Hope in Christ Alone: The Anglican Consultation - S&H Nov/Dec 2007

In the first week of July, about 120 Anglican Bishops and Archbishops, theologians and missiologists gathered at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. They came from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Egypt, Fiji, Germany, Ghana, Holland, Kenya, Macedonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, Sudan, UK and USA. All of them had been invited by the Anglican Communion Institute and Wycliffe Hall to discuss the draft covenant for the Anglican Communion and to consider our common mission to the world. Grant LeMarquand and I had the privilege of being there to represent Trinity.

The conference was a combination of
plenary addresses and small group consultations, with delegates opting for a covenant track or a mission track. Grant and I were in the covenant track, but there was lots of overlap between the two groups and their conclusions were shared at the end.

So what were the conclusions they reached?

Missionary track conclusions

Some of the key points raised by the mission track were that Gospel mission is what defines our unity, so we need to be clear about the uniqueness of Christ and call for repentance and faith in him. We must be willing to reach across denominational boundaries for the sake of mission. Inter-faith dialogue was also seen as important, whilst holding firmly to our own convictions.

There was a call for Western Anglicans to learn from the Global South, especially with regards to the need for missionary bishops like those in Nigeria and Asia, and for the empowerment of the laity. One of the speakers recommended a research centre for world mission be set up by the Anglican Communion to recruit Christian workers and share resources internationally. There was also emphasis on the church being called to bring God’s transformation to the world, and that God’s saving purposes are for his whole creation and not just for humanity. Finally, there was an acknowledgement of the central place for prayer and dependence on God in all this.

Covenant track conclusions

There was strong support for having an Anglican covenant throughout the conference. Some of the main reasons given for that were:

• It clarifies our Anglican identity.
• It can promote and strengthen mission.
• It helps bring order.
• It may be the last chance to do these things.

The draft covenant* itself enjoyed a great deal of support because it affirms Anglican identity, is grounded in the Lordship of Christ, is a succinct and sound basis for further work, and offers a process of correction within the Communion.

There were, however, a number of suggestions for ways in which it could be improved. It was felt that Scripture should be more central and that it should make clear that the four instruments of unity (the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Primates’ Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council) are subject to the Word of God (see Article XX of the 39 Articles). The missionary identity of the church should be more prominent and theological anthropology (key to current debates on sexuality) more clearly defined. There was also a call for greater detail on how the church discipline of section six of the covenant would be implemented.

One of the most striking points made was that unless there is some exercise of discipline before the 2008 Lambeth Conference (e.g. invitations withdrawn from US bishops involved in the consecration of Gene Robinson), the Conference will be unable to deal with the covenant proposal. And if that proposal cannot be properly discussed at next year’s Conference, it is in danger of failing altogether. This point was made clearly and repeatedly, and a number of advisers to the Archbishop of Canterbury, two of his fellow primates, as well as organisers of the Lambeth Conference were there to hear it. There was also a clear call for Bishop Duncan to be properly supported in all the challenges he faces.

Where do we go from here?

The next step after this consultation followed immediately from it: a meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England, which corresponds to The Episcopal Church’s General Convention. The covenant proposal was debated there and, despite some strong opposition, it was carried – thanks in no small part to some of those who had attended the consultation and to the prayer that it had stirred up. This is a really significant boost for the covenant and, I hope, an encouragement to conservative-minded Anglicans everywhere.

Next will be the revision of the draft covenant. Many responses have already been gathered, and those of the Consultation will be included in that process. Several of the key architects of the covenant were at the Consultation, which should help ensure these views are taken seriously.
After that we have the 2008 Lambeth Conference, assuming it does in fact go ahead. In its current format it is expected to involve Bible studies and opportunities to build international co-operation between Anglican bishops, but no discussion of substantive issues and no resolutions. This would be a major departure from previous Lambeth Conferences and would seem to be an important, missed opportunity.

Personal reflections

I came away from this Consultation very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it and inspired by the serious engagement with these vital issues. Not all of those who attended were Evangelicals and to find so many conservative church leaders coming together in the face of the current crisis was very heartening.

I was also relieved to discover that the situation in TEC is now well understood. For the first time I found leading members of the Church of England recounting their own stories of their shock at the comments and behaviour of leaders of TEC. No one was in any doubt that their liberalism is far more radical than liberalism in the Church of England.

It was also clear that the way ahead for the Anglican Communion is paved with many potential pitfalls and that there is the prospect of several more years of distress for Anglicans wherever they may be. The need to pray and to rely on God’s providential care for the Church that he loves is very evident.

So I come back encouraged by what I heard and wanting to pass that encouragement on to those who have laboured in this battle perhaps for many years. There is hope for the future of the Anglican Communion, but that hope is, in the end, in Christ alone.

Justyn Terry is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity.