Anglican Connection
A network of Anglican Churches within the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA)
Introduction
The foundational and governing principles of any organization set the framework for the purpose and structure of that organization. So, the Fundamental Declarations of a Church are significant in that they form the foundation on which the mission and vision of the church is built; they also frame the way the church is structured and how its mission and ministry is exercised. We desire clarity and unambiguity in our understanding of the Scriptures so that our ministry can be faithful and effective and bring about a Godly unity in Christ Jesus for the greater glory of God.
Many today regard doctrine as a tedious irrelevancy, accusing anyone who campaigns for doctrinal issues of being a pedant or a misguided troglodyte who is frustrating the movement of the Holy Spirit towards revival, renewal and unity. Yet the irony is that sound doctrine is essential for the work of the gospel and for the unity of God’s church. Jesus himself said it: “Those who worship him (God) must worship in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the architect of the 16th century English Reformation, understood this. He was committed to two key principles in his second prayer book (1552): clarity and unambiguity.
With the rejection in recent years of core orthodox Christian doctrine within the Anglican Communion, the Jerusalem Declaration provided Anglicanism with a clear re-statement of essential belief. This Declaration which was unanimously adopted by the Global Anglican Conference (GAFCON) in Jerusalem in June 2008, reflects core values of the Church of England.
Canon A5 of the Church of England states: “The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal”. In like manner the Constitution of the Anglican Church in Australia says in its Fundamental Declarations that the Australian Church is ‘part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ’, affirms the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds, and receives the Old and New Testaments as ‘the ultimate rule and standard of faith … containing all things necessary for salvation’. There is a commitment to obey the commands of Christ, teach his doctrine, administer the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion and preserve the orders of bishops, priests and deacons. The ‘Ruling Principles’ of the Anglican Church in Australia commit the Church to the doctrine and principles of the Church of England embodied in the Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal and the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. The reference to the Book of Common Prayer in both the Church of England and the Anglican Church in Australia is to the 1662 edition.
The purpose of the Anglican Connection is to provide an affiliation of clergy and churches that is framed by these foundational documents of classic Anglicanism. In particular it provides an opportunity to re-establish a robust, vital, Bible-based, gospel-centered Anglicanism in North America, based on a doctrinal foundation and a ministry framework that is grounded in the doctrine of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and the theological and liturgical principles of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and its Ordinal.
The Mission and the Vision
When he had been raised from the dead Jesus commissioned his disciples saying, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.’
Central to the outworking of this commission is the proclamation that Jesus Christ is the Lord and the bringing people of all ages under his lordship. Making disciples and making disciple-making disciples is key. Such work calls for the faithful ministry of God’s Word and a prayerful dependence upon God; it calls for God’s people to grow in the riches of Christ’s love and in obedience of life to him, bearing the fruit of the Spirit (John 14:23-24,15:1-8; Colossians 1:10; 4:2 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Such disciple-making ministry builds God’s new society, where a genuine love for ‘one another’ is exemplified (John 13:35; 1 John 3:21-24). Further, there is also a deep joy that overflows in concern for and witness to ‘the lost’ (Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:44-49; Colossians 4:2-6; 1 Peter 2:11-12, 3:15-17). Such disciples will want to live lives of servant-hood and sacrifice (Matthew 16:24-25; Luke 14:25-27; 1 Peter 2:11-12, 3:15-17).
Structure
The proposed structure of this network is set out in its Charter. The Charter begins with foundational doctrinal statements. It then states the mission of the network before dealing with matters of governance and structure.
The plan is to have two tiers within the Anglican Connection – Tier One: Ministers and Churches that have their episcopal oversight and their link with the Anglican Communion through the Church of Nigeria (the largest Anglican Province in the world); Tier Two is for Ministers and Churches that have other episcopal oversight but who are keen to be affiliate members of a network of reformational Anglicans. Details are set out in the Anglican Connection Charter.
It would be wonderful for the gospel cause in North America if there is agreement on the essential declarations in the Charter. This will lay a foundation for the development of vital ministries and churches committed to promote the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ within a revitalized Anglican framework for the greater glory of God.
On governance and structure, an important principle is that the role of leadership and of any central body is to facilitate the mission of the church by serving the needs of the local church in its work of building up believers. Those believers will in turn ‘make disciples of all nations’. The defining mark of Christian leadership is service.
John G. Mason
Founding Rector
Christ Church New York City
www.christchurchnyc.com
June 2013
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