Session #4 - What Holds the International Anglican Communion Together?

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What are the 'Instruments of Unity?'

From the start the Anglican Church has been rife with division.  Unity was maintained in the earliest years through the power of the monarch.  Allegiance to the crown meant allegiance to the crown's vision of the Church.  After the reign of James I, however, the monarch's hold on the unity of the church gradually diminished.  The resulting increase in the latitude of beliefs was further complicated by the spread of the Church of England around the globe through colonization.  Though at first there was little problem with referring to the "Church of England" in English controlled Africa, Asia and North America, the process of independence from England left these churches struggling for identity.  Without allegiance to the English government/church what could the churches in Africa, Asia and North America say that they had in common?  What made them 'Anglican?'  What holds the Anglican Communion together?  Generally, the Anglican Communion refers to four 'instruments of unity': The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Lambeth Conferences, The Anglican Consultative Council and the Primate's Meetings.

The Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is a unique focus of Anglican unity.  One way of defining the Anglican Communion is to say that it is made up of those Churches who are in full Communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury.  Being in 'full communion' means that all the rites conducted in one church are recognized by the others.  Make no mistake, the Archbishop is not the Pope of the Anglican Communion.  The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has no formal authority outside the Church of England, he is simply recognized as the symbolic head of the Communion.  Among the other 'Primates' (the heads of Provincial Churches) the Archbishop of Canterbury is referred to as 'the first among equals.'  The member churches of the Anglican Communion often look to the Archbishop of Canterbury for direction when division arises.  He is the convener of the Lambeth Conferences, the president of the Anglican Consultative Council and chairs the Meetings of the Primates.

Lambeth Conferences

The Lambeth conference is the regular meeting of Anglican bishops from all over the world which first met in 1867.  This gathering is called approximately every ten years by the Archbishop of Canterbury and is held at Lambeth Palace, the home of the Archbishop.  This body, like the Archbishop of Canterbury, has no legislative authority.  Its decisions are not binding on the members of the Communion.  The purpose of these meetings is to discuss issues of mutual concern and seek ways to move forward in Communion.  Resolutions passed by Lambeth Conferences serve as 'guideposts' for the whole Communion.  During the third Lambeth Conference in 1888, the 'Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral' was introduced.  These four points served as a thumbnail sketch of what defined an 'Anglican' Church.  Here is the text...

As inherent parts of this sacred deposit, and therefore as essential to the restoration of unity among the divided branches of Christendom, we account the following, to wit:

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God.

2. The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian Faith.

3. The two Sacraments,--Baptism and the Supper of the Lord,--ministered with unfailing use of Christ's words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him.

4. The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the unity of His Church.

The Anglican Consultative Council

The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) was created on a resolution from the 1968 Lambeth Conference and first met in October 1969.  It was felt that there should be more communication among the membership of the Anglican Communion than was being provided by the meeting of bishops at Lambeth every ten years.  The ACC is comprised of bishops, priests, and laity from every member province of the Communion.  It meets every two or three years and has a permanent secretariat (The Anglican Communion Office) based in London, England.  The primary role of the ACC is to facilitate the co-operative work of the member churches of the Anglican Communion.  This work includes such ministries as Partners in Mission and the Anglican Cycle of Prayer as well as ecumenical conversations with other denominations such as the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Church.

The Primates' Meeting

The Primates' Meeting was first convened in 1979 by then Archbishop Donald Coggan.  The purpose of these meetings is to provide a forum for 'leisurely thought, prayer and deep consultation' among the Primates of the Communion.  Originally meeting every two/three years, they have met annually since 2000.  Like the other instruments of unity, this gathering has no binding authority on the rest of the Communion, but serves to encourage community among the Primates.

'Instruments of Communion?'

In 2005 the ACC met to consider issues of unity in the Communion and formally redefined the 'Instruments of Unity.'  Here is the text of this resolution:

The Instruments of Unity (Communion)

The Anglican Consultative Council:

1. notes with approval the suggestion of the Windsor Report that the Archbishop of Canterbury be regarded as the focus for unity and that the Primates' Meeting, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council be regarded more appropriately as the "Instruments of Communion"

2. resolves that henceforth it will use this terminology for those bodies currently known as "the Instruments of Unity."

Questions for reflection and discussion:

The original act of creating a distinct 'Church of England' was an act of 'autonomy' - 'claiming freedom from external authority.'  This idea of autonomy has persisted to the present day where each Province of the Anglican Communion claims its own autonomy.  How is it possible to respect the autonomy of each member of the Anglican Communion when we disagree over many issues? In the current structure of the Anglican Communion, primary authority lays with Diocesan Bishops.  Where do you believe authority belongs? There has been criticism from the Churches in North America that current changes to focus our unity more and more on the Archbishop of Canterbury will lead to giving him authority that will threaten the autonomy of the Provinces.  How do you feel about giving more authority to the Archbishop of Canterbury? The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral (above) is one statement of the essentials of Anglican unity.  Do you think it is too broad, too narrow, just right?  Why? The Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church of the USA were asked by the 2005 Primate's Meeting to withdraw membership from the 2005 ACC meeting because of the actions of the Diocese of New Westminister (blessing same-sex unions) and New Hampshire (ordaining an openly gay bishop).  Both Churches sent members to the ACC anyway but respected the request by having their members from voting.  How do you feel about these recent developments? What do you believe will unite the Anglican Communion as we try to move forward?  It is unity important?  Why?