Evangelical Ecclesiology (Part 2)

Episcopacy, Ecumenism, Ministry, and Mission

There is little doubt that evangelicals in particular within the Church of England are giving a fair amount of time and attention to the question of episcopacy. The Anglican Evangelical Assembly of 1990 devoted a whole conference to the subject, and this is all part and parcel of a wider concern to grapple with the issue of ecclesiology. But why focus on episcopacy? For two main reasons. The first is a very practical and immediate one. There are now a number of evangelical bishops in the Church of England, and they are asking for help to think through their role and their position within the church structures. Secondly, as the failed Methodist-Anglican reunion scheme has shown, the question of episcopacy is one which is central (as far as many Anglicans are concerned) to ecumenical relations: to what extent is it legitimate to view episcopacy as being essential to the being of the church?

Of course in putting the question in this form one has in mind a certain view of episcopacy—the view which came to the fore in Anglican circles with Newman’s first Tract for the Times, which saw the threefold institution of bishops, presbyters and deacons as being divinely ordained, stemming from the apostles and secured by an unbroken line of ordinations. In 1946, the book The Apostolic Ministry1 was published which made a distinction between those ministries which were essential (that is, having an unbroken link with the apostles) and those which were dependent. So the question revolves not so much around episcopacy per se—after all Free Churches have oversight and eldership—but rather apostolicity understood in terms of succession being maintained by the laying on of episcopal hands, which is a different concept altogether.

It really is quite astounding that, within such a relatively short space of time, such a view should become so widely accepted as if it were mainline, historic, Anglican teaching—let alone Biblical teaching! Read more

Related article: Evangelical Ecclesiology (Part 1)