By Robin G. Jordan
A survey of the constitutions of the provinces of the Anglican Communion reveals that all of the provinces practice a modified form of episcopacy in which the bishop, the other clergy, and the laity share in the governance of the church. The power which a bishop exercises varies from province to province but one does not encounter any instance of where the bishop exercises unrestricted power, ruling as an absolute monarch over his see, a position advocated by the more extreme proponents of episcopacy. If the role of the bishop in the Anglican Communion must be compared with that of a monarch, his role is that of a constitutional monarch whose power is defined and limited by custom, constitution, canon, and civil law.
In 1641 Archbishop of Armagh James Ussher put forward a proposal for the synodical government of the Church of England, “The Reduction of the Episcopacy unto the Form of Synodical Government, Received in the Ancient Church.” Archbishop Ussher’s proposal contains the essence of what has evolved as the form of ecclesiastical government in most of the Anglican Communion. [1] Under this proposal presbyters of the English Church would have been involved in a synodical government of the church. At the same time the proposal would have preserved the central role of the episcopacy. In support of his proposal Ussher appealed to scriptural evidence and ancient church practice. [2] Dirk C. Reinken examines Ussher’s proposal “in light of his appeals to Scripture and tradition as well as how it stands against the views of his more royalist peers of the day” in his essay, “Archbishop Ussher’s Proposal for Synodical Government (1641): Its Scriptural and Patristic Origins and Its Relevance for Today." [3]
In his proposal Archbishop Ussher sought to restore the episcopate to its most ancient form as found in the early church and Scripture. He also sought to address the concerns of the Presbyterians for a form of church government that has a clear warrant in Scripture while “maintaining the centrality of bishops that the established church found essential to church order.” [4] Such synodical government Ussher understood to originate “in a diocese where the bishop presides over a council of presbyters who offer advice and share in making decisions.” [5]
If Charles I and the royalist Anglicans who espoused the position that God intended episcopacy for the proper order and structure of the church had been open to Ussher’s proposal, Charles I might have saved his head, the English Civil War might have been avoided, and many of the English bishops might have been spared exile on the European continent. The Church of England might have taken a different course from what it did.
Archbishop Ussher’s proposal survives in the form of synods and general conventions that now govern most churches in the Anglican Communion. The contemporary form of synodical government incorporates representatives of the laity as well as representatives of the clergy with these representatives elected by those they represent. The proportion of clerical and lay representatives in the synod or other governing body often reflects the proportion of the clergy and laity in the province or diocese.
With the foregoing in mind, let us take a look at the role of the convocational bishop in the draft alternative constitution that I am proposing for the Anglican Church in North America.
Under the terms of the draft alternative constitution the Anglican Church in North America would be organized into nongeographic convocations based upon theological affinity. A convocation would be a network of churches that share a common theology. There are a number of theological streams, or schools of thought, in Anglicanism—Anglo-Catholic, charismatic evangelical, and confessional evangelical—that take different positions on women’s ordination, the sacraments, apostolic succession, and a range of other issues. The network of churches forming a convocation would represent one of these streams. The network might consist of churches in close proximity to each other or scattered over a wide area. All convocations would share the same geographic territory—Canada, the United States and their territories. The draft alternative constitution also makes provision for convocations outside of these two countries.
Each convocation would have a bishop and one or more assistant bishops. Section 17 delineates a number of the functions and powers of a convocational bishop:
17. (1) The bishop of a convocation shall have the following functions:
(a) To exercise general pastoral care, leadership, and supervision over the congregations and congregations in formation connected with the convocational conference in accordance with the Constitution and canons of the ACNA, the constitution and ordinances of the convocation, and any other rules and regulations made under the provisions of the same;
(b) To call meetings of the convocational conference and standing committee of the convocational conference and to preside at such meetings;
(c) To nominate and/or appoint persons to such offices or positions as authorized by the Constitution and canons of the ACNA or the constitution and ordinances of the conference;
(d) To confirm baptized persons who are members of a congregation connected with the convocation or a congregation in formation constituted by the bishop of the convocation and who desire to make a profession of their faith in Jesus Christ in the presence of that congregation or congregation in formation and the bishop of the convocation and to receive the prayers of the congregation or congregation in formation and its bishop;
(e) To ordain deacons and presbyters;
(f) To license deacons and presbyters who desire to exercise their ministry in one of the congregations connected with the convocation conference;
(g) To receive ordained ministers from other Anglican entities and Christian fellowships;
(h) To license and commission catechists, evangelists, and readers to serve the convocation and the congregations connected with the convocational conference;
(i) To represent the convocation in its relations with the other convocations of the ACNA and other Anglican entities and Christian fellowships;
(j) To perform such other duties as may be entrusted to him by the constitution or ordinances of the convocation.
