Plans to heal 200-year-old wound with Methodism face opposition at synod
by Kaya Burgess, The Times:
Plans to heal a 200-year-old split between the Anglican and Methodist churches will face strong opposition at General Synod next week from traditionalists who say that it “threatens the fundamentals” of the Church of England.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that proposals to allow Anglican priests and Methodist presbyters to cross over and serve in each other’s churches would “heal a wound” that has existed since the institutions split in the 18th century. Worshippers from the Catholic wing of the Church of England have said, however, that the proposals are astonishing because they undermine the key role played by bishops in ordaining priests.
Two previous attempts to reunite the churches, in 1972 and 1980, failed when they were voted down. The General Synod of the Church of England will discuss the proposals next week but will not formally vote on new legislation until a later date. Senior church figures have warned that some synod members will see the new proposals as “very problematic”.
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