What has happened in Lusaka? Primates 2016 and ACC-16
by Esau McCaulley, Covenant:
As someone deeply committed to the vision of a unified and faithful global Anglicanism, I am usually invested in the gatherings of the official instruments of the Anglican Communion, such as the Primates’ Meeting, the Lambeth Conference, and the Anglican Consultative Council. The most recent meeting of the latter has been no different (and it’s not quite over yet). I have followed along on Twitter and Facebook as best I can in the midst of pressing real world matters, such as a yet unfinished dissertation, an impending addition to our family, and preparation for a new job that begins this fall. Nonetheless, the Anglicans were meeting and so I paid attention.
For those of you who do not know, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) has met every two to three years since 1971, and the gathering in Lusaka is its 16th meeting (hence the shorthand “ACC-16”). Each of the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion sends a delegation, and it is the only Instrument of Communion to include lay people, deacons, and priests, as well as bishops. According to the ACC page on the Anglican Communion website, the ACC’s purpose is to
facilitate the co-operative work of the churches of the Anglican Communion, exchange information between the Provinces and churches, and help to co-ordinate common action. It advises on the organization and structures of the Communion, and seeks to develop common policies with respect to the world mission of the Church, including ecumenical matters.[1]
A plain reading of this mandate, and the name of the organization itself, would suggest that the ACC’s role is to further coordination through shared consultation. Thus, the ACC does not determine the doctrine, discipline, and mission of the Anglican Communion. Instead, it helps the Communion work better together in living out its vocation. This need not imply that the ACC is insignificant. Shared mission helps make us a communion and not simply a local church limited to one nation or ethnic group. Put differently, shared mission and ministry is a manifestation of catholicity.
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