ANGLICAN COMMUNION NETWORK ANNOUNCES COMMITMENT OF ANGLICAN GROUPS TO COMMON CAUSE

The Anglican Communion Network (ACN) announced today an unprecedented alliance of six groups in the Anglican tradition. The groups, all based in the U.S. have committed to a “common cause” under the chairmanship of the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, ACN Moderator. In a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, leaders of the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), the Anglican Mission in America (AMIA), Forward in Faith North American (FiFNA), the Anglican Province in America (APA) and the American Anglican Council (AAC) pledged “to make common cause for the gospel of Jesus Christ and common cause for a united, missionary and orthodox Anglicanism in North America.” As a whole, the groups represent or provide pastoral oversight for approximately 200,000 Christians in the Anglican tradition.

Calling divisions among orthodox anglicans in North America “scandalous”, the letter goes on to state that the signatories clearly committed to cooperation through “additional steps as will help all observers to recognize that a new day is dawning.”

“To see orthodox Christians in the Anglican Tradition move from competition and divisiveness to cooperation signifies a new season in the life of the Church,” Bishop Duncan said. “This is not a declaration of organic unity – far from it – but it is a proclamation that we can function as allies in the common cause of Jesus Christ,” he added.

The Reformed Episcopal Church and the Anglican Province in America had been engaged in ecumenical dialogue with the Episcopal Church for years, but actions of ECUSA’s General Convention 2003 halted such efforts. Both welcomed the opportunity to join the common cause initiative undertaken by the Anglican Communion Network.

“The events of history have resulted in separations among those who claim the same Anglican heritage. The circumstances of the present compel us to find ways of reestablishing and rebuilding relationships among all those in the Anglican world who remain steadfast in holding ‘the faith once delivered to the saints’," said the Rt. Rev. Leonard W. Riches, REC Presiding Bishop. “We share a common heritage with our orthodox brethren in the Episcopal Church and pledge our support in building unity among faithful Anglicans,” said the Rt. Rev. Walter Grundorf, Presiding Bishop of the APA.

Leaders of the various anglican groups pointed to the growing crisis within ECUSA and the importance of working cooperatively for creative solutions to fulfill the mission of the Church. "Even as we watch with some sadness the painful yet necessary realignment in the Anglican Communion, I am encouraged by the willingness of a growing number of orthodox groups and voices to work together and to shape a new Anglican witness for the 21st Century," noted the Rt. Rev. Charles Murphy III, Chairman of the Anglican Mission in America.

“The Holy Spirit is uniting Biblically-centered Anglican jurisdictions and organizations for the common cause and integrity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and for the necessary re-alignment of the Church,” the Rev. Dr. David L. Moyer, FiFNA President. “The crisis of faith and authority in this Episcopal Church that cripples, undermines and damages the witness of the Anglican Communion in North America has impelled us as leaders to embrace and uphold each other in unity of spirit and action. We have prayerfully committed ourselves to each other in this new relationship for the maintenance and growth of our Anglican heritage for our children and our children’s children.”

The American Anglican Council, which, with other orthodox groups in ECUSA, assisted in organizing the Anglican Communion Network and serves as its interim Secretariat, considers this a key alliance. “We have maintained, since the debacle of General Convention 2003, that realignment in North America is a necessity,” said the Rev. Canon David C. Anderson, AAC President. “Our common cause effort with these other Christian communities increases our numbers, our strength and our witness.”

The Anglican Communion Network is a growing ecclesial structure that counts nine Episcopal Dioceses and scores of individual Episcopal congregations as affiliates. The affiliated dioceses provide pastoral oversight for approximately 140,000 communicants in 595 local congregations. The scores of individual Anglican Communion Network parishes account for thousands more. Approximately 14,000 communicants worship in the 137 churches of the Reformed Episcopal Church. The Anglican Province of America includes 55 congregations in the United States with some 5,000 members as well as a further 15,000 members overseas. The Anglican Mission in America counts 65 member congregations and numerous church plants where some 15,000 Anglican Christians worship. Though many in Forward in Faith North America and the American Anglican Council are also members of a Network-affiliated diocese or parish, both have memberships that number in the tens of thousands.

