The Archbishop of Canterbury

Why be Anglican according to Rowan Williams

The only reason for being an Anglican is that this balance seems to you to be healthy for the Church Catholic overall, and that it helps people grow in discernment and holiness. Being an Anglican in the way I have sketched involves certain concessions and unclarities but provides at least for ways of sharing responsibility and making decisions that will hold and that will be mutually intelligible. No-one can impose the canonical and structural changes that will be necessary. All that I have said above should make it clear that the idea of an Archbishop of Canterbury resolving any of this by decree is misplaced, however tempting for many. The Archbishop of Canterbury presides and convenes in the Communion, and may do what this document attempts to do, which is to outline the theological framework in which a problem should be addressed; but he must always act collegially, with the bishops of his own local Church and with the primates and the other instruments of communion.

Church-Day Moments

Churches of believers can get stale very easily. This is one thing I have noticed especially in Hornsby, but also in other places too. Yes, we need to meet up with one another, and to spur each other on to love and good deeds, but we also need the occasional rejuvination to keep going when things get hard.

At the moment, church makes me tired. We have started some cool things, especially in an effort to keep strengthening the work done at the 9:30am service. Personally I have taken over a Sunday School Class, and this has allowed mum to be freed up for spending time with the other adults.

I am wondering, but I think this is true as well, that sometimes our fellowships need to be shaken up and changed every once in a while. We need new people coming in and injecting life and enthusiasm into the dynamic. Over time, these injections of life and enthusiasm will wax and wane, but there will still be plenty of new people to hopefully inject some more.

I am excited, I get to change roles next week. Our church is employing a new guy to come in, and to bring his energy and enthusiasm into our team. He is excited, his sending church is excited, and we hope it works well.

I don't quite get what my new role will be. Earlier this year, I reduced my administrative responsibilities, and took on more teaching roles. I will have to spend at least a term working out how things will run under the new arrangement, but it is nice to get to pass-on part of the responsibility for a ministry to someone else capable and excited.

I pray that the Lord will keep strengthening all of us working in our church to keep achieving his wonderful purposes.

Needing to Learn

I was humbled this morning at my Beach Mission Planning Meeting. This was a nice, almost pleasant compliment to my tiredness, explained on my other blog.

I have changed sections this year, to minister to a new age group, but things are exciting. I WANT to learn how to work with my new team, under my new leaders. I want to be in a situation where I am not the leader, but rather just get to concentrate on teaching. I even want to think about doing this thing longer term. But perhaps most importantly, I am glad the mission is in January, it gives me a chance to relax now, and to get my work done properly.

Rejoicing in the Lord

Preparing Youth Group for tonight, I am struck by the simple and well known words of Philippians 4:4-9.

4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I think there is a degree of this that I sometimes find hard. After twenty-two years following Jesus, some days it can be hard to wake up in the morning and think "I am going to rejoice today, because Jesus has died for me." Sometimes it is because I have forgotten the peace of God, sometimes I have simply forgotten what Jesus has done for me.

It is so easy to focus on what we don't have, that in the process we forget the all surpassing value of what we do have, and (worse than that) we forget the one who gave it to us.

Rejoice in the Lord today, for he is marvellous, and has saved us even though we do not deserve it.

The good effect of being in Sydney

Rev Dr Mark Thompson:

The Episcopal Church of the USA is an object lesson in what happens when our decision-making is not shaped by the teaching of Scripture. Unless we are informed about what God has to say on such matters as how men and women should serve each other in Christian congregations, human sexuality more generally, or the unique value and dignity of human life even prior to birth, we are left vulnerable to powerful rhetoric and the attitudes of the world at large, a world which stands opposed to the teaching of Scripture.

These debates are not going away. The ECUSA decision makes this very clear. We cannot expect them to stay at a safe distance either. Here is a powerful reminder that we need to prepare ourselves by searching the Scriptures and encouraging each other to think and talk as those who trust and rejoice in the word of the living God.

The President of the Anglican Church League in Sydney hits the nail on the head. The events in the US, often reported by an over-excited media here, are about Scripture.

I am just glad that in Sydney we can focus on more important things, like teaching people about the Jesus who died so we could be made right with God.

Why denominations can be important

Denominations are a strange thing. For most Reformed Evangelicals, the Denomination doesn't matter that much. The local church matters, the doctrine of the group you are part of in that church probably matters, and the preaching of the gospel matters.

