Welcome to St. Michael's Episcopal Church

When some Christians say that they believe God is inviting them to take a new position on Church teaching about a certain subject, how should the Church respond? Should the Church change its teaching in response to new cultural and social developments or should it insist upon traditional patterns of belief and behavior? Who makes decisions for the Church, especially about how to interpret the Bible? These are some of the questions currently causing intense debate and divisions in the Anglican Communion, the worldwide fellowship of churches that trace their roots to the Church of England. These churches, which count more than 80 million members, are mostly in countries where Britain was once the colonial power.

Last month, about 650 bishops from churches in the Anglican Communion met in Canterbury, England, for the Lambeth Conference, the gathering of bishops that has been held every ten years or so since the second half of the 19th century. At the last Lambeth Conference in 1998, a resolution was passed by a majority of bishops stating that homosexuality was contrary to Biblical teaching. Since then, The Episcopal Church approved the election of an openly gay bishop and the Anglican Church of Canada adopted a liturgy for blessing same-sex unions. These actions not only led to conflict in the American and Canadian churches. They also provoked strong opposition in other Anglican churches, particularly those in the Global South, leading many to predict an imminent schism in the Church.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of attention was focused on this year’s Lambeth Conference. But it did not produce more resolutions. The organizers, at the direction of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, designed a format that included daily Bible study in small groups and discussion in larger ‘Indaba’ groups of about 40. (‘Indaba’ is a Zulu word that describes village gatherings to talk about topics of importance.)

Many of the bishops seem to have found this opportunity for discussion useful. Diocese of Chicago Bishop Jeffrey Lee said that he had come to understand "like never before" how physically dangerous it can be for some Anglicans to discuss homosexuality. He added that he came "face-to-face with fellow believers who hold a view of Scripture that I cannot understand." Several African bishops learned for the first time of the actions that The Episcopal Church has taken (including a moratorium on ordaining any other gay bishops) to respond to concern that the American church had acted without consulting other Anglican churches.

Although more than 200 bishops, mostly from Global South countries, boycotted the conference, those who did attend felt that some progress was made on projects that the Archbishop of Canterbury believes will keep the Communion together. These include a yet-to-be-written ‘Covenant’ that defines the basic principles of Anglicanism and a ‘pastoral forum,’ also still to be defined, that will act to help resolve future disputes.

While the discussions at the Lambeth Conference are important for our Church, they can give a misleading impression, suggesting that the Anglican Communion is a top-down institution in which power is held primarily by bishops. Equally important is the work of lay Anglicans in serving their neighbors in need around the world. All the bishops at the Lambeth Conference joined in a march in central London highlighting the Anglican Communion’s support of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals aimed at reducing global poverty. That is a mission we all share.

Christine Whittaker