Anglican Communion Institute Report for 2008
Christopher Seitz
In the mercies of God this has been another exciting and challenging, but also encouraging, year for the Episcopal Church and The Anglican Communion. I speak for my colleagues Philip Turner, Ephraim Radner, Frank Fuller, Bishop John Howe, and Russell Levenson in thanking you richly for your support over the past year. I thought it wise to draw up a summary of our work for your review.
Communion Partners
In November of 2007 Canon Mwita Akiri, The Provincial Secretary of the Anglican Province of Tanzania, and adjunct Professor at Wycliffe, met with Professor Radner and myself to discuss a way forward for those who did not see (what appeared to be) the emerging Common Cause plans as desirable responses to our challenge. Canon Mwita confirmed the considerable confusion experienced in the ‘Global South’ about how conservatives in North America were represented and how they were addressing the challenges before us. It was in that spirit, and as an extension of the previous Windsor Bishops efforts, that the idea of Communion Partners was formed.
In all of this, we remained, as before, in close contact with Lambeth Palace and always ran our plans by them for comment and review. In that light, Bishop James Stanton and I met in London in January, and a meeting took place in the context of the Covenant Design Committee work (with Ephraim Radner, Lambeth and ACO workers). I was able to brief Archbishop Rowan personally. The actual name ‘Communion Partners’ emerged from this planning and work, and as an extension of previous Camp Allen and Windsor Bishop meetings in the run-up to the Dar es Salaam Primates Meeting.
In February the Rectors, gathered at the initiative of Russell Levenson and ACI, met at the Diocese of Dallas to discuss this important aspect of the Partners initiative. In the meantime, discussions had taken place between CP Bishops and the Presiding Bishop consistent with the PB’s limited role in acknowledging a ‘nihil obstat’ (no objection) so that our work could proceed in clear light (this had been requested by Lambeth Palace). Funding for ACI was discussed and plans for future meetings and work sketched out. It was then determined that efforts to reach out to a larger group of rectors would be undertaken, and that we would meet again in Houston in November. The goal would be to organize Bishops under the threshold considerations pertaining to Camp Allen meetings, link these with the Primates we had discussed in Toronto, find ways to support Rectors not in these dioceses, and in general major in positive mission initiatives and partnerships. We had hoped to set in motion a series of visitations as soon as possible, though that aspect of our work has gone more slowly in the light of changing circumstances. In all of this we would seek the larger public support of Archbishop Rowan, mindful that Lambeth Conference would be taking place in the summer months.
A second meeting was held in March in Houston, taking advantage of the presence in Houston of +Valentine Mokiwa, the new Primate of Tanzania and successor to +Donald Mtetemela, friend of ACI and critical presence at the last Camp Allen Meeting. At the Houston gathering several CP Bishops were present, and +Mokiwa stated his support of the CP initiative. This would prove crucial in the light of upcoming (yet to be announced) Gafcon events and our hope to bring +Tanzania together with +Indian Ocean, +West Indies, +Middle East and +Burundi as the main CP Primates (a plan discussed with both Canon Akiri and Lambeth Palace). The coming months would prove unstable in that the Gafcon gathering could be estimated as consistent with a goal to set up a new province, or in more general terms as a gathering of the GS and its friends. At that meeting key Primates +Mouneer Anis and +John Chew were not in attendance, the former being one of the GS leaders we hoped would be involved in the CP movement.
In the course of time it was generally confirmed that +Bruce MacPherson of Western Louisiana would serve as ‘point man’ for the CP fellowship. He attended the Gafcon meeting and so was in a good position to see the wider set of possible initiatives which might emerge, not least in light of the knowledge that several key provinces would be boycotting the Lambeth Conference.
At the Lambeth Conference we were told by Lambeth Palace that Archbishop Rowan would make some public signal of positive support for Communion Partners. This came in several passing remarks but also explicitly in the final speech at the Conference. We also understand from reports from Bishops MacPherson, Burton, Howe and others that several meetings of the CP Bishops took place at Lambeth Conference, including a large gathering with GS Bishops where CP and the Common Cause positions were set forth with charity and with an agreement not to undercut one another publicly.
Much more could be said about various details of the events as they unfolded with respect to Common Cause and the New Province initiative. But for the purposes of this review, it is important only to note that the New Province was announced as forming itself in the context of a gathering in Wheaton, Illinois in December. The status of the AAC and ACN remains unclear, though news we read suggests that the latter is now effectively folded into New Province plans, and so is no longer in operation. The former indicates that they wish to represent an ‘inside strategy’ though what that might mean, and for whom, is unclear.
The final matter to be noted is the meeting in Houston in November of the Communion Partner Rectors, hosted by Russell Levenson. ACI was present for that meeting as observers and consultants only, and it was exciting to see the emergence of a leadership structure and some clearer statements about the distinctive emphases of CP. These were made public immediately. Plans for a website for CP are underway, and I have consulted with staff from St Martins on this matter as well as with our ACI webmaster Charles Teel. We hope to see a distinctive CP website soon. At that meeting we thanked Bishop Wimberly for his support over the years in conjunction with the Windsor Bishops and CP fellowship. Bishops MacPherson, Adams, and Burton were also present.
