A new book to be published in June by IVP called God’s Church for God’s World brings together voices drawn from all major Anglican evangelical networks in the UK, demonstrating a commitment to the gospel being proclaimed and a unity both throughout and beyond the Church of England.
With a number of young contributors, it also offers a glimpse of possible futures for the Anglican Church. This extract (with some very minor adaptations for publication here) not only summarises the book’s contents but also gives a flavour of the situation Anglican evangelicals face – a useful overview both for them and also for non-Anglicans to whom the whole Anglican ‘thing’ can sometimes seem understandably perplexing and exasperating.
Perhaps more than at any previous time – though that is debateable – the Anglican Church is divided and fractured. For many, it is difficult even to agree on what the ‘Anglican Church’ means. It is likely that many will not attend this summer’s global Lambeth Conference of bishops. Church attendance in the West is plummeting and churches face difficult choices about the future, with regard to buildings, finances and ministry. Current moral questions around gender and sexuality continue to tear apart not only the international Anglican Communion but also individual national churches within it, including the Church of England. Covid-19 has shown us that life as we know it is much more frail and fleeting than we ever imagined was possible.
It is in this context that the truth of our church being God’s church for God’s world is most vital. For all our struggles and failures, for all the challenges we face at present and in the future, we belong to God; we are His church. He is the one in charge, the one who sustains, the one who preserves his truth through the ages, the one who still works the miracle of changing unbelieving hearts of stone into hearts of flesh that beat for Him alone. This world is still His good creation, His chosen place of redemption and resurrection, the place He loved enough to enter into and die on a cross for. We are God’s church and we have a mission to fulfil in God’s world: we exist for God’s glory and, by extension, for the salvation of His world.
Amid all the divisions and challenges of our time, now is an exciting time in Anglicanism. The idea of walking, listening and witnessing together as God’s church for God’s world has been manifested among evangelicals in a fresh way. The challenges facing gospel ministry and the proclamation of Biblical truth have galvanised those who hold dear the role to witness the Scriptures and the Anglican Formularies.
In the years since the previous Lambeth Conference, there has been a lot of walking and listening together among Anglican evangelicals globally and within England. There has also been a lot of witnessing. While the general trend for churches within England has been one of downward growth, many evangelical churches have been growing and thriving. Others have been faithfully ministering to and discipling the faithful. There has been an explosion in church planting by large churches and networks such as Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) and New Wine-affiliated churches, as well as structures outside the Church of England, such as the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), a parallel Anglican province in relationship with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and many of the global south GAFCON churches. The struggles of many non-evangelical churches have also opened the door to what might be called ‘turn-around ministries, which many evangelicals have leapt to in an attempt to witness faithfully to a dying church and minister into that congregation a gospel-centred ministry that had likely not been there before. Along with this church-planting fervour, in recent years there has been an increased focus on reaching the unchurched parts of England, such as many of the most deprived areas of the nation – a demographic in which, historically, there has been less of an evangelical presence from the Church of England.
Evangelicalism within the Church of England is diverse and there are many disagreements that remain about the role of women in ministry, the continuation of the spiritual gifts, strategy and focus, matters of soteriology. There is, though, also an exciting unity and fresh willingness to put aside secondary issues in order to protect and promote the first-order issues of the gospel, sin and salvation. That unity has global implications, because it is also a unity with the global Anglican Church, which remains, primarily, conservative on these issues and seeks to resist revisions.
Traditionally, the Church of England has always been the centre of global Anglicanism, the Archbishop of Canterbury the first among equals, the mother church the locus of global unity. As these traditions are tested in a way that they have never been before, it is not exaggerating to say that what happens among evangelicals in the Church of England has global implications for the Anglican Communion.
United around the gospel, we seek to explore the key issues we are facing and share our thoughts and ministries – share what God has been doing among us. Together, we hope to give a glimpse of the vibrant work of God’s church in England. Not everyone who has contributed to this book will agree with everyone else on all things, and that includes those of us who have edited it. We all, though, love Jesus and seek His glory, and we all recognise the importance of God’s church and His love for His world.
Andrew Goddard explains how the Anglican Communion has changed over the years. He explores the growth of a sense of global Anglicanism by tracing the creation of structures such as the first Lambeth Conference in 1867 and the central consultative bodies. In more recent times, he considers the formation of GAFCON. Finally, Andrew explores the complexity of what is and is not ‘Anglican’ in the light of this history.
