“We are used to being told that we don’t belong”
Representatives of conservative evangelical clergy from the Diocese of Chelmsford met on Wednesday 12 June to discuss, among other matters, Bishop Stephen Cottrell’s letter to clergy of June 2019.
“We noticed it was carefully worded,” said Kieran Bush, Vicar of St John’s, Walthamstow. “It gave the impression that the Bishop had never suggested that John Parker should leave the Church of England. The truth is that Stephen Cottrell has, on more than one occasion, told clergy, including John Parker, that if we disagree with the approach the Diocese is taking on matters of human sexuality we should follow our consciences and leave. There were more than thirty clergy at one of the meetings.”
It was after a smaller meeting, in September 2018, that John Parker and another colleague felt compelled to break fellowship with the bishop.
“We are all concerned about the growing climate of intolerance and the number of clergy who are finding their position in the Church of England increasingly untenable,” said another member of the group, Mark Holdaway, Rector of St Michael’s Kirby-le-Soken with All Saints, Great Holland.
Perhaps all the orthodox clergy in the C of E, plus thousands of lay people, should hold a mass meeting that gets the attention of the media and puts out an uncompromising statement about the state of the denomination, naming names where possible after lawyers have done a thorough check of defamation possibilities. Then on the following Sunday, everyone involved, whether they were at the meeting or not, should stay away from church, closing down for the day if necessary. That might at least make a few people who don’t like to think, think.
They would be back in their churches the following week, much stronger in their position of warriors for the truth.
It is time for GAFCON to get its act together and gather under its wings all these (and many others around the Anglican world) who have been left in a limbo. This gathering needs to happen within a clearly defined structural framework like that of ACNA, and as that of the Christchurch Diocese in NZ. GAFCON, along with its structure, as I’d said repeatedly, needs to change its name too.
I strongly disagree. The orthodox in the CofE need to get their act together, and then approach GAFCON for recognition.
GAFCON already consecrated a bishop for the UK and that went nowhere fast. The Brits need to step up.
I agree with you, Dr Professional. I made the comment I made because, unlike in North America and NZ, the CoE is weirdly tied up with the state and the entire monarchical establishment. I am not a Brit and do not live in the UK, and I guess I am right in what I’d said. How is it possible for Orthodox Bishops of the CoE to take a stand when their appointments are, in fact, made with the approval of the Queen and the PM? Aren’t the Bishops just pawns in the game?
I have no absolute answers, and opened to be corrected and enlightened.
The selection process is not hard to look up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appointment_of_Church_of_England_bishops
for more info, visit the Church of England website and read the relevant canons.
Dr. Terry,
The order in which things happened in ACNA and New Zealand, Gafcon only provided oversight (not organization) to parishes and dioceses AFTER those parishes and dioceses left the “province with ACC membership”.. AMiE and Gafcon UK already exist. Join them.
I am beginning to think that the orthodox in England have bought TEC’s fiction that there were dozens of African bishops invading the United States over the course of a decade and “poaching” parishes and dioceses from TEC and then formed ACNA.
I will grant that part of the difficulty is that all of the CoE diocesan bishops with any backbone resigned their offices almost a decade ago. So the orthodox are left with no effective leadership in that regard. Still, one would think that between Michael Nazir Ali, Gavin Ashenden, Andy Lines (will he be resuming office?), the bishops of the Free Church of England, and whatever is left of the traditionalist/continuing Anglo Catholic movement (the folks who left after WO was forced into CoE), there is already an adequate number of bishops. But what seems to be expected is that Gafcon will one day unveil a completely functional 44 diocese alternative to the Church of England complete with a pension plan and pretty 500 year old church buildings- and frankly, that is not going to happen.
Gafcon can recognize a new church that comes into being from the disparate elements of orthodoxy in England. But the formation of that new church needs to come from those orthodox elements- whether they form dioceses or networks – Gafcon cannot cause it to happen.
I wish I could remember the orthodox CofE priest I heard interviewed, but he said that class was the biggest issue to overcome in building a new structure. His father had been a coal miner and another major figure (whose name I do remember and do respect but won’t mention) had a father who was a headmaster of a major school. He said that the class differences were such that there was absolutely no communication between his group and this other man’s group.
