Church of the Word
FUTURE OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

“The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” 2 Timothy 2:2

The future of the Episcopal Church has been much on the minds of many active folks at Church of the Word and from time to time we try to keep you posted about developments. We returned from the annual business meeting of the Diocese of Virginia held in Richmond at the end of January. Church of the Word is part of the diocese of Virginia because we were planted as a daughter church of Church of the Apostles 20 years ago this fall. In January 2005, we moved from mission status to become a full parish.

The big news at the diocesan council was that our Bishop the Rt. Rev Peter James Lee called for the selection of a coadjutor. This is someone who will be elected as Bishop with the right to succeed Bishop Lee when he retires, which may not be for several years. This is an important development and raises the question for some of you new to the Episcopal Church, ‘What is a bishop?’

First the word ‘Episcopal’ refers to the type of government we have in our denomination. We are ruled by the episcopate or house of bishops, each of whom has responsibility for a diocese. There are 100 diocese in the USA. Virginia happens to be the largest with 200 churches and 90,000 people under the pastoral leadership of Bishop Lee. A bishop has three main functions as outlined by the Eammes commission for the 1988 Lambeth conference. They are to be a trustee or guardian of the faith, to be a pastor to the pastors and to be a focus of unity for the Christian people within his diocese. The ability to perform these three functions should be the focus of the search for a Bishop coadjutor.

It is the deficiency in the current house of bishops of the Episcopal church in regard to first of these qualities, ‘to be a trustee or guardian of the faith’ which has caused a great deal of stress in the national Episcopal church in recent years. The basic idea behind trusteeship is that you must adhere to the spirit and intent of the giver and not reinterpret or reinvent as you please. In this case the giver is God who through Christ and the scriptures has set down the essentials of the Christian message which must be preserved for future generations and faithfully applied.

“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you, guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” 2 Timothy 1:13,14

Most other Anglicans around the world feel that the Episcopal Church of the USA has breached its responsibility to be a trustee or guardian of the faith and indeed has been suspended until the denomination corrects its position. The hope is that our denomination will take the necessary steps, as outlined in a document called the Windsor report, at the triennial national meeting in June this summer.

You should know that Church of the Word has aligned itself with the American Anglican Council which seeks to help the Episcopal Church meet the requirements of the wider Anglican Communion. We are also a member of the Anglican Communion Network which provides a means for us to remain in fellowship with Anglicans across the globe while these issues are being sorted out.

In the meanwhile in our diocese the Bishop has appointed a special task force to examine issues which are particularly worrisome to conservative congregations. Issues like the right to appoint a suitable rector and the right to hold clear title to property are on the table for discussion. We support these discussions as an essential way for our diocese to move forward with our common mission. We also have the opportunity to set an example for the other 99 dioceses in the USA who are having difficulty in finding workable solutions to the common problems we face.

It is my sincere hope that the Episcopal Church can be turned around from the failure of trust from which it has suffered in the last few years. If that is not possible I sincerely hope that the Diocese of Virginia will itself take whatever steps are necessary to remain faithful and in communion with the Anglican Communion. If that is not possible then we are determined to remain part of the Anglican Communion and to work constructively with the diocese of Virginia to make sure that that happens. All of this can be done with respect for everyone's point of view and above all faithfulness to the eternal gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” Titus 1:9