Anglican Church in North America Leadership and Russian, Greek, and Protestant Churches

The formerly nascent Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is expressing itself as an ecumenical juggernaut. Formed out of the failures inherent in Anglicanism’s loose structure and biblically-errant teachings, specifically in the Anglican Communion’s western provinces throughout the past 50 years, the ACNA is forging its way by building ecumenical relations around the world.

The ACNA and its episcopal leadership hold no interest in changing traditional and historical norms and doctrine as practiced in Christianity over the centuries. This biblically-focused Anglican province is interested only in preaching the Gospel and spreading the good news about Jesus Christ.

Many biblical scholars and preachers have noted over the centuries that the Book of Acts should be re-titled the Books of Acts of the Holy Spirit. The ACNA’s leadership is open to the Spirit and is submitting itself to the work and power of the Spirit: it is a House-in-Action. This is a time in history when the church must act and act in a wholly biblical and evangelical manner.

ACNA Archbishop and House of Bishops

ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach is seizing the moment. There is no time waste. He and the well-coordinated House of Bishops are in the midst not only of planting new churches, specifically in the United States and Canada, but they are opening ecumenical doors with other denominations and communions at – in an ecclesiastical timeframe – a rapid pace.

The Protestants

Since 2010 when Archbishop Emeritus Bob Duncan was the ACNA’s primate or leading bishop, talks began with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). This dialogue project is remarkable in that the LCMS had never before engaged in ecumenical dialogue with non-Lutheran denominations. The young North American Lutheran Church (NALC) and the ACNA are close to completing formal recognition and reciprocal liturgical agreements.

Certain Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist conversations are active as well. Within the “Anglican-oriented” world there are several jurisdictions, which for multiple reasons, left structural Anglicanism and formed their own churches and jurisdictions. ACNA is talking with several of those churches. Additionally, there are non-Anglican churches migrating toward “traditional Anglicanism” and seeking alignment or recognition.

The Russians Are Coming … The Russians Are Coming

What about the Orthodox Church? ACNA Archbishop Beach was invited by Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) to attend the Orthodox All-American Council in 2015. Bishop Tikhon also introduced Beach to Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Department of External Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church. Bishop Hilarion is also Metropolitan of Moscow.

The meeting with Metropolitan Hilarion eventually led to a trip to Moscow by Archbishop Beach, ACNA Ecumenical Officer Bishop Ray Sutton, and other ACNA bishops, where they met with the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kyrill. Those meetings were covered in various church media including the Connecticut- and internet-based Anglican TV. If this initial engagement with the Russian Orthodox Church and its potential results were not enough excitement, consider the Ecumenical Patriarch of all Eastern Orthodoxy.

Greek Orthodoxy Openings

Archbishop Beach inherited a House of Bishop well-versed in international affairs. One example is ACNA Bishop Paul Hewitt and his delegation of laypersons and clergy who traveled in 2014 to Athens and Constantinople-Istanbul. There, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew assigned one his bishops, a theologian and seminary professor, as protocol officer and dialogue partner.

A Juggernaut?

There are at least two definitions of juggernaut. One is negative and destructive, and the other defines a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force or institution. ACNA is not hegemonic but it is already a strong, traditional Christian institution. It is small in comparison to other Anglican provinces, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox churches. But they have become an influential institution and are creating new and lasting ecumenical relationships. They make things happen.

Perspective

From the point of view of the leaders of the Anglican Church in North America, it appears that they have asked themselves, “Why wait?” They are actively planting churches and they have embarked on a forward, Christ-centered, ecumenical journey. Since they are working in the Spirit, who can stop them?

Yet

Lest we think that Archbishop Beach and his House of Bishops are “going it alone,” think again. The Anglican Church in North America was given life through the senior archbishops or primates in the Anglican Communion’s Global South and formed through the Global Anglican Fellowship Conference (GAFCON). And if ACNA is demonstrating gospel hegemonic leadership, it is acting not on its own. It is part and partial of  the larger fellowship.

A New Day Coming?

Many have witnessed the Anglican fabric tear apart rapidly in recent decades. Some have deemed this decline as opening opportunities for renewal: time also for an Anglican “realignment.” The Anglican Communion might disintegrate as we have known it historically. And it could very well be replaced by the new and wholly different Anglican Fellowship with faithful, biblical, orthodox ecumenical partners.

Worth Earlwood Norman, Jr. is a biographer and historian. He is also publisher of Archdeacon Books. Retired from EDS Corporation, he is a deacon in the Anglican Diocese of the South (ACNA) and lives in Birmingham, Alabama.