The Anglican Communion - has the ship sailed?

It was telling that Madeleine Davies, Senior Writer at the Church Times, gave short shrift to the idea that the unity of the Anglican Communion was high on the priority list for those selecting the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Her response on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme, was simple - "That ship has already sailed." 

It seems almost everyone involved would agree.

The Anglican Consultative Council certainly thought so - their decision to chose representatives of tiny, liberal provinces to be the voice of the 'Anglican Communion' on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) gave no indication that they were looking for unity. The representatives came from:

• Wales and New Zealand - which have both accepted same-sex blessings leading to the creation of new orthodox Anglican jurisdictions in their midst.

• West Africa - which covers eight countries but is miniscule in comparison to neighbouring Nigeria.

• South America - which covers five countries and split from the more orthodox Anglican Church of Chile in 2018. Chile is a member of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) and the Gafcon Primates' Council.

• Jerusalem and Middle East - which split from the more orthodox Province of Alexandria in 2020. Alexandria is a member of the GSFA and the Gafcon Primates' Council.

So, while individual members of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) may have shared the convictions of the vast majority of global Anglicans, there was no actual representative of Gafcon or GSFA in the room to put their case.

It would appear from their decision that the CNC was also convinced that the ship had sailed.

If the unity of the Anglican Communion had taken precedence during their discussions, it is unlikely that the CNC would have chosen a woman. While 80% of provinces in the Anglican Communion ordain women as priests, and two thirds would permit women to enter the episcopate, less than half have actually ordained a female bishop. It was bound to cause further fracture.

And while not the most progressive bishop in the English College, their decision to give the role to the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally gives further credence to the idea that they were not troubled by the desire to maintain global unity. They would have been well aware that she took the lead in introducing the Prayers of Love and Faith, describing them as a "moment of hope" for the church and that she, like many feminist theologians, is also partial to misgendering God. In her Christmas message last year she spoke of, "the transformational work of the Holy Spirit, as she breathes life and warmth into weary places, tired bones, cold homes and wounded relationships".

Looking around the world, most of those responding to her appointment recognised that the division had already taken place - for example:

Gafcon - "This appointment abandons global Anglicans, as the Church of England has chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion."

GSFA - "While we shall of course pray for Bishop Mullally as she assumes this historic position, we feel compelled to say that we feel this appointment is a missed opportunity to reunite and reform the Anglican Communion."

Nigeria - It remains to be seen how the same person hopes to mend the already torn fabric of the Anglican Communion by the contentious same-sex marriage, which has caused an enormous crisis across the entire Anglican Communion for over two decades. This election is a further confirmation that the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Singapore - "The failure to do so was a missed opportunity for the Global Anglican Communion to find common cause and re-unite through the affirmation of traditional teachings of God’s Word."

Sydney - "The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury once held a symbolic leadership role in the global Anglican Communion. However, due to a tragic failure to uphold biblical teaching, successive Archbishops have forfeited the trust of orthodox Anglicans, who now look to other leaders."

For others, who welcomed her appointment, it was as if there was no division to worry about.

Scotland - “I have met Bishop Sarah at various Anglican Communion events and at the Church of England’s General Synod, and I look forward to working together with her for the flourishing of the Anglican Communion across these islands.

The Episcopal Church - "I have written to Bishop Sarah to send my warmest congratulations to her, her husband, Eamonn, and their family, and to tell her how much I look forward to working with her at the primates meeting and across the Anglican Communion."

There are of course disagreements about when the ship left the harbour. Some would argue it slipped its moorings in 2003, when The Episcopal Church chose to consecrate Gene Robinson, a divorced man living with his same-sex partner; others, would point to the failure of the Windsor Process four years later under the Most Revd Rowan Williams. While more patient commentators might suggest there was still a chance of the ship returning to shore until the Most Revd Justin Welby betrayed the will of the majority of Primates in 2016, ignored the Global South at Lambeth in 2022 and presided over the introduction of the Prayers of Love and Faith in 2023.

Whenever it was that the ship slipped away, most would agree that it left under the watch of the 104th or 105th Archbishops of Canterbury and cannot therefore be blamed on Sarah Mullally.

