Church of England: Revitalisation instead of retreat

In the ever-deepening crisis over blessings for same-sex couples – Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) – it is understandable why some vibrant and healthy churches have already left the Church of England and joined other Anglican structures.

Yet there are many who are determined to stay in the denomination and stay faithful to its true doctrine. But how do we express that faithfulness? Across the variety of responses there is a consistent thread of deep affection and concern for this historic communion.

Aiming for Church of England reform

The Church of England holds a huge piece of ecclesiastical capital, and though we are dealing with a de facto doctrinal departure, I think we need to aim for more than ghettoisation of evangelicalism within it. We might want to be as separate as possible to protect our integrity against the pollution of apostasy, but should we not also bear witness to Biblical faith for the benefit of the whole denomination and, more importantly, for the salvation of England. For those who remain in the Church of England, then, the aim must be for nothing less than reform. What is needed is in response to PLF is enough distance to retain our doctrinal fidelity, and enough connection to win over those who have strayed from it.

Addressing revisionist bishops

If we are going to revitalise our denomination we need a revolution, but I am not convinced that this should simply be an uprising against revisionist bishops. Though the House of Bishops has failed in spiritual leadership, we should still address bishops with humility and grace. In any case, I think the response needs to be deeper than that, and longer and riskier. Above all else, as we so often find ourselves at a loss in this debacle, we must come to a fuller recognition of our total dependence on God. So first let us commit to prayer for revival.

There are strong, faithful, orthodox evangelical parishes around the country, with unified congregations. Yet many ordinary evangelical leaders serve ‘mixed’ congregations and have ‘mixed’ church councils. That is to say that not everyone would hold to an orthodox position on the subject of human sexuality. It’s hardly surprising, considering that we are immersed in a culture which systemically rejects Christian teaching on this matter. In these circumstances it is hard to gain traction with a separation scheme. A renewal campaign may have more appeal.

Yet there are more challenging contexts to take account of. In an extraordinary move of God’s grace, there is an increase in evangelical clergy serving in churches that have not had a Bible-teaching ministry before, often in places where there is no other evangelical witness. The ‘Network of Revitalisation Ministries’ (NoRM) has connected with over 130 ministers and an increasing number of lay people in this situation.

They may appear weakest in the face of a liberalising agenda, but those engaged in revitalisation ministry in non-evangelical churches are at the vanguard of the very reform that we need in response to it. One parish or benefice at a time, they are slowly reconnecting the denomination to its doctrinal roots. We need to hold onto this precious work. Strong churches can exercise greater independence, but, if they are concerned for the future of the Church of England, they need to take care of this ministry. That means holding onto the bonds between us and holding onto the opportunity to multiply this ministry.

Rather than hold back from sending candidates forward on an ordination pathway, what if we flooded the system with visionary vocations so that we can fill all future vacancies with church reformers? Rather than fostering reticence about ministry in the Church of England, uncertain of what the future holds, should we not pray that God calls men and women to ministry with a vision for revitalising local churches?

A vocations pathway that is costly, uncertain and fraught with discomfort requires candidates whose confidence is not in the bishop, or in a new structure, or in their gifts, but simply in the reserves of God’s grace. Revitalisation is necessarily a work of grace, and it starts with us.