some specific and defined episcopal ministry, and which is overseen by an Independent Review Panel;"
The accompanying paper (GS 2358) refers to the possibility of accompanying, "informal societies" (para 26) and "more formal society arrangements" as part of the 'Pastoral Reassurance".
If, as this blog discussed when the papers were published, the House of Bishops are not prepared to give up a modicum of their monarchical power, then it appears that the formation of such a society (formal or informal) with some type of delegated episcopal ministry, is likely to be all that is lawfully on offer to orthodox folk in the Church of England.
It is, therefore, worth considering some of the different 'society' models that are currently operating within the Anglican Communion.
The Society under the patronage of St Wilfred and St Hilda - England
The Society sets itself apart from other 'catholic societies' in the Church of England by describing itself as 'an ecclesial body'. It is administered by Forward in Faith and is led by a Council of Bishops. It has three aims:
Promote and maintain catholic teaching and practice within the Church of England.
Provide episcopal oversight to which churches, institutions and individuals will freely submit themselves.
Guarantee a ministry in the historic apostolic succession in which they can have confidence.
Following the "House of Bishops Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests" in 2014, the Society has provided a space where parishes can "enjoy a relationship of full communion not only with their bishop but also with all the other parishes of The Society."
Parishes join by passing a resolution according to the House of Bishops Declaration and ask to receive sacramental and pastoral ministry from one of The Society bishops.
The Society believe there is a difference between the 'office' of bishop and the 'order' of bishop and so, "It is possible in good conscience to recognize the holder of that office as holding the legal responsibilities that belong to it. Such recognition does not necessarily involve recognizing him or her as a bishop or priest in the sacramental sense, or receiving his or her sacramental ministry." Similarly, they are happy to swear an oath of canonical obedience to a female diocesan bishop because, "canonical obedience to an office-holder does not imply anything about the office-holder’s sacramental status."
While the ordination and consecration of women has "diminished" the "ecclesial communion" between members of The Society and others in the Church of England, they "continue in a relationship of communion with other members of the Church of England which flows from our common profession of the apostolic faith, our common baptism and our common vocation, received in baptism, to a life of Christian discipleship."
Until this week, The Society and related bodies have been co-signatories of letters from the Alliance. However, they were not co-signatories of the most recent letter. It would appear from a statement made by Forward in Faith, that they will not be seeking any further 'settlement' should standalone services for same-sex couples be introduced or if clergy are able to enter into same-sex civil marriages, because the 2014 Settlement will be sufficient.
The Anglican Community of St Mark - New Zealand
When the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ACANZP) allowed the blessing of same-sex civil marriages in 2018, some orthodox Anglicans felt compelled to leave and form the Church of Confessing Anglicans, Aotearoa, New Zealand. Others believed it was right to stay and contend within the structures as long as they had certain protections. A canon was passed allowing the formation of communities as "a place to celebrate and protect the theological integrity of any particular stream of Anglicanism, both as parishes and individuals."
Under this canon parishes and individuals can join a recognised community, of which the Anglican Community of St Mark (ACM) is one. The ACM website sets out their objectives as being:
To promote the saving grace of Jesus Christ through effective disciple making and Kingdom-enlarging communities; and
To provide its affiliates and members with:
Protection of their Anglican theological convictions
Episcopal support and advocacy where necessary
Clerical and lay leadership
A pathway to Holy Orders for individual members
At the moment, this means that if a parish joins the Community ("by the resolution of a duly constituted congregational meeting provided that the decision is passed by two-thirds majority") then they can be assured that the next rector will also be a member of the Community. It also means they have access to a Visitor or Protector - a bishop in active episcopal ministry in the ACANZP who can provide pastoral support and act as an advocate for a parish or individual.
Nine parishes (or missionary units) have joined the Community. Member parishes are expected to play a full part in diocesan and deanery activities and the diocesan bishop continues to play a full role in the life of the parish. ACM are also working towards a 'pathway to ordination' but that has yet to be completed.
Communion Partners (USA and Canada)
The Communion Partners are a less formal grouping, describing themselves as "an episcopally led fellowship of individuals". Membership is open to anyone in the Anglican Communion who "are prepared to endorse and uphold the traditional teaching of our several Books of Common Prayer and the principles of The Windsor Report and The Anglican Communion Covenant."
Most members are found within The Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada and they represent those dioceses and parishes that chose not to leave and become part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).