Much has been made of the divisions among the orthodox here in North America. The divisions are, in fact, scandalous and we recognize that we must do everything we can to bring them to an end.

We write to you as leaders of key Anglican movements in North America. We write to you in cooperation with and under the chairmanship of Bishop Bob Duncan, Moderator of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes.

This letter is a first step in signifying our commitment to make common cause for the gospel of Jesus Christ and common cause for a united, missionary and orthodox Anglicanism in North America. While little trumpeted, there are already numerous specifics of cooperation among us. Our intention is to take such additional steps as will help all observers to recognize that a new day is dawning among us.

As we seek to do our part, please be assured of our prayers for you as you strive to give leadership at this extraordinary moment in the history of the Christian Church and of the Anglican Communion.

Robert Wm. Duncan, Moderator, Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes

This is HUGE. This is ONLY way to fight the apostasy is to have a common goal within the conservative Anglican Communion breakaway splinter groups. The ACN needs to draw more of the splinters in but a united conservative alternative in North America will certainly have far more clout with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Commission. I can now see, just like the ACN now sees, that THIS is the future of official Anglicanism in North America. Perhaps within the next 6 months, this will be accepted as the new North American province with ECUSA and the ACCanada rightfully kicked out.

have a common goal within the conservative Anglican Communion breakaway splinter groups

Well, yes ... and there's the rub. It's one thing to have a common goal, and quite another to actually become a coherent group. Note well Bp. Duncan's comment: "This is not a statement of organic unity -- far from it...."

The various Anglican splinter groups are a fractious bunch -- which is how they got to be splinter groups in the first place. This is certainly a welcome development, but it is important to be clear that it is merely a discussion group at this point.

For this truly to be meaningful would require these various groups to propose to come together as a truly organic body -- to offer themselves as an orthodox "replacement province" for the ECUSA. Bob Duncan is apparently trying to steer things in that direction ... no doubt with himself as the first Presiding Bishop.

The letter to the ABC seems to be anticipating some sort of expulsion of the current ECUSA. The claim of 200,000 communicants is probably correct, and most of them probably do go to church most Sundays -- which makes this group something like 25% of the average attendance across the ECUSA: IOW, a pretty good start, though not that impressive when compared to other denominations.

I understand your wait and see attitude on this one - complete reunification isn't going to be an easy task.

OTOH I do think it needs to be pointed out that this is the first time since the 1970's that the APA has been recognized by groups which are officially part of the Anglican Communion (NACDP and AMIA); even more importantly it's also the first time since 1875 that the REC has been so recognized. I know you aren't terribly happy with the AMIA, but in this case that doesn't matter considering the support and influence which they have among the Global South Primates. What does matter here is that this joint letter to the ABC not only signifies the potential for reunification with at least some of the Continuing Anglican Churches here in North America; but also gives the Eames Commission leverage toward recognizing a valid Anglican presence in North America which covers the entire spectrum of Anglican theology.

but also gives the Eames Commission leverage toward recognizing a valid Anglican presence in North America which covers the entire spectrum of Anglican theology

I agree that this is the hope. I'm not really taking a "wait and see" attitude, so much as recognizing that talking about unity, and actually doing something about it, are two entirely different matters.

I would certainly welcome a reunification of these various groups, as it could form the core of a new province. However, we cannot avoid the difficulties that led to these groups into leaving in the first place -- except in the case of the AMiA (and only partially, there) homosexuality wasn't the cause.

The problem will be in satisfying the divergent doctrines of these groups (e.g., woman priests, style of prayerbook, etc.) so as to avoid one or more groups saying, "we left once, and by God we can leave again." Given that the various splinter groups have a reputation of being cranky, and that even the orthodox Episcopalians tend to be impatient of crankiness, I think this will be a major issue.

Very true. But the Network has only existed since December so this is an amazing result for something so young. No doubt there will be major growing pains and crankiness among splinter groups, but if they all focus on fighting the common enemy - apostasy in the Anglican/Episcopal ranks - then the alliance should be able to hold together.

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