A New Global Model for the Anglican Communion

Over the course of the past few decades Anglicanism has been struggling to balance two Anglican principles; maintaining global communion while honoring the autonomy of the national churches. The Windsor Report suggests one way forward. There are two main flaws in the Windsor Report. First is the absence of participation by the laity in the highest levels of authority. The other flaw is the introduction of democratic principles at the global level while in many national churches there is little to no democratic principle on the local level. The very selection of the Archbishop of Canterbury is the supreme example, being appointed by the Crown in a very secretive process. This proposal is different and will call for more radical changes within all the provinces of the Anglican Communion. This model proposes to begin at the local level, building outward to the global level, with bishops, clergy, and laity participating at every level. It will allow us to describe the global Anglican Church which is knit together canonically rather than the current model which is a Communion of national churches. The author expects that those who put a premium on national autonomy may be leery of this proposal, but the author also believes that if the proposed changes are instituted, national processes will be more represented at the global level. This proposal is also made with a view to the broader Christian world. Christian unity has always been a priority of Anglicanism. It is hoped that this model will encourage a more unified voice, allowing our ecumenical partners to hear our voice with more clarity. It should be acknowledged that our ecumenical partners must at times be perplexed when there are such disparate voices within the Communion.

This proposal seeks to maintain the Evangelical and Catholic nature of the Church. The terms Evangelical Catholic do describe our historical theological approach as Anglicans, and embrace the comprehensive nature of our historic attempt to be a via media, a middle way.

In his book originally published in 1930, The Gospel and the Catholic Church, Michael Ramsey, who would later become Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote,

To understand the Catholic church and its life and order is to see it as the utterance of the Gospel of God; to understand the Gospel of God is to share with all the saints in the building up of the Body of Christ. Hence these two aspects of Anglicanism cannot really be separated. It possesses a full Catholicity, only if it is faithful to the Gospel of God; and it is fully Evangelical in so far as it upholds the Church order wherein an important aspect of the Gospel is set forth. To belittle the witness of the Reformers and the English church's debt to the Reformers is to miss something of the meaning of the Church of God; to belittle Church order and to regard it as indifferent is to fail in Evangelical insight since Church order is of the Gospel. Hence "Catholicism" and "Evangelicalism" are not two separate things which the church of England must hold together by a great feat of compromise. Rightly understood, they are both facts which lie behind the church of England and, as the New Testament shows, they are one fact. A church's witness to the one Church of the ages is a part of its witness to the Gospel of God. p. 208

The terms Evangelical Catholic also modify and inform each other. Evangelical proclamation of the Good News defines the purpose of catholic order. Catholic defines the universal appeal and truth evangelical proclamation.

The Anglican Church will base its doctrine, discipline, and worship on the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, which originated in the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church, USA in 1886 and was adopted by the Lambeth Conference of 1888. The Quadrilateral must be incorporated into the doctrine, discipline, and worship of each national church to be part of the Anglican Church:

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain all things necessary to salvation and are the rule and ultimate standard of faith.
2. The Apostles' Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol, and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.
3. The two Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself-Baptism and the Supper of the Lord-ministered with unfailing use of Christ's words of Institution, and of the elements ordained by Him.
4. The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of the Church.

The Annual Parochial Council
The first and most important step in this model is the Annual Parochial Council. All members of record are voting members of the Council. Each national church would establish rules, such as minimum age, for membership in the Annual Parochial Council. That meeting elects a Parochial Board; laity who are the fiscal and legal agents of the parish. Each Parochial Council would enact By-Laws which accede to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Anglican Church of that particular country. (more to come on that). The Parochial Board would adopt the parochial budget, serve as the chosen lay leaders in the parish, and has the responsibility to elect the parish Vicar, the priest in church of a parish. The election must receive the consent of the diocesan bishop in order to be a valid call. The Vicar is the Chair of the Parochial Council and has particular responsibility for all matters pastoral, liturgical, educational, and in partnership with the Parochial Council oversees all matters of parochial life. Either the Annual Parochial Council or the Parochial Board also elects members of the parish to serve as Delegates of the Diocesan Council.