(2) The bishop of a convocation may authorize alternative services, deviations to the order of services, and occasional offices provided that the doctrine and liturgical usages of such alternative services, deviations to the order of services, and occasional offices conform to the doctrine and liturgical usages of the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 and the Ordinal attached to the same, and to the doctrine of the Thirty Nine Articles of 1562, where applicable.
The list of episcopal functions in Section 17(1) was adapted from the Constitution of the Diocese of West Ankole of the Anglican Church of the Province of Uganda.
Among the other functions and powers of a convocational bishop is to confirm with his brother bishops the election of a newly elected bishop or assistant bishop of a convocation. The method of confirmation is adapted from that of the Anglican Church of the Province of Southern Cone. A convocational bishop may, at the request of the Bishop Primus and with the concurrence of the standing committee of the convocational conference of a convocation, perform the duties of the episcopal office in that convocation during a vacancy in the office of bishop of the convocation. He may assign various functions, powers and duties to any assistant bishops of his own convocation. He may appoint commissaries to carryout his duties in his absence. He may be elected to the office of Bishop Primus. If he is a senior bishop, he may exercise the authorities, powers, rights, and duties during any vacancy in the office or incapacity of the Bishop Primus or during the absence of the Bishop Primus from North America for over 30 days. He sits as a voting member in the House of Bishops of the Governing Body of the ACNA. He certifies and transmits to the Bishop Primus lists and supplementary lists of names and addresses of the clerical and lay representatives of the convocation elected or appointed to the Governing Body. If he is a senior bishop, he may preside over the House of Bishops and the Governing Body in the absence of the Bishop Primus or at the request of the Bishop Primus.
A convocational bishop is ex officio a member of the Standing Committee of the Governing Body of the ACNA. He may be elected to serve as the Chairman or the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee. He serves in rotation with the other convocational bishops of a province as the presiding bishop of the province.
A convocational bishop must be consulted when a congregation wants to call or dismiss a pastor. He normally appoints the pastor of a newly formed congregation admitted to the convocation conference. If the pastor of a congregation is a deacon, catechist, or reader appointed by him, he also assigns a supervising presbyter. He must be consulted when a congregation wants to transfer out of his jurisdiction or into his jurisdiction. He must also be consulted if a congregation wants to withdraw from his jurisdiction and become an independent congregation or affiliate with another Anglican or other Christian church body. He must be consulted when a congregation is considering dissolution. He counsels with a congregation that has persisted in one or more of the offenses listed in Section 100 and may admonish the congregation. He may, upon the petition of the members of an unorganized congregation and with the concurrence of the standing committee of the convocational conference, constitute such a congregations as a congregation in formation. He may, at the request or with the concurrence of the congregation in formation, appoint a deacon, catechist, or reader licensed by him to serve the congregation in formation in a pastoral capacity and assign a supervising presbyter.
A convocational bishop is ex officio the president of the convocational tribunal and appoints the deputy president of the tribunal. He appoints the promoter of a charge under certain circumstances. He may mitigate the sentence or suspend the operation of the sentence or do both in case of someone tried, found guilty, and sentenced in the convocational court of his convocation. In the capacity of presiding bishop of a province he is ex officio president of the provincial tribunal and appoints the deputy president of the tribunal. He may be elected or appointed to the Special Tribunal. He may be appointed to the Appellate Tribunal. He may, with the concurrence of the standing committee of the convocation conference, suspend from the duties of his office any person who is licensed by him and against whom a charge has been promoted, and make arrangements for the performance of the duties of the office. He may revoke the suspension.
As we can see, the role that the convocational bishop plays in the draft alternative constitution of the ACNA is a large one. However, the role of the convocational bishop in the draft alternative constitution is not that of an absolute monarch with unrestricted power. He shares governance of the convocation with the convocational conference that consists of the clergy of the convocation and elected lay delegates of the churches of the convocation. In this regard the draft alternative constitution retains the form of ecclesiastical government found in most of the Anglican Communion—a bishop of a judicatory sharing in its governance with its clergy and laity.
For those who have not yet had an opportunity to read the draft alternative ACNA constitution, it can be found on the Internet at: http://anglicansablaze.blogspot.com/2009/01/draft-alternative-acna-constitution.html
Endnotes:
[1] Dirk C. Reinken, “Archbishop Ussher’s Proposal for Synodical
Government (1641): Its Scriptural and Patristic Origins and Its Relevance for Today,” Project Canterbury AD 2002, 1. Essay on the Internet at: http://anglicanhistory.org/essays/reinken_ussher.pdf
[2] Reinken, 4.
[3] Reinken, 1.
[4] Reinken, 5.
[5] Ibid.
No comments:
Post a Comment