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Reflection on the House of Bishops from Bishop Barry Beisner
26 March 2007
Dear Friends in Christ:
I was very happy to return to the Diocese last Friday afternoon from my first House of Bishops meeting. As I said to you at the end of February, in anticipation of that meeting, I saw the House as an organization in search of itself, given the enormous changes in its membership and leadership, and the equally enormous pressure of finding its way forward through the current crisis in the Anglican Communion.
Much of our attention was focused on the Millennium Development Goals, which we in Northern California discussed and made commitment to last November in Diocesan Convention. Several other reports were received and discussed, including the state of human need and the Church’s continuing response and rebuilding efforts in the region devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the challenges facing our military people and their families upon returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, global Anglican initiatives on theological education and the interpretation of Scripture, and the state of current efforts to remove congregations and alienate property from the Episcopal Church, to name some of the more urgently important ones. Of course, the reports which took most of our time, and (sadly) probably the only ones most people have been paying attention to, were the reports on the draft Anglican Covenant and the Primates’ Communiqué.
I trust that by now you have had a chance to review carefully the three resolutions and—more importantly—the summary statement of the Bishops entitled a “Message to God’s People.” I had them sent to you immediately, because of my concern that our discussions and decisions in our diocesan family be well-informed. I hope and expect that those conversations will be as wonderfully open and honest, and filled with baptismal regard for one another, as was the work of the Bishops. I am thinking not only of the conversations which will be taking place between us in the usual gatherings (like Deanery Clericus), but also of some extraordinary gatherings which are tentatively being planned to help us explore the proposed Covenant.
As you are aware, in spite of our Presiding Bishop’s expectation that no decisions would be made at this meeting, the overwhelming majority of us felt that part of the Communiqué needed immediate attention, if our commitment to go forward in the Covenant process and remain fully engaged in the Anglican Communion was to be taken seriously. Quite simply, we felt that the Communiqué’s “Pastoral Scheme,” with its creation of a “Pastoral Council” that would form immediately (the deadline for our Presiding Bishop to make her appointment to the Council, we learned, was actually a week prior to the start of our meeting), and exercise real power in the life of our Church, was a problem. I shared the majority’s concerns about the need to address the constitutional and canonical implications of this matter more fully—we had been told, after all, that we had until September 30; I also shared the majority concern that an inadvertent shift in power to one of the four “Instruments of Unity” at this time might have the unfortunate effect of derailing the Covenant process. In addition, for the sake of clarity, I want you to know that I joined in the effort to refer the resolution entitled “A Statement to the Church” to the Bishops’ Theology Committee, because I thought it basically sound but needed more work; that failing (by a vote of 61-53), having participated in efforts at amendment, I voted in favor. I also joined in expressing the fervent desire of all the Bishops to meet directly with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates Standing Committee. I am still guided by the Windsor Report, and I am sincerely committed, along with the rest of the Bishops, to being fully engaged in doing the work of strengthening the Anglican Communion and our place in it.
Let me emphasize that point: in spite of what you may have read in the secular press (or the many even-more-out-of-touch-with-our-reality religious bloggers), we did not act to reject an “ultimatum” from the Primates. It is a serious distortion to think of the Communiqué in such terms. Some of the Primates see it that way, no doubt; but many (including the two who were with us) do not, and the House of Bishops commendably refused merely to be reactive, but is seeking to be positively responsive and to stay fully engaged. We are committed to a process which will take time, and require great patience, trust, and a willingness to resist the temptations to catastrophize the situation, or to grasp at simple, technical solutions to complex problems, or to indulge in black/white thinking—something not really very true to Anglicanism . I believe that the way in which the Bishops worked together last week can serve as a model for us all.
When I returned home, it was immediately to become immersed in the Province VIII conference on stewardship and evangelism then underway in Sacramento. The title of that conference was “Life Transformed by Water and the Spirit.” My hope is that we can be more truly focused on God’s transforming work among us in the Diocese of Northern California, and in the Anglican Communion, to which we belong. I am happy to be able to report that I have experienced it in the House of Bishops. I am grateful for you prayers, which truly helped to make it so.
Yours in Christ,
+Barry
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Spring House of Bishops Meeting
Camp Allen Episcopal Conference Center
Navasota, Texas
March 16-21, 2007
A Message to God’s People…from the Bishops of the Episcopal Church
As we prepare for Easter and the joyous celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we send you greetings from Navasota, Texas where we gathered for the spring meeting of the House of Bishops. We represent fifteen sovereign nations, the fifty United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and Micronesia bearing witness to the Gospel of Our Lord and the wonders of Christ’s redeeming work in the world. We were reminded of the health and vitality of our Church as our new Presiding Bishop recounted her travels. We have experienced a sense of identity, clarity, and purpose in fulfilling our vocation as bishops. We were blessed by the presence of the Primate and the House of Bishops of the Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico. Together we discovered a growing unity as we seek the mind of Christ. Our meeting was marked by a spirit of thanksgiving and respect, lived in a rich rhythm of worship, work, study, and rest.