Of course there are still a few hopeful souls gazing out to sea - convinced that the tiny dot on the far horizon might still turn back. The statement of the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion (EFAC) suggested that Mullally would have, "a unique opportunity to lead a process to reset the Anglican Communion and its leadership," a task that "will involve wise and determined leadership".

But their diagnosis is confused and thus their solution is misfounded.

The question they need to ask is - "Who is on the ship?"

In the popular imagination it is the conservative provinces of Gafcon and GSFA who are hauling up the gangplank and sailing off in search of doctrinal purity. EFAC allude to this when they speak of provinces that, "will continue, in conscience, to disengage."

If it were Gafcon and GSFA who are sailing away on a ship of their own making, then EFAC's attempts to call the orthodox back with promises of structural change and the need for an "agreed coherent theological and doctrinal basis" on which to go forward, might make sense. Similarly, if that were the case, EFAC's decision to place their hope in IAFUSCO (Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order) and their Nairobi-Cairo proposals might bear fruit - some conservatives might indeed be persuaded to return to shore in the hope of a steadier future.

But that is not the ship that has sailed. Gafcon and GSFA are safe and sound, with their feet planted firmly on the shore. The ship that has sailed is crewed by the progressive provinces - who have cast off the moorings of scripture and tradition and are off on a great adventure into the unknown and unknowable. Sadly, they are not interested in EFAC's attempts to find "a convergence in our understanding of the truth," in any meaningful sense. Indeed the IASCUFO document outlining the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals in which EFAC place their trust, obfuscates the place of 'truth' in future inter-Anglican relationships, focusing mainly on 'truthful' relationships rather than seeking a shared understanding of God's revealed word.

Life on the ship may seem attractive for now. "HMS Anglican Communion" has been daubed in gold lettering on the bow, the crew have nice uniforms, there is plenty of treasure stowed away and they are passing the time with stories of a 'Promised Land' of their own invention at which they will one day arrive. But it is a ship that will flounder and when it does it will take down many souls with it.

It is for the sake of these souls that those on land keep sounding the alarm, as Gafcon did in their recent statement:

"Today’s announcement will cause sadness and dismay among Anglicans worldwide. Yet, every morning, Anglicans throughout the world recite the words of Psalm 95: “Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Today, that is our prayer for all bishops and leaders within the Anglican Communion, including Bishop Sarah Mullally. We pray that as she takes upon herself the weight of this historic office, she will repent, and earnestly work with the Gafcon leadership to mend the torn fabric of our Anglican Communion."

Those steering the ship have been warned again and again of the danger they are in and of their need to repent and turn back, but they have no interest in so doing. The best that can be hoped is that some on board will escape before it is too late.

Attention must now turn to those remaining on the land - where the challenge will be to stop looking out to sea in the vain hope that the progressive ship will return, and start doing all that is necessary for the true Anglican Communion to be a true 'visible church' as Article XIX describes.

"The visible church is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ’s ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same. As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith."

Looking at their statements, for Gafcon this means:

"The reset of our beloved Communion is now uniquely in the hands of Gafcon, and we are ready to take the lead. For such a time as this, Gafcon has summoned global orthodox Anglican bishops to Abuja, Nigeria, from 3 to 6 March, 2026, for the G26 Bishops Assembly. This may be the most significant gathering of faithful Anglicans since 2008."

This is a typically bold statement from those who have taken decisive and costly action at many key points over the past eighteen years.

Many of the leaders of GSFA will also be in Abuja, where they are likely to repeat the offer to all orthodox provinces which they set out in their statement:

"... a framework of covenanted relationships, rooted in an explicit commitment to orthodox Anglican doctrine and mutual accountability which we commend to the whole Communion as a matter of urgency. Only in this way, we believe, will it be possible to restore confidence, clarity and unity as we continue to obey our Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations."

Surely faithful Anglicans need to pray that in God's good mercy, the courage and clarity of Gafcon, who have provided an ecclesial home to so many around the world, will combine with something of the ecclesial underpinnings envisaged by GSFA, to rebuild the true Anglican Communion.

The ship has sailed - now is the time for the hard work to begin.

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