A New Diocese in England
From: Anglican Futures.
The “Anglican Realignment” has manifested itself in many ways.
The Global Anglican Futures Conference (Gafcon) has united around the 2008 Jerusalem Declaration and in the Kigali Commitment of 2023 made clear their repudiation of the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise, the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA) has evolved from a once regional organisation to a global one focused on the Cairo Covenant. GSFA is gathering in Cairo for a significant meeting in its development in just a few weeks’ time.
The global realignment has resulted in two new Provinces – the Anglican Church in Brazil (Igreja Anglicana no Brasil) and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). These are not without significance. The former is seemingly the largest Anglican jurisdiction in that country and the same is true of the Canadian part of the ACNA.
More recently Gafcon has recognised other smaller structures: the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa New Zealand (CCAANZ), the Diocese of the Southern Cross in Australia and the Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE).
ANiE is the creation of the Gafcon Primates Council, who in 2020, after seven years of preliminary work, determined that Europe should have a new proto-Province – ANiE comprised of two proto-dioceses – the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) (which has been in existence under the auspices or Gafcon since 2013) and the Anglican Convocation in Europe (ACE).
Over the intervening four years, with the consecration of two assisting bishops for each, both AMiE and ACE have become dioceses under the overarching leadership of Presiding Bishop Right Revd Andy Lines.
Yesterday (23rd May, 2024) the creation of a third diocese was announced – the Diocese of the Anglican Missionary Congregations (AMC) . AMC has grown from a single Nigerian diaspora congregation in Manchester to thirty-five congregations in the UK and in some parts of Europe. They are served by 52 self-supporting ordained clergy.
The development would appear to be significant in several ways.
First, although it is small, this part of the Anglican realignment resonates across the world simply because it is largely in the country of the once universally recognised “Mother Church”.
Second, although still small, the development brings the Anglican Network in Europe to around 80 churches and 100 clergy. That represents significant growth since its foundation and, more importantly points to the growing number of churches being planted or joining the Network every year. The oft-made objection that ANiE is too small (something that could once have been said of the church in Acts 2) is going to steadily fall-away. And, again, perhaps of greater import is that it is growing and has done each year for four years, not in decline.
Third, while English Anglicanism and in particular evangelical Anglicanism, including in ANiE has been, rightly regarded as too white and middle-class, the announcement yesterday speaks of something different, and is itself enjoying rapid growth. Anyone who has already had the privilege of worshipping alongside AMC congregants can testify to the blessing this increased diversity will bring.
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