Will women defect from the C of E?

With the question of the ministry of female bishops seeming to have lost some traction recently in the Church of England, can some defections to other provinces be in the offing?

Ruth Gledhill says the possibility is a distinct one.

Supporters of women priests said that female clergy and even male clergy could defect to the Methodist or Lutheran churches.

They could also go to Scotland, a liberal province of the Anglican Communion where two dioceses are seeking new bishops. It is believed that one could make history by electing Britain’s first woman bishop. Some might even emigrate to the United States, which, with Canada and Australia, already has women bishops.

Congregations could move as well, it is feared, as happened when women were ordained priests and Anglo-Catholics defected to the Orthodox or Roman Catholic churches. This would mean a loss to the Church of England of many thousands of worshippers. Many women, disillusioned with the male-dominated hierarchy, could also decide to stop going to church at all.

Shock and anger rang throughout the C of E last week when it was announced that a Revision Committee had

...voted to amend the draft Measure to provide for certain functions to be vested in bishops by statute rather than by delegation from the diocesan bishop under a statutory code of practice.

Advocacy group WATCH (Women and the Church) condemned the measures as disappointing, using language that should be familiar to Episcopalians.

What is being proposed by the Revision Committee needs further clarification but we do not believe that statutory transfer can avoid creating a two tier episcopate. This would be demeaning to women and would fundamentally damage the office of bishop in our church.

Moreover, were such proposals to pass through our church synods, the Church of England would be in the extraordinary position of asking Parliament to ratify legislation that institutionally discriminates against women.

Posted by Torey Lightcap on October 18, 2009 3:55 PM | |
Comments (6)

Remind me again why we're supposed to stay tied at all costs to this embarassing English church.

Posted by Josh Thomas [TypeKey Profile Page] | October 18, 2009 4:57 PM

I would like to know more about the political process in the C of E. General Synod voted a different path forward, but apparently a committee can ignore the will of the General Synod in the C of E.

Does General Synod have any authority?

Posted by Charles Hawkins [TypeKey Profile Page] | October 18, 2009 6:29 PM

Hey, I just heard this new joke the other day. Ready?

When is a bishop not a bishop?


Posted by Dcn Scott Elliott [TypeKey Profile Page] | October 18, 2009 9:38 PM

A two-tiered episcopate is a stupid compromise; you're right to be offended. (As, on the other side, are Anglo-Catholics.) But what of the Episcopal line about non-interference in another province? Also, echoing Josh, as being Anglican simply means one's bishop is invited to Lambeth, why not just leave? (Stop spending lots of bucks on a trip to England every 10 years.) On the lay level you'd still literally be in communion anyway and Episcopalians haven't been subsidised by the mother country in a couple hundred years (something about taxation without representation if I rightly recall).

Posted by John Beeler [TypeKey Profile Page] | October 19, 2009 9:52 AM

But what of the Episcopal line about non-interference in another province?

Can you point out to us, John B, where there *has* been such TEC interference?

JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux [TypeKey Profile Page] | October 19, 2009 6:47 PM

Good point, JC. I meant, isn't suggesting that C of E women disgruntled that their church isn't moving fast enough on women bishops go to another province the same in your view as encouraging conservative Episcopalians to go to African provinces or ACNA, moves you oppose? IOW are those on the right who do it schismatics according to TEC's ecclesiology and those on the left who do it not; why or why not?

Posted by John Beeler [TypeKey Profile Page] | October 19, 2009 7:47 PM

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