Anglican evangelical group plans breakaway
BRITAIN: Detailed plans for a breakaway Anglican church with its own synod, bishops and legal structure to rival the Church of England have been drawn up by influential conservative Christians, it emerged yesterday.
A 15-page document was presented at a conference of traditionalist church leaders in Leeds last autumn, discussing the need for a church with its own ‘‘synodical meetings’’ and a system for appointing its own bishops.
The document, which has been seen by the Christian Today website, provides evidence that detailed plans for a schism in the Church of England are being discussed by powerful conservative groups who feel that the established church is too liberal in its stance towards same-sex relationships and gay clergy.
Yesterday it emerged that an Anglican bishop had been appointed outside of the Church of England’s control in Newcastle, under the authority of a conservative church in South Africa.
Conservative evangelical churches, which have a stricter interpretation of Christian teachings on issues such as homosexuality, operate in numerous separate groupings within and outside the Church of England.
The existence of the document, Credible Bishops, suggests that they could unite in a new Anglican institution.
The document was written by the Rev Mark Burkill, chairman of the pressure group Reform, and the Rev Peter Sanlon, the vicar of St Mark’s Church in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
It was discussed at the ReNew conference of traditionalist church leaders in September, which was attended by 400 people including vicars and officials from more than 200 churches. It says that ‘‘credible bishops’’ may have to be consecrated ‘‘by other means, with the wider support of the Anglican Communion’’ if conservative evangelical Christians do not believe that the Church of England would consecrate bishops who share their views.
A rival Anglican institution would have to draw up ‘‘a draft system for appointments’’ for bishops and would require new ‘‘canons and statements of belief’’ to form its own legal and theological structures, it says.
‘‘There must be plans for some kind of synodical meetings, as without these there is a deficit of congregational feedback to episcopal leadership,’’ it adds.
It also discusses the need for funding to support the bishops’ work and for safeguarding policies as well as for a publicity team that is ‘‘proactive and social media savvy’’.
The ReNew conference is sponsored by the Anglican Mission in England, a group of churches that already claims to operate as a rival to the Church of England.
The group plans to create 25 more churches by 2025 and 250 by 2050. - The Times