Anglicans Officially Establish Orthodox Body

Robin_G_Jordan »

Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:54 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

selection of the bishops of the diocese the norm for new dioceses and commend this mode of selection to the existing dioceses that continue to select their own bishops. They also permit dioceses to operate under the constitutions and canons of the Provinces that took their constituent congregations under their wing when they broke away from The Episcopal Church. The Anglican practice of a bishop exercising his power synodically and sharing the governance of a diocese with a synodical meeting of clergy and laity is not mandated in the constitution or the canons. The College of Bishops elects the Archbishop of the ACNA. Among the difficulties that conservative Anglicans seeking to draw attention to the defects of the constitution and canons have encountered has been the unwillingness on the part of a number of conservative Anglican web sites supportive of the ACNA to run articles drawing attention to these defects. At the same time these web sites have freely run articles that ACNA leaders and the ACNA Governance Task Force had written in defense of the constitution and canons. Under the circumstances the delegates ratification of the constitution was not surprising.

Anglicans Officially Establish Orthodox Body

Robin_G_Jordan »

Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:52 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

The constition suffers from a number of problems. Among these problems it takes an unnecessarily narrow and partisan doctrinal position on a number of key issues that divide conservative Anglicans, as do the proposed set of canons that will be presented for ratification on Wednesday. Consequently the ACNA will not be as comprehensive church for conservative Anglicans in North America as it had been originally envisioned.The new church follows a trend evident in The Episcopal Church from which many of its congregations and four of its dioceses broke away and moves toward a greater centralization of power at the national level. The highest governing body of the ACNA is not the Provincial Assembly but the smaller and less representative Provincial Council. The latter elects a twelve-man Executive Committee which serves as the Board of Directors of the ACNA. The Provincial Assembly has no power beyond ratifying the initial constitution and set of canons of the ACNA and any subsequent amendments to these documents. It is particularly vulnerable to manipulation by persuasive speakers and experienced lobbyists. With the ratification of the ACNA has abandoned centuries of hard-won lay involvement in the governance of the church and the selection of church leaders, which has been an integral part of North American Anglicanism. Under the provisions of the constitution the bishop of a diocese may appoint the delegates to the Provincial Assembly and Provincial Council from his diocese. The ACNA College of Bishops has authority over the election of bishops of the new church. If a diocese chooses its bishop, the College of Bishops must confirm the choice. However, the College of Bishops may choose the bishop of a diocese. The proposed canons make the College of Bishopsâ