The Annual Diocesan Council
The Annual Diocesan Council consists of Diocesan Councilors of laity elected by the various parishes of the diocese, and all of the canonically resident clergy of a diocese, the College of Clergy. The Annual Diocesan Council has the responsibility of adopting diocesan canons, which will accede to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Anglican Church of that particular country. The Diocesan Council also adopts the annual operating budget of the diocese, and other resolutions that touch upon diocesan life. The Diocesan Council elects equal numbers of clergy and laity to serve on the Standing Committee, which serves as a council of advice to the bishop. In the event of a vacancy in the episcopate, the Standing Committee elects a person to be bishop of the diocese, ensuring strict confidentiality throughout the election process. For an election to be valid it must receive the consents of the majority of the College of Clergy, and the majority of the Standing Committees and the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church of that country. The Annual Diocesan Council also elects equal numbers of clergy and laity, who shall not be members of the Standing Committee, to serve as Councilors to either the Provincial or National Council.

Some national churches may see the need to organize their lives by clustering dioceses into Provinces. This may address challenges presented either by large geographical size, or density of population. In such cases, Diocesan Councils shall elect members of clergy and laity to the Provincial Council. If this is not the case, the Annual Diocesan Council elects equal numbers of clergy and laity to serve as members of the National Council.

The Provincial Council
In those countries that have Provinces, there will be Provincial Councils made up of two houses. The Provincial College of Bishops will consist of all the bishops of the dioceses within the Province. The Provincial House of Councilors will consist of equal numbers of clergy and laity elected from the dioceses within that Province. The Provincial Council may adopt a budget for Provincial work and ministry, Provincial Canons which accede to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Anglican Church of that country, pass other resolutions that address Provincial issues and concerns, and it also elects a bishop to serve as Archbishop of the Province. The Archbishop is first elected by the College of Bishops of that Province, and the consent of the House of Councilors is required for the election to be valid. The Consents of a majority of the other Archbishops is also necessary for an election to Archbishop to be valid. The Archbishop presides at the meetings of the College of Bishops, and at joint meetings of both houses. The Archbishop may also serve as Chief Consecrator in the Ordination and Consecration of new bishops within the Province. The House of Councilors will elect one of its members, either clergy or lay, to serve as President of its House. The President will retain seat and voice as a councilor from the electing diocese. The Provincial Council will elect equal numbers of clergy and laity to serve as members of the National Council.

The National Council of the Anglican Church
On a periodic basis there would be a Council of the Anglican Church in each country. The Council will consist of two houses; the College of Bishops and the House of National Councilors. The College of Bishops will consist either of : 1)In those countries where there are no Provinces, all of the bishops of that country, or 2) In those countries where there are Provinces, the Archbishops of all the Provinces. The House of National Councilors will consist either of: 1) In those countries where there are no Provinces, the Councilors elected by all of the Dioceses, or 2) In those countries where there are Provinces, the Councilors elected by the Provinces.

The National Council will adopt Canons that accede to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Anglican Church in Communion with the See of Canterbury. This accession must be reaffirmed at each meeting, but a two-thirds vote is required in both Houses to change the status of this accession. The National Council will adopt a national budget and pass other resolutions that seem appropriate to the life and ministry of the church in that country.

The National Council will also elect a Primate of the Anglican Church in that Country in the following manner. A Nominating Committee will be elected consisting of equal numbers of bishops and members of the House of Councilors. The Nominating Committee will make a confidential report to the College of Bishops, who will keep the names in strictest confidence. Failure to do so will equal renunciation of one's orders and removal from all episcopal responsibility. The College of Bishops will elect a Primate by majority vote. For the election to be valid the House of Councilors must give its consent by majority vote. Consents must also be received from a majority of all the other Primates from around the world, and from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Should such international consents not be received, the National Council may either elect a new Primate, or secede from the Evangelical Catholic Church, by a two-thirds vote. Such secession may not necessarily mean breaking Communion with the See of Canterbury. Such a determination would be made by the Global Council of the Anglican Church. Each National Council will elect equal numbers of bishops, clergy and laity to serve as members of the Global Council of the Anglican Church.

