Almost 450 church leaders met together for the 2015 ReNew Conference at Chesford Grange – the third conference that Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), Church Society, and Reform had organised together with the purpose of encouraging church leaders to pioneer, establish, and secure healthy local Anglican churches throughout England.
Although I had hoped to attend, I was not able to, so am grateful to Brian O'Donoghue of St Helen’s Bishopsgate for most of the following report. In his chairman’s address, William Taylor of St Helen’s outlined the history, necessity, and strategy of ReNew and introduced this year’s theme - ‘Shoulder to Shoulder; partnering together in mission and ministry’. He stressed the need for interdependence – in prayer, people, and finance.
Incumbents, women’s workers, church wardens and ordinands from more than 220 churches heard reports from across the country of the continuing faithfulness of God through the joys and struggles of gospel focused Anglican ministry. Few will forget the joy on the face of Zena Godfrey, from Chitts Hill, in London, as she told us how she and a few others had ‘prayed for a shepherd’ and seen their prayer answered in the appointment of Philip Sudell.
Parking growth
But there were also tales to chill the soul, including one parish rep who said of a potential incumbent ‘If we appoint this man the church will grow and then there won’t be anywhere for us to park’. Young men also spoke of the opposition they have faced applying for incumbencies because of their theological convictions about gender, often being turned down on that factor alone, regardless of any other strengths there might have been to their application.
John Woodhouse, former principal of Moore Theological College, delivered two outstanding addresses on the title ‘what is a healthy local Anglican church’. His presentation stressed that the only truly healthy church is the church that Christ is building (Matthew 16.18), that Christ builds his church through the teaching of his gospel, and that the healthy teaching of his word is essential if a local Anglican church is to be truly healthy.
Susie Leafe, director of Reform, provided two pieces of vital research. Her analysis demonstrated the need for ReNew churches to work together in the face of an increasingly plural approach to truth in the Church of England. The Shoulder to Shoulder document encouraged those attending ReNew to resist receiving ministry from church leaders outside their local congregation if their belief, teaching and lifestyle does not conform to that outlined in the Ordinal and, where necessary, to seek alternative provision.
Standing with Africa
ReNew was privileged to have delegates from other parts of the Anglican Communion join the conference and Andy Lines outlined the current global picture. There was a recognition of our need to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners in GAFCON; the conference was grateful for Archbishop Wabukala’s recent pastoral letter and his call to unite together to make Christ known. The conference also warmly welcomed the consecration of Rod Thomas as Bishop of Maidstone.
Recently collected statistics suggest that more than 42,000 people attend churches linked to ReNew each week. The median ReNew church is also larger, younger, and growing faster than those in the rest of the Church of England.
