The Way Forward Presentation to the Congregation of Holy Trinity Anglican Church “Moses answered...

The Way ForwardPresentation to the Congregation

of Holy Trinity Anglican Church

“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today’.”

Ex. 14:13

Board Discernment Process

• Prayer, fasting and reflection by Board and clergy

• Conversations with other rectors• Rector met with Bishop Martyn Minns• Visit to Bp. Minns Installation with Akinola on May 5

• HTAC Visit from Bishop Kwashi on May 6• Congregational input• Prayerful consideration• Final Board decision to join CANA made 5/12/07

Vision for Discernment

PrayerStudy

Listening

Trust

Consensus

The Final Destination (5 + Years)

• A new Anglican Province in North America– Upholding the traditional, orthodox, Anglican faith– Internationally recognized by the Anglican Communion– Legally and canonically established—credible future– Evangelical, mission-minded, grounded in scripture– Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ– Planning is under way, but in the meantime…

The Interim Destination

• Considerations for Destination

• Affiliation Options– Narrowing the field

• Final Board Recommendation

The Interim Affiliation - Considerations

• Belief in Uniqueness of Jesus Christ

• Acknowledged by Primates• Relationship w/ Canterbury• Liturgical Worship• American Structure • Parish Owns Property• Bible-centered Teaching• Ordination Criteria

• Mission-minded Evangelism

• American Bishops• Financial Independence• Separate from TEC• Apostolic Succession &

Teaching• “Common Cause”

Partner

• Flexibility to move into new Anglican Province

What about UGANDA?

• Godly Bishop, but with limited access

• Difficulty of Travel

• No American support structure

• Risk of financial dependence

• Difficulty of Communication

• Not a Common Cause partner

What is “Common Cause?”

An alliance of churches/ministries dedicated to strengthening unity among various orthodox Anglican bodies in North America

• Founded in June 2004

• Represent or provide pastoral care for approx 200,000

• Over 40 Anglican affiliated churches or organizations

• There are 10 major “Common Cause Partners”

Affiliating with Common Cause is important because it links us with other like-minded churches of the Anglican Communion Network

Common Cause Partners

1. American Anglican Council

2. Anglican Coalition in Canada

3. Anglican Communion Network (ACN)

4. Anglican Essentials Canada

5. Anglican Mission in America (AMIA)

6. Anglican Network in Canada

7. Anglican Province of America

8. Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA)

9. Forward in Faith North America

10.Reformed Episcopal Church

Common Cause PartnersProviding Possible Oversight

1. American Anglican Council

2. Anglican Coalition in Canada


4. Anglican Essentials Canada


6. Anglican Network in Canada

7. Anglican Province of America


9. Forward in Faith North America

10. Reformed Episcopal Church




Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA)

Newly formed Anglican missionary effort in the US sponsored by the Church of Nigeria to support orthodox Anglicans. Open to all who believe in the uniqueness of Jesus the Messiah, the authority of the Bible in our lives, and the historic faith of the Anglican tradition.

• Undisputed link to Anglican Communion through Nigeria• Under constitution and canons of Nigeria• American structure with consecrated American bishop(s)• Designed to be a building block for new provincial structure• A member of the Anglican Communion Network (ACN)• Approximately 35 member churches to date (as of 5/06/07)

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are CANA’s core values?

• CANA is Christ centered and outwardly focused, mission driven with an emphasis on evangelism and discipleship, church planting, and a passion for reaching and serving the least the last and the lost.


• What is CANA’s relationship to the Anglican Communion?

CANA is a duly constituted convocation within the CoN, which, in terms of active membership, is the largest Province of the Anglican Communion. It was regularly established by CoN’s governing bodies pursuant to the CoN’s constitution, which expressly provides for creation of convocations outside Nigeria, and its bishop was regularly elected and publicly consecrated just as any other bishop of the CoN is. Thus, CANA, its bishop, and its constituent churches and missions are members of the Anglican Communion just as any other CoN diocese, bishop, church, and mission.


• At their meeting in September 2006, the Global South Primates of the Anglican Communion, who consist of half the Primates of the Communion and represent more than 70% of the active membership of the Communion, stated their conviction that “the time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognized as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA.” They are in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The intention of the Primate of the CoN and of the bishop and other leadership of CANA is that it will serve a transitional entity that may by God’s grace be a building block for this new ecclesiastical structure.


How is CANA organized and governed within the United States?