Until 2018, an orthodox bishop in The Episcopal Church could refuse to allow same-sex blessings or marriages to take place in their diocese, and parishes in progressive dioceses could petition first for "supplemental episcopal care" (2002) and then "delegated episcopal pastoral oversight" (2004) from an orthodox bishop. In 2018, that changed, and orthodox bishops in the USA could no longer refuse to allow same-sex blessings and marriages to take place in their dioceses. Of the 8 US Communion Partner bishops at that time, only Bishop Love (Diocese of Albany) refused, this led to legal challenges and ultimately to Love's decision to leave TEC and join ACNA. Andrew Goddard sets out the history here.
Since 2018, life has become even more difficult for the Communion Partners.
The Diocese of Albany and the Diocese of North Dakota have both elected to have episcopal care from a bishop who supports same-sex marriage. The Diocese of the Virgin Islands is now cared for by the Bishop of Puerto Rico, a non-Communion Parther, and despite electing an orthodox bishop twice, the Diocese of Florida is still without a diocesan because the House of Bishops refused to ratify his appointment.
Average Sunday Attendance from The Episcopal Church show that the Communion Partner dioceses have survived better than average over the past ten years - but they have still declined by more than a third. It is noticeable that the only diocese that is growing is an overseas diocese that is unaffected by same-sex marriage. The Anglican Church of Canada no longer publish statistics.
Over the same time period the Anglican Church of North America has grown by 20% - while much of that growth comes from dioceses or parishes joining ACNA from TEC, there is also evidence of growth due to people coming to faith or choosing to become Anglican from other denominational backgrounds.
Communion Partner Dioceses in 2018 | 2013 | 2022 | Change |
Episcopal Diocese of Albany (assisting) | 6,277 | 2,977 | -52.6% |
Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida | 13,318 | 8,044 | -39.6% |
Episcopal Diocese of Colombia* | 1,184 | 2,530 | 113.7% |
Episcopal Diocese of Dallas | 11,232 | 7,752 | -31% |
Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic* | 3,080 | 1,676 | -40.8% |
Episcopal Diocese of Florida (vacant) | 8,615 | 5,517 | -36% |
Episcopal Diocese of Honduras* | 5,834 | 3,377 | -42.1% |
Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota | 689 | 490 | -28.9% |
Episcopal Diocese of Springfield | 1,620 | 1,000 | -38.3% |
Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee | 5,745 | 3,887 | -32.3% |
Episcopal Diocese of Virgin Islands | 1,866 | 804 | -56.9% |
Communion Partner Dioceses | 59,460 | 38,914 | -34.6% |
The Episcopal Church | 657,102 | 372,952 | -43.2% |
*Overseas dioceses which cannot offer same-sex marriage | |||
Anglican Church of Canada in 2017 | 93,781 | ||
Diocese of the Arctic | 3,997 | ||
Diocese of Fredericton | 4,346 | ||
Diocese of Saskatchewan | 736 |
So what can evangelicals in the Church of England learn from all of this?
Any society model assumes that the issue of same-sex relationships is adiaphora - and therefore not outside apostolic teaching. Obviously, this is something that many have said they cannot accept. However, for those who for reasons of principal or pragmatism, cannot leave the Church of England, a formally recognised Society could offer some security.
While the House of Bishops Declaration is in place, 'The Society' works for Anglo-Catholics - their parishes can receive orthodox episcopal ministry and with the diocesan bishop's consent, a new Society priest (if they can avoid pastoral reorganisation). The Declaration has been threatened - but if pressure can be put on the bishops to uphold this agreement then it could form the basis of a future model for evangelicals.
Only the Community of St Mark have found a way of legally protecting succession for their parishes, without relying on the goodwill of the diocesan bishop. Obviously, in the Church of England the role of patrons and the proliferation of team ministries and combined benefices would make this more complicated - but this seems to be a key area for negotiation.
In many ways it is the Communion Partners who have struggled the most - and it is interesting that they are now looking to the Community of St Mark for inspiration as they look to the future.
As evangelicals try to get to grips with The Alliance's offer of a 'de facto parallel province' it might be worth asking what it can offer that a formally recognised society would not. A society might not be as 'exciting' but if it has formal recognition then it might be more effective in the long run.
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A key problem with these models is that they implicitly acknowledge legitimacy to a heterodox position. A house divided will fall. At best they are stop-gaps, allowing tge orthodox to be marginalised in a heterodox body. That is unsustainable. The need is reformation not in the sense of re-formation in a mixed body, but a return to biblical orthodoxy, the reformed catholic faith of the Bible, Articles, Homilies, BCP and Ordinal of 1662.