Anglican Communion Network
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The Anglican Communion Network (ACN; officially the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes) was a theologically conservative network of Anglican and Episcopalian
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
s and
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
es in the United States that was working toward
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 ...
and developed into 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 ...
.


Goals and structure

Its key preoccupation was adhering to traditional, orthodox Christian doctrine in the
Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
on subjects such as the infallibility of Scripture and sexual morality (especially regarding the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals and the blessing of same sex unions), particularly in the United States and Canada. Most of the dioceses and parishes were members of the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...
(ECUSA), while others were under the jurisdiction of overseas
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s from Uganda, Kenya, Bolivia and other countries. The ACN also included a
Forward in Faith Forward in Faith (FiF) is an organisation operating in the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church. It represents a traditionalist strand of Anglo-Catholicism and is characterised by its opposition to the ordination of women to the pr ...
convocation of churches, some of which were in the
Continuing Anglican Movement The Continuing Anglican Movement, also known as the Anglican Continuum, encompasses a number of Christian churches, principally based in North America, that have an Anglican identity and tradition but are not part of the Anglican Communion. The ...
. In January 2007, the ACN claimed to have the support of 200,000 laity and 2,200 clergy in ten dioceses and 900 congregations in the United States and Canada.


Origins

The ACN was officially formed in January 2004 at a conference in
Plano, Texas Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Hist ...
, attended by several hundred priests and lay leaders, including 12 Episcopal bishops. Retired Florida Bishop Stephen Hays Jecko was a leader.Brumley, Jeff
"Bishop led without losing his humanity"
Florida Times-Union, June 9, 2007
Its main intent was to provide a system to supply theologically conservative leadership and church oversight to Anglicans in the United States and Canada. The ACN was formed in response to suggestions by the
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, the Most Reverend Rowan Williams, in the wake of the controversy regarding Anglican views of homosexuality. In the United States the initial controversy was the 2003 consecration 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 the
Episcopal Diocese 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 state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Diocese of Massachusetts, but became independent in 1841. ...
. At the time of his election, Robinson was openly living with a same-sex partner. Some issues date back to the adoption of 1979
Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
. Further controversy followed the election of Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori Katharine Jefferts Schori (born March 26, 1954) is the former Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she was the first woman elected ...
. Statements made by Schori, such as "Our mother Jesus gives birth to a new creation", have also been disputed. In Canada the main trigger was the approval of the blessing of
same-sex unions A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
by the
Diocese of Westminster Diocese of Westminster may refer to: * Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, since 1850, with seat at Westminster Cathedral * Diocese of Westminster (Church of England) The Diocese of Westminster was a short-lived diocese of the Church of Engl ...
, also in 2003. Most of the work in establishing the ACN was performed by the American Anglican Council, a group of theologically conservative congregations within the Episcopal Church. The first ACN Moderator was Robert Duncan, seventh bishop of the
Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (Episcopal Church) The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is a diocese in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Geographically, it encompasses 11 counties in Western Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1865 by dividing the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. ...
, and first Archbishop of 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 ...
.


Anglican Relief and Development Fund

The Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) was created by the ACN in 2004 to be a support and humanitarian organisation working with Anglicans in the
Global South The concept of Global North and Global South (or North–South divide in a global context) is used to describe a grouping of countries along socio-economic and political characteristics. The Global South is a term often used to identify region ...
. The ARDF works on multiple
Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenniu ...
projects throughout Africa, South America, and the Middle East. ARDF is supported by the
Church of Nigeria The Church of Nigeria is the Anglicanism, Anglican Church body, church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest Province (Anglican), province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptised membership (not by attendance), after the Church of Englan ...
, the
Anglican Church of Kenya The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) is a province of the Anglican Communion, and it is composed by 41 dioceses. The current Primate and Archbishop of Kenya is Jackson Ole Sapit. The Anglican Church of Kenya claims 5 million total members. Accordin ...
, the Province of South East Asia, the
Church in the Province of the West Indies The Church in the Province of the West Indies is one of 40 member provinces in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church comprises eight dioceses spread out over much of the West Indies area. The present position of Archbishop and Primate of th ...
, and the Church of the Province of West Africa. In 2005 over $1.4 million was donated from ARDF.


Youth and children

Youth ministers from Network Dioceses gathered in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, prior to the November 2006 National Youthworker's Convention hosted by Youth Specialties. During this meeting, speakers inspired participants to get back to the basics of faith, including instructing youth and children in Biblical literacy. Jack Gabig was the director of youth and children for the network.


Network dioceses

These are the dioceses of the Episcopal Church that were part of ACN from the beginning: * Diocese of Albany ( N.Y.) * Diocese of Central Florida *Diocese of Pittsburgh * Diocese of Quincy (
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
) * Diocese of Rio Grande (
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
) * Diocese of Springfield (Illinois) *Diocese of Fort Worth (Texas) * Diocese of South Carolina *
Diocese of Dallas The Diocese of Dallas may refer to: ;Texas *Episcopal Diocese of Dallas *Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century ...
*Diocese of San Joaquin (
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) Subsequently, the conventions of the dioceses of San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, Quincy, and Fort Worth voted to leave the Episcopal Church. The departing members joined the
Anglican Province of the Southern Cone The Anglican Church of South America ( es, Iglesia Anglicana de Sudamérica) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion that covers six dioceses in the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Formed in 198 ...
and it is those dioceses that participated in the Network. The members of those dioceses that remained in the Episcopal Church did not indicate an interest in remaining part of the Network.


Support from Anglican churches and ministries

The
Common Cause Partnership 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 ...
, founded in June 2004, is an alliance of several churches and ministries that support ACN. The initial meeting was followed by a gathering in February 2005 that resulted in
Statement of Common Cause Partners in North America
The Common Cause Partners are: * American Anglican Council *
Anglican Coalition in Canada The Anglican Coalition in Canada (ACiC) is a Canadian Anglican group that is part of the Anglican Mission in the Americas. Silas Ng is the bishop of the ACiC and Peter Klenner is the Network Leader. Many of the congregations came from the Dioce ...
*
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 ...
*
Anglican Network in Canada The Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) is a group of Anglican churches in Canada and the United States established in 2005 under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, a province of the Anglican Communion. It was a found ...
*
Anglican Province of America The Anglican Province of America (APA) is a Continuing Anglican church in the United States. The church was founded by former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States in order to follow what they consider to be a more truly Christian, ...
*
Convocation of Anglicans in North America The Church of Nigeria North American Mission (CONNAM) is a missionary body of the Church of Nigeria (CON). It has been in a ministry partnership with the Anglican Church in North America but no longer affiliated with it beyond mutual membership in ...
* Forward in Faith North America *
Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of ...


Ecumenical relations

In a 2005 meeting, the ACN requested that its moderator send a letter to Pope
Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
to express its greetings and support for upholding the historic teaching and faith of the Church.


See also

*
Confessing Movement The Confessing Movement is a largely lay-led theologically conservative Christian movement that opposes the influence of theological liberalism and theological progressivism within several mainline Protestant denominations and seeks to ret ...


References


''Following the Money''
article by Jim Naughton. Washington Window, Vol. 75, No. 6, May 2006, published by the
Episcopal Diocese of Washington The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is a diocese of the Episcopal Church covering Washington, D.C. and nearby counties of Maryland in the United States. With a membership of over 38,000, the diocese is led by the Bishop of Washington, Mariann ...
.


External links


Official ACN websiteAnglican Relief and Development Fund
Anglican Church in North America Anglican realignment Christian organizations established in 2004 Anglican organizations established in the 21st century