Church recognises Free Church orders
THE ORDERS of the Free Church of England have been recognised by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.
Under the Overseas and Other Clergy (Ministry and Ordination) Measure 1967, the Archbishops have the authority to determine whether the Orders of any Church are ‘recognised and accepted’ by the Church of England.
The recognition of the Orders of the Free Church of England follow around three years of contact between the bishops of this church, the Council for Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission.
These bodies recommended that the Orders of the Free Church were accepted, which was subsequently endorsed by the Standing Committee of the House of Bishops.
The Rt Rev Christopher Hill, Chair of the Church of England’s Council for Christian Unity, said: “I hope there will be good relations between us and especially in those places where there is a Free Church of England congregation.”
In a statement, the Rt Rev John McLean, Bishop Primus of the Free Church of England, said: “We are grateful to the Archbishops for this recognition of our common episcopal heritage. I pray that it will not be an end in itself, but will lead to new opportunities for proclaiming the Gospel.”
This news is not expected to have a significant effect, given that one source reports there are only 18 congregations in the country.
However, supporters of the ordination of women to the episcopate have already expressed doubts over the move, as the Free Church of England opposed the role of women in ordained leadership, only ordaining ‘baptised males’.
On their website, the denomination describes themselves as Catholic in their defined Constitution, but ‘stand in the Anglican tradition’.
The Free Church of England also describes itself as ‘Evangelical’ in the ‘emphases in theology and preaching’.
The website states: “A major problem in discussing the differences between the Free Church of England and the Church of England is that the modern Church of England is extremely diverse, both in practice and belief. The Free Church of England does not have this range of belief and practice.”