Nassau Coalition Alleges
‘State of Pastoral Emergency’ in ECUSA

by Jan Nunley
(ENS) A group of conservative Anglican leaders has alleged that a "state of pastoral emergency" exists in the Episcopal Church as a result of resolutions passed at the Denver General Convention regarding the women's ordination canon and human sexuality. But efforts to persuade congregations to defect from the Episcopal Church seem to have proved largely unsuccessful.

Calling themselves the "Nassau Coalition--A Broad-Based Consultation on Anglican/Episcopal Essentials," the group met in Nassau August 21-23 to discuss the implications of resolution A045, which calls for "continued monitoring" of compliance with the canons on women's ordination, and D039, which asks for pastoral support of lifelong, committed relationships outside of marriage.

The group produced a "circular letter to the archbishop of Canterbury and the other primates of the Anglican Communion," condemning the resolutions and asking the Primates and the archbishop of Canterbury to provide "an alternative arrangement" for conservative ministry "as a matter of urgency." The letter added, "Many have already left; many more are leaving," but provided no statistics.

The list of signers includes three of the 38 Anglican primates, eight American conservative bishops, a bishop from Brazil and one from Singapore, representatives from nine conservative organizations--all but one based in the U.S.--and one bishop of a "continuing Anglican" church. All but four of the bishops are listed as members of the U.S-based Ekklesia Society on the organization's Website, www.ekk.org/bes.htm.

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold commented briefly on the declaration. "It is unhelpful to have bishops from other parts of the Anglican Communion seek to disrupt the life and work of this church," he said, "but it is heartening to know that almost without exception, the mission of the gospel and common vision in the Episcopal Church continues uninterrupted in the unity of the faith."

Since the Denver General Convention, there have been scattered reports of priests and parishes leaving the Episcopal Church and affiliating with the newly formed Anglican Mission in America (AMiA), the umbrella organization for "missionary work" undertaken in the U.S. by the Church of South East Asia and the Church of Rwanda. Priests and parishes which affiliate with the AmiA will be received into the Church of South East Asia under Bishop John Rodgers (formerly of Pittsburgh), or the Church of Rwanda under Bishop Charles Murphy (formerly of South Carolina). Both were consecrated as "missionary bishops" in January, but neither has been recognized as a bishop by the archbishop of Canterbury or Griswold.

"While we are aware of the efforts of the AMiA in a few U.S. churches, there has been no substantial undermining of the health or ongoing mission of the mainstream church in America," commented Griswold. "We continue to uphold a position that is generous, broad and inclusive of divergent points of view while holding on to the unity of one body in Christ."

An informal survey of 32 diocesan bishops via e-mail revealed that only three dioceses have had parishes transfer to the AMiA's jurisdiction. Only one knew of a parish contemplating such an action, and three believed there is at least one parish in their diocese which might leave.

Ironically, the congregations and priests which have left for the AMiA have been from dioceses with a moderate-to-conservative theological reputation, although both the Nassau Coalition bishops and the AMiA's Murphy and Rodgers claim their focus is on the needs of those in liberal dioceses with a "non-orthodox" bishop. Some observers have wondered whether that's missionary work, or just old-fashioned intramural "sheep-stealing."

In the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, 80 parishioners from the 257-member St. Francis of Assisi Church in Gulf Breeze, Florida, along with their rector, the Rev. Mark DiCristina, announced they were leaving to form the Anglican Church of the Messiah on August 20. A week later, 412 members and three priests from St. Andrew's-by-the-Sea in Destin, Florida, voted to break away from the Episcopal Church and were received into the Church of Rwanda by Murphy.

On September 7, the diocesan standing committee authorized Bishop Charles Duvall to inhibit DiCristina and two of the three Destin priests from acting as clergy of the Episcopal Church. (The third is canonically resident in Alabama.) They have six months to respond. The new Anglican congregation will be given a chance to buy its building and property from the diocese if they do not return to the Episcopal Church within six months.

Even as the Florida parishes were negotiating their departure for the Church of Rwanda, two small Colorado congregations and four priests joined the Church of South East Asia under Rodgers.

The Denver Post reported that Colorado's Bishop Jerry Winterrowd is "taking a wait-and-see attitude" about the departures, although in a pastoral letter to the diocese, Winterrowd said the priests face disciplinary action. Those remaining with the two Episcopal parishes will be served by a missioner priest until further notice.