That spirit moved us deeper into our focus on mission for Christ. In that context we discussed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Primates’ Communiqué, the draft Anglican Communion Covenant, as well as a number of other mission opportunities.
The central theme of the address by the Rev. Dr. Ian Douglas of the Episcopal Divinity School was that “the mission of the Church is to participate in the mission of God”. This observation set the tone for our study and discussion of the MDGs. We gave special attention to the challenge of environmental sustainability, the theme of a presentation by Dr. John Pine of Louisiana State University who addressed the environmental implications of global climate change.
We heard from the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner and the Rev. Dr. Katherine Grieb, members of the Covenant Drafting Committee, each of whom brought a distinct perspective regarding the proposed Covenant. Their presentations, which are available on line, will inform further conversations as the drafting process continues prior to the Lambeth Conference of 2008.
Mission concerns received attention in a variety of workshops and presentations, including: the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, Darkness into Day campaign, TEAM (Toward Effective Anglican Mission), TEAC (Theological Education within Anglican Communion), Bishops Working for a Just Society, issues facing returning military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families, as well as immigration and border issues viewed from both the United States and Mexican perspectives. The fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq was marked by a prayer vigil for peace. Then, in both formal and informal ways, members of the House expressed their strong desire to keep God’s mission at the center of the life of the Church.
We also heard a well-documented report by the House of Bishops’ Task Force on Property Disputes on the history and strategy of groups, including some in the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes (NACDAP) and others, to remove congregations and church property from The Episcopal Church. This report will be made available at a later date. We commend it, once publicly available, to diocesan Standing Committees.
We had an extended and thoughtful discussion of the Communiqué from the Primates Meeting in Dar es Salaam, which represents the beginning of a longer process of response that will continue through the coming months.
It is our strong desire to remain within the fellowship of the Anglican Communion. The Primates’ Communiqué, however, raises significant concerns. First among these is what is arguably an unprecedented shift of power toward the Primates, represented, in part, by the proposed “Pastoral Scheme.” This proposed plan calls for the appointment of a Primatial Vicar and Pastoral Council for The Episcopal Church whose membership would consist of “up to five members; two nominated by the Primates, two by the Presiding Bishop, and a Primate of a Province of the Anglican Communion nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury to chair the Council.” We believe this proposal contravenes the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. Moreover, because it is proposed that this scheme take immediate effect, we were compelled, at this March meeting, to request that the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church decline to participate in this aspect of the Communiqué’s requests. Nonetheless, we pledge to continue working to find a way of meeting the pastoral concerns raised by the Primates that are compatible with our own Church’s polity and canons. We should note that our recommendation to Executive Council not to participate in the Pastoral Scheme, though not unanimously endorsed by this House, came at the conclusion of long and gracious conversation.
Finally, we believe that the leaders of the Church must always hold basic human rights and the dignity of every human being as fundamental concerns in our witness for Christ. We were, therefore, concerned that while the Communiqué focuses on homosexuality, it ignores the pressing issues of violence against gay and lesbian people around the world, and the criminalization of homosexual behavior in many nations of the world.
The Theology Committee of the House of Bishops was charged with the responsibility of developing a teaching guide for consideration of both the Primates’ Communiqué and the proposed draft Covenant for the Anglican Communion. We anticipate this guide will be available by late May for use by bishops and dioceses in preparation for the September meeting of the House of Bishops.
The bishops unanimously affirmed a Mind of the House Resolution inviting the Archbishop of Canterbury and the members of the Primates’ Standing Committee to meet, at a time of their choosing, with the House of Bishops.
As we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery we call for your prayers for and commitment to God’s mission of making all things new.
For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5)
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The House of Bishops have been meeting in Texas to consider their response to the Primates request that they refrain from authorizing the blessing of same-sex unions, refrain from consenting to the election of gay or lesbian bishops, and allow a “
primatial vicar” to minister to
disaffected dioceses and congregations in the Episcopal Church. They have just passed a series of resolutions in which they communicate their inability to decide these matters without the participation of the House of Deputies. They have also rejected the proposed “
primatial vicar.” They reaffirmed their desire to remain full members of the Anglican Communion as well as the importance of full inclusion of all people regardless of gender or sexual orientation. They have requested a meeting with the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the members of the Primate’s Standing Committee. They have also written ” A Statement from the House of Bishops – March 20, 2007″ This statement is found at the bottom of this link and is worth reading. It is beautifully written.
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_84148_ENG_HTM.htm