Toronto ACI Conference
A second highlight of ACI efforts in 2008 was the first in a series of conferences organized under the title, “Anglicanism – A Gift in Christ.” These conferences serve as the setting for the production of a major DVD series, meant to be of good service for adult education formats in parishes throughout the Communion.
We were able to entice Bishop NT Wright to speak due to his presence at the annual Society of Biblical Literature meeting in Boston. Other speakers included George Sumner (Principle of Wycliffe College), Edith Humphrey (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary), Jo Bailey Wells (Duke Divinity School) and Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon of Kaduna Nigeria. We had over 200 in attendance, chiefly from Canada, which was our target audience for the event. The conference began with a banquet and included worship and fellowship opportunities. Representatives from the Diocese of Toronto and the Canadian Essentials and Federation movements were present, as well as our own Board member Frank Fuller and webmaster, Charles Teel. Wycliffe College provided much of the administrative support and I am pleased to say we finished the event close to budget.
The idea of the series is to have major speakers address the area of his/her expertise from the perspective of being Anglican. This is intended to be a general address followed by a panel engagement, geared toward use in adult education settings. We intend to cover the following topics: Old Testament, New Testament, Biblical Interpretation, Anglican Hymnody, Sacraments and Worship, Christianity and Islam, Christian Ethics, Major Anglican Figures, Charles Simeon and the Parish as the Centre for Renewal, Christian Evangelism, Reconciliation after Strife, and others topics. When nearing completion, we will seek response about whether further topics should be included.
The conference was a major success. DVD production is now underway and Part One should be ready in February 2009. In addition to the DVD available for purchase, we were able to get quality material from interviews and additional question and answer sessions, and so a supplemental DVD is also being produced. The highlight for many was the final session with Archbishop Josiah on Islam and Christianity. Josiah had lost his 24 year old son to meningitis only a few days earlier so it was a poignant time for which we were very grateful and much blessed. Ephraim Radner helped form and coach the panel, which included local clergy, students, laity and theologians. The professional DVD production is being undertaken by Bill and Imbi Kinnon.
A second event is planned for Houston 16-17 April, and Bill and Imbi will handle the production of Part Two. This will also serve as a general Communion Partners gathering and we hope Rectors, Bishops and Primates from CP will be in attendance. Russ Levenson has organized ads to appear in The Living Church in January 2009. At present the speakers will be Bishop Anthony Burton (Worship and Sacraments), Philip Turner (Ethics and the Book of Common Prayer), the Archbishop of Burundi (Reconciliation in Burundi and Congo), and Ephraim Radner (Anglican Theology). Former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, will serve as Chaplain. We are negotiating two further talks on Evangelism and key Anglican figures.
The ‘trailer’ for the Toronto event can be viewed at Wycliffe College’s website and also at our own ACI site, where pictures of the event are also available. We have received requests for purchasing the DVD series based upon the initial conference, and when completed, we hope to have 3 quality DVDs and 3 supplemental DVDs, covering 15-16 topics. We will then approach Archbishop Rowan and ask if he might introduce the series.
I’d like to thank Bishop John Howe in this context for plugging the event so helpfully in his statement of support for ACI. The Diocese of Central Florida decided to move its financial support from ACN to ACI at a time when we were seeking to launch this initiative and it was heartening to know that we would be receiving their financial support and prayers. We would very much appreciate support from other Dioceses in CP as well, as this enables us to undertake projects like this. I was asked to speak at the annual clergy conference in Orlando and was very encouraged by the clergy and Bishop in what we are doing through the Anglican Communion Institute.
Hierarchy, The Episcopal Church, and the Covenant Process
In conjunction with attorney Mark McCall, ACI has been engaged throughout 2008 in essay writing on the matter of Episcopal Church polity. We judge this a very important area of our investment. In part, the handling of depositions in the House of Bishops and the legal entanglements of the national church have called forth response. But at issue is also the historical character of this church’s self-understanding when it comes to hierarchy and the office of the Presiding Bishop. This concern is also part-and-parcel with our discussions about Communion Partners in conjunction with Lambeth Palace. It was important to clarify that we were not seeking the approval of the Presiding Bishop, which was not in her gift to offer. Rather, what we were doing was a matter of good order only, in running by her the plans for the Communion Partner fellowship and seeking a ‘no objection.’ (She herself, as it transpired, acknowledged that CP was not something in the role of the PB to grant).
Philip Turner and Mark McCall have studied the matter closely and have published several important essays which are on our web-site. It is doubtful that any case can be made, based upon the constitution of this church, that hierarchy extends further than the diocese. The role of the presiding bishop is just that, and only that: to preside and help assure good order. In his own way, Archbishop Williams stated this general principle of diocesan integrity himself in communications with Bishop John Howe.