In the same way, someone could come up to me and ask why I have decided it would be good to be an "Ordained Anglican" minister, rather than simply make the decision to serve God in whatever church I end up in, after possibly going to Bible College.

But what great opportunities I have seen to explain the gospel of Jesus within the Anglican Church in Australia. People will still turn up to their local Anglican Church requesting all sorts of things: their parents who need to keep their daughter's grandparents happy by baptising the child; the people who like the sound of Organ music and old hymns; the couple wanting to get married in the nice building; the visitor who just wanted to check the church out.

Denominations are not that trendy or relevant in the most part for the under-40's, they seem to not impact that much on Christian Fellowship together. The Briefing and other like publications have seized on this regularly, by focussing on "Bible-based churches" or like terms (with some even suggesting we are in a state of "post-denominationalism" in our churches).

One thing denominations do very well however is in ensuring that networks are in place for the recruitment and training of ministers. They provide possibilities for transferal of ministry service over time in various locations. They provide stability of form and hopefully theology for people who move from place to place. They provide the backbone of School Scripture (even if simply by defining it as protestant). They provide networks for Ministry teams, and support systems. They also provide insurance, property and administrative support for Ministry Activities.

Denominations also tend to provide better Global and Regional networks than more diverse bodies could. Ecumenical bodies can lower the debate to lowest common denominator issues, while doctrinally based denominations don't always have that.

I will try and write some more about Anglican Denominational issues later when I need to procrastinate some more, but for the moment, I think denominations will still carry some weight, just because they signal to the public who you are.

Who is Fort Worth Diocese?

For the Australians who may have read my previous post and wondered what I am talking about in relation to International Episcopalian issues, I think it might be time to look at the Fort Worth Diocese.

This is the stand they have taken:

The Bishop and the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth appeal in good faith to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates of the Anglican Communion and the Panel of Reference for immediate alternative Primatial oversight and Pastoral Care following the election of Katharine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
This action is taken as a cooperative member of the Anglican Communion Network in light of the Windsor Report and its recommendations.

The Diocese is growing (in a declining denomination)

Change in baptized members, Change in communicants in good standing,
2000-2004
Diocese of Fort Worth +4.6% +5.5%
Province 7 average -1.0% -1.6%
Episcopal Church in the U.S. -3.5% -2.3%

And they have a good Bishop

A Statement from Bishop Jack Iker
Diocese of Fort Worth
on the Election of the New Presiding Bishop
June 18, 2006

In a rather surprising election today, the House of Bishops chose Katharine Jefferts Schori to become the next Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. When first nominated, she was widely regarded as a “dark horse candidate” and as “the token woman” on the slate. I for one never expected that she could be elected.

Her election signals a continuation of the policies of the outgoing Presiding Bishop, namely support for the ordination of practicing homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions, practices which have divided the Episcopal Church, impaired our relationship with a majority of other Provinces, and brought the Anglican Communion to the breaking point. The fact that her ordination as a bishop is not recognized or accepted by a large portion of the Communion introduces an additional element of division and impairment. When she becomes the first female primate of the Anglican Communion, it remains to be seen as to how she will be regarded by the other 37 primates, the vast majority of whom come from Provinces where women cannot be elected as bishops.

In one sense, we should not be surprised, at all, for this is The Episcopal Church, which takes pride in being first with every new innovation: women priests and bishops, the blessing of same-sex unions, the election of the first gay bishop in 2003, and now the selection of the first female primate in 2006. One wonders what might be next.

We might be hearing more about this place soon, but even in the ECUSA, some people still wish to hold to biblical authority, even if they are in Texas.

Why Be Anglican?

I have struggled with this issue a bit, and have decided to do what any normal person does when they struggle with an issue for long enough, create a blog.

Of course, as an Australian, I will focus on Australian issues, and concerns raised by the possibility of seeking ordination eventually in the Sydney Diocese.

Many Christians (even in the reformed evangelical circles in Sydney) have thought I take church history too seriously, especially Anglican history, because it says a lot about where the modern struggles in the Anglican church are.

Today is a great day to start blogging, because it is a day that has exhasserbated my frustrations with the institutional structures of the Anglican Church. A day where we learn that the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas has sought to be removed (as a whole diocese) from the ECUSA, and a day where we learn about the choice of the ECUSA to continue being led by people who don't take the Bible seriously as the revealed word of God.

As with all online ventures, this new venture may be something that slows down after a while, and becomes less focussed, but I hope it will be a good place to think about things.