Milton Keith Andrews (born 1954) is an American
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
bishop. He is currently serving as the second bishop of the
Diocese of Western Anglicans
The Diocese of Western Anglicans is an Anglican Church in North America founding diocese. It has 38 congregations in the American states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. The state with most congregation ...
in the
Anglican Church in North America
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba ...
. Ordained in the
Episcopal Church, he was the rector of a congregation that split during the
Anglican realignment
The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States ...
.
Education and early career
Andrews received a B.A. and M.A. from
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, his M.Div. from the
Church Divinity School of the Pacific
Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) is an Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, California. It one of nine seminaries U.S. Episcopal Church and a member of the Graduate Theological Union. The only Episcopal seminary located in the Far West, ...
and his D.Min. from
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...
. His first clergy role was as assistant rector at All Saints Episcopal Church in
Carmel, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and municipal corporation, incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its n ...
, from 1981 to 1983, followed by serving as associate rector at Christ Church of the Ascension in
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Paradise Valley is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb of Phoenix, the state's largest city. It is Arizona's wealthiest municipality. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, expensive real estate, and ...
. In 1985, Andrews was the
planting
Sowing is the process of planting seeds. An area or object that has had seeds planted in it will be described as a sowed or sown area.
Plants which are usually sown
Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sown, grasses and leg ...
vicar of St. James Episcopal Church.
The church first met in living rooms, and the moved to rented locations at a school and a synagogue. In 1991, St. James built a permanent building in
Tempe and established a preschool. Andrews became rector after the congregation received parish status in the
Episcopal Diocese of Arizona
The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which has jurisdiction over most of Arizona. It is in Province VIII.
Jennifer Anne Reddall is the current bishop. Her seat is at Trinity Ca ...
.
Anglican realignment
Andrews has said that he had grown increasingly uncomfortable with what he called "
deconstructionist
The term deconstruction refers to approaches to understanding the relationship between text and meaning. It was introduced by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who defined it as a turn away from Platonism's ideas of "true" forms and essences ...
" theology in the Episcopal Church. "I was trained in deconstructionism," he said of his seminary education. "The truth is, I’m a moderate. The problem is that things have moved so consistently to the left in the church over the past 30 to 40 years that now I am seen as ‘fringe.’ I was still in this church all this time because I was committed to the life of the church and to its health and well-being."
His objections to the Episcopal Church came to a head with the election of
Gene Robinson
Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to th ...
as
bishop of New Hampshire
The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA), covers the entire U.S. state, state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Diocese of Ma ...
in 2003. Andrews acknowledged that “
e emotional experience of many will be jubilation and the emotional experience of many is going to be devastation. This is going to have far-reaching implications of what the church looks like. It is going to affect families, pastors, churches and it is going to have a profound impact. . . It is going to change the landscape of the church.”
In March 2005, between 60
and 80
percent of St. James' congregation voted to leave the Episcopal Church.
Andrews joined them, noting that he did not "renounce my
piscopalorders is because I have done nothing wrong that should cause me to renounce them," and they planted Living Faith Anglican Church as part of the
Anglican Mission in America
The Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) or The Anglican Mission (AM) is a self-governing church inheriting its doctrine and form of worship from the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC) and Anglican Church of Canada with members and ch ...
, with Andrews as founding rector.
The church plant was sustained initially by contributions made over the previous year to an independent endowment set up by St. James members, and there was no dispute over St. James' real estate.
Andrews served as canon missioner and an AMIA network leader in addition to being rector of Living Faith.
In 2012, Living Faith moved to the Diocese of Western Anglicans, which had been founded upon the creation of the Anglican Church in North America. Andrews served from 2013 to 2014 as the diocese's regional
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
for Arizona and Nevada.
Episcopacy
In May 2014, the Diocese of Western Anglicans elected Andrews to be the second diocesan bishop, succeeding
Bill Thompson, who had announced his retirement for June 2014 for health reasons.
Andrews' election was given consent by the ACNA College of Bishops in October 2014.
He was consecrated by ACNA Archbishop
Foley Beach
Foley Thomas Beach (born October 31, 1958) is an American bishop. He is the second primate and archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, a church associated with the Anglican realignment movement. Foley was elected as the church's prima ...
on January 25, 2015, in
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
.In October 2017, Andrews dedicated
All Saints Anglican Church in Long Beach as the diocesan cathedral.
In 2016, Andrews joined fellow ACNA Bishops
Eric Menees,
Mark Zimmerman
John Mark Zimmerman (born 1956) is a retired American Anglican bishop. He was the first diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Southwest, which has jurisdiction in west Texas, New Mexico and Mexico in the Anglican Church in North America ...
,
Kevin Bond Allen
Kevin Bond Allen (born 1954) is an American Anglican bishop. From 2011 to 2024, he was the first bishop of the Diocese of Cascadia in the Anglican Church in North America. Earlier in his career, as an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal p ...
, and
Todd Hunter
Todd Stuart Hunter NOTE: Requires user to input song title, e.g. POLITICS (born 22 June 1951) is a New Zealand musician and composer known for his involvement in the band Dragon. Their best known songs are "April Sun in Cuba", "Are You Old Enou ...
to streamline the
ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...
process in western U.S. ACNA dioceses, with a joint exam and a joint examining board that would allow clergy ordained under the standards to serve in any participating diocese.
At the provincial level, in 2020 Andrews co-chaired with
Alphonza Gadsden
Alphonza Gadsden Sr. (born 1945) is an American Anglican bishop. From 2007 to 2020, he was bishop ordinary of the Reformed Episcopal Church's Diocese of the Southeast.
Biography
Gadsden was born to Silas and Leola Gadsden in Russellville, Sout ...
an ACNA task force on race, racism and racial reconciliation.
In August 2023, Andrews announced his intention to retire in early 2025, beginning an election process for a new Western Anglicans diocesan bishop.
References
External links
Profile on Diocese of Western Anglicans website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Milton Keith
Living people
Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America
1954 births
Church Divinity School of the Pacific alumni
Anglican realignment people