It was a further issue to determine what it might mean to say, in the light of this constitutional reality, that dioceses might therefore ‘leave’ the Episcopal Church and remain Episcopal Dioceses independent of it. That is, our own concern has been the overreach, as our constitution has it, of the office of Presiding Bishop, and the maintenance of the integrity of the diocesan unit (financial, moral, theological). That four dioceses at present are seeking to ‘leave’ (in some measure) and join other parts of the communion entails an extrapolation of the kind of theological and historical arguments ACI has been concerned to make in the light of perceived constitutional overreach and manipulation. At ground, the concern of ACI has been maintaining the legal and constitutional foundation of this church, for its own sake, and because the logic of Communion Partners entails a differentiation of dioceses and parishes wishing to honor the accountability and connective tissue to Canterbury and the wider Communion clearly stated in own Constitution’s preamble. We cannot constrain the wider church’s decisions in respect of this accountability and connection, but we can govern and order our own conduct and life. The polity of this church makes possible the maintenance of life in Communion for dioceses (and, it is hoped, individual parishes in conjunction with them) concerned to honor the plain sense of our historical constitution and self-understanding.
Seen in this light, ACI has also underscored the importance of the Covenant Process. Ephraim Radner has been very hard at work on this present labor of the Covenant Design Group. As we see it, the Covenant could serve as that instrument whereby the linkage of the diocesan unit to the Communion can be emphasized, for its own sake and consistent with the logic of our constitutional identity as Anglicans, and especially in a season when the General Convention of the church may struggle to commit itself to the good order and promise of a Covenant, whose purpose was requested by the Windsor Report, the Primates and Archbishop of Canterbury. Again, our concern is to build upon those sure points of communion life we are able to build upon, and not to second guess or strategize about what others may or may not choose to do.
We have seen several CP dioceses resolve to commit to the Covenant, insofar as one can know what final form it will have, and so to be on record as affirming the general spirit of the Covenant process, as against signaling that it is a negative development or that it will not be possible to engage with it due to time constraints, and such like. Here again, the integrity of dioceses and, we hope, the larger CP fellowship, makes possible a commitment to the wider Communion even if this results in a form of differentiation within the wider Episcopal Church itself. Such a differentiation is not a ‘leaving’ but precisely a staying on the historical terms of this church’s Anglican identity. All this is consistent, we believe, with the mission and work of ACI.
Miscellaneous
Several Communion Partner rectors are discussing ways to organize a visit of the Archbishop of Burundi to the United States in the Spring. This would include his presence at the Houston ACI conference, and also visitations for the purpose of partnerships with him and CP parishes.
I have agreed to serve as Canon Theologian in the Diocese of Dallas. I have joined the staff at the Church of the Incarnation, with the new Rector, Bishop Tony Burton, who serves on the CP Advisory Group. I will also serve as Director of the Incarnation School of Theology, a Program of Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. Incarnation/Wycliffe will offer credit courses in a May Term in 2009. ACI Vice-President Philip Turner will teach Christian Ethics and I will be offering a course on the Bible as Christian Scripture. Further details will be on our web-site shortly. I will continue to teach PhD students at Wycliffe and the Toronto School of Theology in the Fall terms.
Charles Teel has done superb work as our new ACI web-master. He has also agreed to work with St Martin’s Houston in designing a new Communion Partner website. We are very grateful to Charles for all his hard work for ACI.
ACI Vice-President Ephraim Radner has attended Covenant Design Meetings in Singapore and London. He has been a steady contributor to our web-site. Please pray for him and the work of the CDG.
ACI friend and Covenant co-worker Christopher Wells has been appointed to head up The Living Church Foundation and edit TLC. Having finished his PhD at Notre Dame, he is presently resident in Dallas.
On behalf of Wycliffe College, I attended the General Seminary colloquium on the Covenant, together with ACI Board member Archbishop Drexel Gomez, in April of 2008. Canon Gregory Cameron of the ACO office was present as well as representatives of all the North American (Anglican/Episcopal) seminaries.
We have asked Russell Levenson of St Martin’s to serve on the ACI Board. This helps us make sure we work together in good order. Russell has been tireless in his efforts on behalf of Communion Partner Rectors. ACI gives special thanks for his ministry and work.
Finally, we recognize with real gratitude the hard work of Frank Fuller, who handles the business side of ACI. He was responsible for putting us on a firm legal footing in the State of Texas, and he handles with grace and good cheer the bottom line realities of money and good order.
In closing, I am confident that I have left things out ‘that I ought not to have done.’ But I trust the present report before you helps give account of the work of the Anglican Communion Institute in 2008. We are grateful for your financial and moral support and encouragement. If you are able to help and join those who provided us with support in 2008, could you please contact Frank Fuller. We would be very grateful if other Dioceses joined with Central Florida and put us in their budget. As our new theological initiative, in conjunction with Wycliffe College, takes form in Dallas, we hope to make a significant contribution to the theological work of the church, including attention to the next generation of theological leadership, so critical for the furtherance of Christ’s mission in the Anglican churches of North America.
Yours in Christ,
Christopher Seitz, President
Anglican Communion Institute
