Ready To Realign? We Must Be Patient
Right now many Episcopalians are ready to realign, to get out of dioceses and churches that appear to them to be inconsistent with the classical Christian and Anglican faiths. Let me provide you with an outline of what will happen as well as some words of encouragement as we brave this together.
1. Be Patient and Take Heart! - We will move somewhat slowly, so as to do this right. Keep in mind as the realignment shapes up, the ties to ECUSA (and Spong and Griswold, etc) will become fewer and fewer.
2. First, Find a Congregation That Will Realign - The American Anglican Council has a list of member Churches, and can probably give you the names of others that will be a part of the realignment process. Find a safe church, and one that has a future in the new Anglicanism.
2.Second, The Congregation Will Apply For Alternate Oversight - Traditional congregations will begin applying for adequate oversight from other dioceses, which is technically illegal according to Episcopal canon law (which nobody pays attention to anyway!). This will begin the push for realignment, since many dioceses will not take kindly to losing churches and members to another diocese (think green).
3. Third, These Congregations Will Form Networks- These parishes and dioceses will become more autonomous from the Episcopal Church as time goes by, forming networks and working directly with foreign Primates.
4.Fourth, The Majority of Primates Will Appoint a New US Primate- Frank Griswold will stay supreme trekkie of ECUSA, and the traditional Anglicans will get a less politically correct leader to attend to their spiritual needs. There will be two Primates in the US for a time it appears.
5.Fifth, The New Commission Will Work On A New Province- The newly established Anglican commission will work to figure out how all of this will work, but eventually the confessing networks (and perhaps the Anglican Mission in America and a few Continuing Churches) will become a new Anglican Province in the US. Whether ECUSA is kicked out or not, we won't know for awhile, although with its current growth statistics, it is hard to tell how long it could last. The AMiA has grown at rapid rates, and we would love to take them into the realignment, maybe appointing their bishops in some capacity.
6.Sixth, We Can Just be Anglican Christians Again!- During this whole process many of us can take note that we can be good Anglican Christians again and not have to worry about going to towns where the priest believes the only form of heresy that exists is the idea that heresy exists. We won't have to worry that the name of Jesus will be ignored, or perhaps even mocked. In short, starting NOW, we can once again reclaim the gospel mission that we are called to do, and no longer worry about the national leadership doing every sort of tactic to hinder it.
So Yes, all of this will be messy, long, and unclear. However, we must have patience. If ECUSA has you upset, just be sure to find a realigning parish immediately and begin to show your support for realignment, so those in power will get that this is not to be taken lightly.
Right now many Episcopalians are ready to realign, to get out of dioceses and churches that appear to them to be inconsistent with the classical Christian and Anglican faiths. Let me provide you with an outline of what will happen as well as some words of encouragement as we brave this together.
1. Be Patient and Take Heart! - We will move somewhat slowly, so as to do this right. Keep in mind as the realignment shapes up, the ties to ECUSA (and Spong and Griswold, etc) will become fewer and fewer.
2. First, Find a Congregation That Will Realign - The American Anglican Council has a list of member Churches, and can probably give you the names of others that will be a part of the realignment process. Find a safe church, and one that has a future in the new Anglicanism.
2.Second, The Congregation Will Apply For Alternate Oversight - Traditional congregations will begin applying for adequate oversight from other dioceses, which is technically illegal according to Episcopal canon law (which nobody pays attention to anyway!). This will begin the push for realignment, since many dioceses will not take kindly to losing churches and members to another diocese (think green).
3. Third, These Congregations Will Form Networks- These parishes and dioceses will become more autonomous from the Episcopal Church as time goes by, forming networks and working directly with foreign Primates.
4.Fourth, The Majority of Primates Will Appoint a New US Primate- Frank Griswold will stay supreme trekkie of ECUSA, and the traditional Anglicans will get a less politically correct leader to attend to their spiritual needs. There will be two Primates in the US for a time it appears.
5.Fifth, The New Commission Will Work On A New Province- The newly established Anglican commission will work to figure out how all of this will work, but eventually the confessing networks (and perhaps the Anglican Mission in America and a few Continuing Churches) will become a new Anglican Province in the US. Whether ECUSA is kicked out or not, we won't know for awhile, although with its current growth statistics, it is hard to tell how long it could last. The AMiA has grown at rapid rates, and we would love to take them into the realignment, maybe appointing their bishops in some capacity.
6.Sixth, We Can Just be Anglican Christians Again!- During this whole process many of us can take note that we can be good Anglican Christians again and not have to worry about going to towns where the priest believes the only form of heresy that exists is the idea that heresy exists. We won't have to worry that the name of Jesus will be ignored, or perhaps even mocked. In short, starting NOW, we can once again reclaim the gospel mission that we are called to do, and no longer worry about the national leadership doing every sort of tactic to hinder it.
So Yes, all of this will be messy, long, and unclear. However, we must have patience. If ECUSA has you upset, just be sure to find a realigning parish immediately and begin to show your support for realignment, so those in power will get that this is not to be taken lightly.
