Quincy and Pittsburgh to Reconsider National Church Ties

09/12/2007

The dioceses of Pittsburgh and Quincy announced plans Sept. 11 to reconsider their ties to The Episcopal Church during their annual convention meetings later this fall.

The proposed changes to the Pittsburgh constitution include provisions to welcome any extra-territorial “parish formed and desiring union with the diocese” and “the Diocese of Pittsburgh shall have membership in such province of the Anglican Communion as is by diocesan canon specified.”

“We are praying that the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops makes these votes unnecessary by unequivocally accepting all the requests of the worldwide Anglican Communion when they meet in New Orleans,” said the Rev. David Rucker, president of the Pittsburgh diocesan council. “While we continue to pray for the House, we must also prepare for the very real possibility they will not respond favorably. Thus, we are beginning the process that will allow our convention to consider this action in the event The Episcopal Church does not turn back.” At press time the outcome of the House of Bishops’ meeting was still pending.

The proposed bylaw changes for the Diocese of Quincy were not made public in its announcement, which stated that it “will consider proposals at its October synod that would cut its ties with the General Convention of the Episcopal Church if leaders of that church continue to pull away from mainstream Anglicanism.”

“It’s become obvious over three decades that two churches now exist under the same name,” Bishop Keith Ackerman of Quincy stated. “The original church encompasses the parishes and dioceses like Quincy who are committed to the authority of Holy Scripture and Christian orthodoxy. The second is a new, culturally driven religion that advocates revolutionary social change and has abandoned orthodox Christianity. Sadly, this new group has gained control of the national General Convention and Executive Council. Leaders of the Anglican Communion have repeatedly asked The Episcopal Church to repent and heal the schism they’ve caused in our Communion. The Episcopal Church has simply refused.”

Last year, Quincy and six other dioceses asked for alternative oversight from an archbishop outside of the United States. Both the House of Bishops and Executive Council rejected the most recent proposal for oversight earlier this year.

“We’ve gone the extra mile in demonstrating patience,” said the Rev. John Spencer, president of the Quincy standing committee. “But many of our people are simply unwilling to wait any longer, when we see absolutely no sign that The Episcopal Church will…turn back from the destructive path it is on.”

This article comes from The Living Church Foundation
http://www.livingchurch.org/

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