Statements on the nature and development of the Anglican Communion from the first Lambeth Conference to the Anglican Covenant – Part II, 1948-1978.

Dec 22, 2021 by Jill

by Martin Davie:

This post contains the second part of my paper tracing the development of Anglican thinking about the nature and development of the Anglican Communion. It covers the development of this thinking from the Lambeth Conference of 1948 to the Lambeth Conference of 1978. The third and final part of the paper, covering the period up to the production of the Anglican Covenant in 2009, will be posted next week.

9.The Lambeth Conference of 1948

The unity of the Church

The Lambeth Conference of 1948 was faced with various proposals for the development of unity between Anglican churches and those of other traditions, Faced with these proposals the committee charged with looking at ‘The Unity of the Church’ set out what is believed to be ‘the starting point and the governing principles of any Anglican approach to reunion.’[1]

Its report states that the starting point for reunion has to be found in the four points of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral and the claim made in the Appeal to All Christian people in 1920 that the only the episcopate can provide ‘a ministry acknowledged by every part of the Church as possessing not only the inward call of the Spirit, but also the commission of Christ and the authority of the whole body.’[2]

The report then goes on to acknowledge that agreement on this statement and the practical observance by Anglican churches of the principle set out in the Preface to the ordinal that only those who are episcopally ordained can minister in Anglican churches have not prevented ‘a certain diversity of interpretation’ with regard to non-episcopal ministries. It notes that:

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