As Bishop Gavin keeps reminding us, repentance is key. Repentance from class pride (on both sides in this case) is necessary before an orthodox Anglican structure can arise in the UK.
Melvin Tinker
Thank you, tjmcMahon for what you’d explained and shared. Yes, it seems that I am advocating a structural change because until that happens I do not see bishops and clergy putting their futures (in terms of their stipends, accomodation, pensions etc) on the line only gain recognition from a ”body” (GAFCON) along with unending headaches of court cases and the like. Only a very few brave and great standing like Bishop Gavin Ashendon would take a step like that.
Isn’t there any room for AMii to become like ACNA where structurally and organically it is a church where the futures of her faithful servants are taken care of?
As I said to Dr Professional, I am open to be corrected and enlightened.
Dear + Andy was an experiment for the English church, I think in many respects. A good choice endowed with a great Episcopal pedigree one could ever ask for.
However, GAFCON assuming he could be Moses is the error. If being Moses was what had been expected of him, he should have been coupled with an Aron like Bishop Gavin to succeed the mission. In actual fact, my wish was that + Gavin had been chosen Moses and + Andy, Aron. This is where GAFCON utterly failed in addressing the English scene.
Learning of + Gavin’s consecration, the stupidest mistake GAFCON did was only to acknowledge him as a godly pastor but not belonging to the Anglican Communion. Here was a guy who could have done it for the Orthodox CoE single-handedly even without an Aron, but completely ignored.
Here’s what GAFCON said: ”Bishop Gavin Ashenden is a winsome and courageous defender of the Christian faith who has been prominent in supporting the same gospel values for which Gafcon stands, but his consecration was not an initiative taken by Gafcon. The Christian Episcopal Church, of which he is a bishop, is not part of the Anglican Communion and is not a constituent Church of the Gafcon movement.”
(https://www.gafcon.org/resources/statement-on-the-consecration-of-the-rt-revd-gavin-ashenden-by-the-christian-episcopal)
Isn’t this statement a five-star stupidity of GAFCON?
I pray that + Andy would return, but he needs heck of a lot of support and the companionship of another Bishop or two, if not, most preferably and exclusively, that of ++ Gavin’s ☺️
What do you suggest we do?
Exactly. We’re all stuck – until a God given alternative arrives. Many of us won’t abandon our flocks, and do what we can to promote faithful God Centred, Spirit Led, Spiritual lives.
The problem is, bishops like Cottrell don’t want us and will do all they can until we are forced out.
Hello. I have prayed about this. I nearly crossed the Tiber but I’ve been moved to stay. I’m going to Pray the Rosary every Day.
I’ll join you in that rosary brother 🙂
Bless You Fr K.
Perhaps God is calling you to be a part of creating the alternative.
The alternative is not simply going to arrive.
It’s not going to parachute in.
We in the US went through this very painful awakening. I don’t minimize it. Take your flock to safety.
Now this takes at least a year of preparation.
Be blessed, Fr. K.
I completely agree.
However….
As I have posted before, unless there is a critical mass that leave it will make little difference. The forward in faith bishops are still convinced we can stay in the CofE, +Rod Thomas has proved to be of questionable intent. So what’s the alternative ? Give me ten clergy in the CofE who would stand with me in forming a viable alternative and I’d be prepared to make the move, but who will stand? I have asked who will stand with me several times on here from the CofE. Just ten incumbents Lord, are there not even that???
Thank you though Dr Professional. You are a wise and godly man brother.
Dear Brothers and Sisters In Christ. This Mornings reading from the Rule of Benedict was this “The Lord often reveals what is better to the younger”.
Can we between us put together a list of what we want. From this list compose a Daily Prayer with our plea and intent for the salvation of our great Church?
At least this way we can spread the Word and gain support from within
For faithful Christians to stand together and to discern where the Lord is leading us.
Please explain. Don’t nearly all Christians take part in the Eucharist/Holy Communion/Lord’s Supper?
Thank you.
I see what you mean. However, I hope you are not suggesting that prayers said during the Eucharist are more effective than prayers said at Morning Prayer, at prayer meetings, around the dinner table or in one’s private space at home!