The Global Council of the Anglican Church
On a periodic basis there will be a meeting of the Global Council of the Anglican Church. This Council will consist of two Houses; The College of Primates and the House of Global Councilors.

The College of Primates will consist of all the Primates of the Anglican Church. The House of Global Councilors will consist of equal numbers of bishops, clergy, and laity elected from the national Anglican Churches. All votes of the House of Global Councilors will be votes by orders, requiring at least a majority of the bishops, and a majority of the clergy, and a majority of the laity, in order to enact legislation. And all legislation must be passed by both Houses in order to be enacted.

The Global Council shall choose a Global Primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury, from among the bishops of the world in the following manner. Equal numbers of Primates and Global Councilors shall be elected to serve as a Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall make a confidential report to the College of Primates, which shall hold the names in strictest confidence. Failure to do so will be considered departing the Communion of the Anglican Church and removal of all episcopal responsibility. The College of Primates shall elect a bishop to be Universal Primate by a two-thirds vote. The election shall not be valid until consent is received from the House of Global Councilors by majority vote. The Global Primate shall have the full title, "Archbishop of Canterbury, Global Primate, First Among Equals."

The Global Primate will serve as chair of the College of Primates and preside at any joint gatherings of the two Houses of the Global Council. The House of Global Councilors will choose from among its members one who will serve as President of the House of Global Councilors.

The Global Council may adopt a budget, global canons, and pass other resolutions that seem appropriate to the mission and life of the Global Anglican Church. The Global Council, with two-thirds agreement being necessary in both Houses, may determine whether to admit a national Church into Communion with the Anglican Church, or it may, with two-thirds agreement being necessary in both Houses, determine that a National Church has abandoned the Communion of the Anglican Church. In either case, appeal may be repeated at any meeting of the Global Council of the Anglican Church.

Summary
There are obviously many details that would need to be determined that I have not included in this proposal. This is quite intentional for they should be determined by the various levels of authority. On a personal note, some of these ideas have been in my mind since I was in seminary, some are more recent. I was provoked to put them in writing as I contemplated the current state of the Anglican Communion. I return to the words of Archbishop Michael Ramsey from The Gospel and the Catholic Church.

Hence the Anglican church prepares the way for reunion not by indifference to the historic order, but by restoring a truer presentation of it in the context of the Gospel and of the universal Church. It does this as it preaches that Gospel; as it lives the life of Christ's Body; as it recovers the true place of Bishop, presbyters, and people in the Body's life of Liturgy; and as it points to a reunited Church wherein the truths seen in every section of Christendom must be preserved in full measure, wherein there will be variety of type and form, but wherein the organ of unity will the one Episcopate, never because it is Anglican, always because it belongs to the universal family of God.
For while the Anglican church is vindicated by its place in history, with a strikingly balanced witness to Gospel and Church and sound learning, its greater vindication lies in its pointing through its own history to something of which it is a fragment. Its credentials are its incompleteness, with the tension and the travail in its soul. It is clumsy and untidy, it baffles neatness and logic. For it is sent not to commend itself as "the best type of Christianity," but by its very brokenness to point to the universal Church wherein all have died. Hence its story can never differ from the story of the Corinth to which the Apostle wrote. Like Corinth, it has those of Paul, of Peter, of Apollos; like Corinth, it has nothing that it has not received; like Corinth, it learns of unity through its nothingness before the Cross of Christ; and like Corinth, it sees in the Apostolate its dependence upon the one people of God, and the death by which every member and every Church bears witness to the Body which is one. p. 220

I hope this proposal may bring us closer to a Catholic order which serves our global Evangelical mission. While it take us to a new level of global structure, and requires the death of certain local customs, I see a resurrection of a kind of Christian witness that honors the local and the global. At the same time, I am confident that we will remain being clumsy and untidy, continuing to baffle neatness and logic.

The Very Rev. G. Thomas Luck is Dean and Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Syracuse, NY. Reprinted with permission of the author.
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