• CANA is a non-profit corporation under the laws of Texas, with a registered office in Plano, Texas, a business office in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Convocation office in Fairfax, Virginia.

• It has a board of directors known as a Board of Trustees to manage its corporate affairs as required by state law. The Primate of the CoN appoints the trustees upon recommendation from the Missionary Bishop (and has authority to remove them) and to date there are three trustees, residing in Illinois, Maryland, and Nigeria. Efforts are underway to identify additional trustees to represent the growing diversity of CANA.


• Following the model of Nigerian missionary dioceses, and much like the diocesan structure with which American Anglicans are familiar, there will be Convocational Council to govern CANA’s ecclesiastical affairs. The Missionary Bishop will be the president of this Council. The Council also will include the expected additional bishops, will have clergy and lay representatives from each of the congregations, and will have an annual meeting at which it will elect a nine-member Executive Committee of clergy and laity. Both the Council and the Primate will have authority to remove members of the Executive Committee.


How does CANA relate to other orthodox Anglican entities within the United States?

The current umbrella organization for orthodox Anglican entities within the United States is the Anglican Communion Network. CANA enjoys a very good working relationship with the Network and operates in close coordination. CANA’s Bishop Martyn Minns is a member of the ACN’s Cabinet, and he and the Network’s Moderator, Bishop Robert Duncan of the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Pittsburgh, are very close friends who have been working together for many years. Unlike the ACN dioceses and parishes, CANA is not under the authority of TEC.


Will CANA or some other entity in CoN need to approve a new Rector?

CANA congregations will call their own clergy in consultation with the CANA Bishop.


What about church property—who will own a congregation’s property?

Each local congregation will hold title to its own property. Does that mean that a congregation, if it went with CANA could leave for any reason and take the property? The answer, according to Bishop Martyn Minns, is, ‘Yes!’ CANA will not have a ‘Dennis Canon’ (a national Canon passed in 1979 by which The Episcopal Church claims an ownership interest in the property of all constituent member dioceses and congregations churches.)


How will CANA be supported financially?

CANA will be supported financially by its member churches and others who share CANA’s vision for Anglican mission and orthodoxy. There will be no mandatory assessments. It is expected that each constituent congregation will give a portion of its operating income to the CANA operating fund to build up its mission and ministry within North America. There are no expectations or requirements for funds to be transferred either to or from the Church of Nigeria.


How does CANA relate and compare to AMiA (Anglican Mission in America)?

CANA and AMiA are both members of “Common Cause” which is an organization dedicated to strengthening the highest degree of unity among the various orthodox Anglican bodies in North America. Both are dedicated to offering a fresh expression of Anglican orthodoxy in the USA and reaching the unchurched through planting new congregations.


• There are several distinctives that set CANA apart: (a) CANA was clearly established through a constitutional and canonical process. (b) CANA offers its members a legitimate and undisputed connection to the Anglican Communion. (c) CANA is a Church structure with a defined governance organization. (d) The vision for CANA came from the entire Province of the Church of Nigeria and was supported by the Global South Primates; it was not the initiative of an individual archbishop. (e) There are no financial expectations of CANA for its founding province. (f) CANA’s first bishop was elected with the full support of the entire Church of Nigeria as well as the Global South Primates and with no objections from the Archbishop of Canterbury. (g) CANA was formally established after TEC had rejected the Anglican Communion’s recommendations in The Windsor Report.


How many churches have joined CANA to date?

As of May 2007, 35 churches have joined CANA. A number of them are mission churches of the Church of Nigeria, who have been adrift since 2003. In addition, several former Episcopal congregations who have left TEC in recent months have applied for membership in CANA, and a growing number of other churches still in TEC have inquired about membership.

Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA)

Why CANA is the best option for HTAC:

• Legally and canonically established• Designed as a transitional entity with built-in

flexibility• Independently incorporated• Financially independent• A “Building Block” in the new province• Allows for “Anglican District of Texas”• Other churches in North Texas may join CANA

Decision on Affiliation with CANA

The Board of Trustees of Holy Trinity Anglican Church made a unanimous decision to affiliate with CANA at it’s Board Meeting on May 12, 2007. Application has been made to CANA’s Reception Committee and our new Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, will make an official Episcopal visit to the congregation on June 10, 2007 at both services.

The Way Forward Presentation to the Congregation of Holy Trinity Anglican Church “Moses answered...

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