A congregation in the north-east Scottish coastal city of Aberdeen is preparing to leave the Scottish Episcopal Church. Members of Westhill Community Church voted last night (Thursday) by 83 per cent to 13 per cent to leave the Anglican Communion’s province in Scotland following what they say is the “continued liberal trajectory” of the Church.
Speaking to the Anglican Communion News Service, the Rector of Westhill, Canon Ian Ferguson, said: “We have been on a journey for many years – when I say ‘we’, I mean a group of evangelical Episcopal rectors – in talking to bishops about the trajectory the Scottish Episcopal Church has set itself on going. This culminated in a number of decisions that the SEC took which some of us found that we could not accept.
“Our church was not able to feel they could go on the trajectory that the SEC are going and they wanted to maintain their sense of biblical authority and their fellowship with the wider Anglican Communion which is being torn apart by decisions of some provinces.”
Responding to the decision, the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, Anne Dyer, said: “the congregation of Westhill Community Church is a much loved and valued part of our diocese, and I am deeply saddened that they have indicated that they want to pursue potential separation from the Scottish Episcopal Church.
“I will continue to work with Westhill as we begin discussions to enable this potential separation, and will continue to pray for the Rector, Vestry and congregation members in the weeks and months ahead.”
The Primus of Scotland, Bishop Mark Strange, said: “I have been informed that Westhill Community Church, Aberdeen has voted to prepare to leave the Scottish Episcopal Church, and therefore the Anglican Communion. I have received that news with great sadness and will pray that, painful though this process will be for the Church and for the local Diocese and wider community, we will all remember that we are all striving to serve as disciples of Christ.
“Being a member of the Anglican Communion is important to the Scottish Episcopal Church and we are working hard to strengthen our role in it. Our bishops are preparing to attend the Lambeth Conference in 2020 and have begun inviting bishops from around the Communion to join us in Scotland for pre-conference hospitality.
“We will continue to pray for unity and understanding as we strive to further the mission of God to our nation and around the world.”
Canon Ferguson said that the leadership team at Westhill “are going to take our time to think about what lies next; but what we are strong on is that we will remain Anglican.
“We have received some amazing support throughout the Anglican Communion, in particular the Archbishops of Nigeria, Uganda, and Sydney who have been very supportive and welcoming to us. . . For all of us involved this has been a very painful time and a very difficult decision to make but we have been put in that position by the decisions of the SEC.”
The SEC is beyond lost – “sauve qui peut!”
As is the CoE, ACiC, and TEC. Each has set themselves against the clear teachings of Christ and the Scriptures. Each has abandoned the orthodoxy of the faith once delivered to the saints in order to satisfy the political, religious, and sexual whims of man. God have mercy on their souls.
And let’s face it, once you understand everything in the scriptures entirely and know exactly what God wants and what truth is, it’s your absolute duty to dissociate yourself from those heretics and heathens who wilfully ignore the truth, and refuse to eat with prostitutes and tax-gatherers, or let sinners anywhere near you… oops! seem to be running into a problem there…
By what criteria was this decision made? What took them so long to determine the “trajectory” was headed in the wrong direction? The pilot of the “Carpathia” had more vision.
Mr. Morley. in defense of this parish and the several others who took “so long to determine….”, their diocese was, until recently, the equivalent of the Diocese of Albany in TEC. It was widely understood that upon the retirement of their previous bishop, they would be allowed to elect a bishop who would maintain the traditional view of marriage and theology generally (and be male). Instead, the SEC house of “bishops” manipulated the process to remove any input from clergy or laity of the diocese, and appointed a revisionist (and woman) bishop of their choosing, to introduve gay marriage and other false doctrines throughout the diocese. As with TEC, at that point, parishes were called upon to bend the knee, or lose property and status. Since that time, parishes have been leaving, but have needed to follow their own bylaws and various legal processes in order to do so. There have been numerous stories on Anglican Ink about parishes in Scotland following the same path.
Google “Anglican Ink Revolt over Aberdeen appointment” which includes a letter to the SEC from many of the rectors of the diocese, including the rector of Westhill Church.
So, the parish has been on record on this for over a year, it just took them some time to work through all the procedure to make departure possible.
To correct an error (“lose property”) in my post above….
It is my understanding based on a subsequent article on another site that the SEC bishop (Dyer) has (much to the consternation of some in US based TEC) decided to allow the congregation to keep their property without a legal battle. If that turns out to be the case, the SEC will be much more gracious than its US counterpart. And hopefully, SEC will make that standard for departing congregations.
Such a courageous action by this church. I hope they are prepared for the criticism they will receive from those who hate to see a forthright witness expressing itself in action.
Courageous? Well, I suppose they have the courage of their convictions, to jump ship and join GAFCON. But is that any more courageous than those who remain in the church they have been in for centuries, as it leads them into a greater understanding of the extent of God’s love and creative grace? No.
Does anyone know whether they intend to attach themselves to any othergroup, or will they be totally independent?
They’re obviously already attached to another group – GAFCON.