Thomas Woolford considers his own journey, from thinking that the Church of England was simply ‘the best boat to fish from’ to an understanding of the importance of the catholicity of the Church of England as a convictional Anglican. He also considers the challenges but also, especially, the benefits of being in a broad church such as the Church of England, as well as the importance of not focusing only on our own little flock of sheep but also serving, loving and caring for the whole flock of believers across England.
Ros Clarke introduces us to the topic of the laity by considering the Biblical basics of lay ministry in the Church of England and the radical vision of J. C. Ryle in this regard. She explores the role of the laity in the church – local, regional and national – and the incredible influence they can wield by serving their local church and participating intentionally in the larger structures of the deanery and diocese.
Adam Young introduces the history and purpose of bishops within the Church of England, from the Reformation onwards. Four serving bishops explain their understanding of what it means to be an evangelical bishop in the Church of England today. These evangelical bishops show a remarkable common unity of vision, despite being at different points in their episcopacy – fairly new or recently retired – or having different roles in the hierarchy – diocesan, suffragan, flying – and coming from different parts of the evangelical spectrum.
Then we look at stories from across the country and the evangelical spectrum to see the gospel unity, common themes, unique challenges and shared testimony of the work of Jesus today in His church and world. Sam Haigh explores the culture shock he experienced when he entered theological college. He then reflects on the importance of exegetical preaching and the lessons he has learnt through his work with Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) – how we must have an audacious faith that expects God always to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. From Alpha, HTB, church planting and turn-around ministry at Preston Minster, Sam challenges us to think big, even as we address the challenges of our time face on.
Charles Lamont shares us his testimony of God’s work revitalising St Andrew’s Wimbledon amid all the very real challenges a minister faces taking on such a radical turn-around ministry as an evangelical. He brings home to us the importance of discipleship, mentoring and training, as well as answering questions on how issues concerning human sexuality – especially in a more revisionist setting – can have an impact on the basic work of mission.
Coming from Zimbabwe, Esther Prior became a Christian and longed to serve and minister in God’s church, but had no idea just how deep the divisions relating to charismatic gifts and the ordination of women can go. Mutual flourishing, for both complementarians and egalitarians, is the promise and commitment from the Church of England and, in this chapter, Esther handles openly and frankly the very real challenges, pains and struggles that this walking together brings on all sides.
Sophie Bannister introduces us to the work of the Junia Network and explores the current challenges and opportunities for ordained women in the Church of England. Sophie shares with us the testimony of a large number of women, their stories of calling and ministry.
Rachel Marszalek explores what turnaround ministry can look like by sharing with us her ministry at All Saints Church in Ealing. She considers the strategies, hurdles, challenges and joys of such a ministry, as well as the parallels it has with the wider challenges and situation of the Church of England as a whole.
Finally, we turn our eyes to the situation outside of the Church of England. We begin in the Church in Wales, as Dean Aaron Roberts shares his curacy experience with us. Unlike in England, in Wales evangelicalism has, at best, been an influential minority. Today, it remains but a small fraction of active ministry in the church and faces many challenges and hurdles.
David McCarthy then shares with us his story of ministry within the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC), as it changed its teaching on marriage. His chapter includes not only a recounting of the journey of the SEC but also his own journey, ultimately, out of it, along with that of the vast majority of his congregation at St Thomas’ Church.
Peter Sanlon, who left the Church of England for the Free Church of England in 2019, helpfully reminds us that ‘Anglicanism’ can be something much broader than simply referring only to those in direct communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Peter introduces us to the history of the FCE, his own journey into that denomination and the internal issues it is facing currently. He also examines other ‘alternative Anglicanisms’ within England.
What harmonises the diverse evangelical voices of this book is a common faith and heritage, shared Biblical convictions and emphases. Because of this, we felt that it would be helpful to include in this volume the historic confession that binds us all together as Anglicans: the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion from 1571. We have also included the Jerusalem Declaration from GAFCON, which sets out the tenets of orthodoxy underpinning its subscribers’ shared Anglican identity. Finally, we have included the CEEC’s Basis of Faith and IVP’s Statement of Faith.
