More U.S. Episcopalians Look Abroad Amid Rift

I'm really sorry to see how this story turned out; Alan Cooperman is usually a more careful reporter than this.

Overseas Prelates Lead 200 to 250 Congregations

By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 17, 2007; A03

The Anglican archbishop of Rwanda was first, then his counterpart in Nigeria. Now Kenya's Anglican archbishop is taking a group of U.S. churches under his authority, and Uganda's archbishop may be next.

African and, to a lesser extent, Southeast Asian and Latin American prelates are racing to appoint American bishops and to assume jurisdiction over congregations that are leaving the Episcopal Church, particularly since its consecration of a gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2003.

So far, the heads, or primates, of Anglican provinces overseas have taken under their wings 200 to 250 of the more than 7,000 congregations in the Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of Anglicanism. Among their gains are some large and wealthy congregations -- including several in Northern Virginia -- that bring international prestige and a steady stream of donations.

It’s all here … and here's the problem.

It looks as though Cooperman has simply taken his numbers from claims made on various dissident groups' websites and by their spokespersons.

So far, the heads, or primates, of Anglican provinces overseas have taken under their wings 200 to 250 of the more than 7,000 congregations in the Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of Anglicanism. 

That's a claim apparently made by Archbishop Akinola in a recent story. There's no hard evidence presented to back it up, for one good reason: not all, or even most, of those congregations--however many there are--ever were TEC congregations.

[AMiA] has grown at the rate of one church every three weeks and now numbers about 120 congregations, with five bishops.

Which makes it sound as though AMiA has had a steady rate of growth; in fact, the majority of those churches were factions of TEC congregations, new plants or "house churches" founded in the first year or so of AMiA's existence.

And the same problem crops up in these three paragraphs:

Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola followed suit last year, forming the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, or CANA. It is led by Minns and has about 40 congregations in 13 states.

Atwood said in a telephone interview that after the Aug. 30 installation ceremony in Kenya he will look after about 35 U.S. churches.

In addition, three other foreign archbishops -- Henry Orombi of Uganda, Drexel Gomes of the West Indies and Greg Venables of the Southern Cone (a region that includes Argentina and Bolivia -- have taken small numbers of U.S. congregations under their auspices.

The misleading part is that uninformed readers naturally assume--from what's implied in Cooperman's lead--that "congregations" in these cases means "full duly constituted congregations of TEC, with their physical plants": in other words, just like St. Swithin's-in-the-Swamp down the street.

And that's just not the case. They're either splits off existing TEC congregations (which continue as TEC congregations), or new church plants, or "house churches" meeting in homes or hotels under lay leadership, or--in a great many cases--"continuing Anglican" congregations long outside Canterbury's official fold and seeking a way back in.

So it's not fair to the reader unschooled in the Byzantine ways of church conflicts to present those numbers as though 200-250 TEC congregations had just been scratched off a master list in New York.

More on this later...

Comments

[Richard Warren]

Yes, isn't it too bad the MSM can't get its' facts straight when reporting these kinds of stories. Mr. Cooperman has done TEC a dis-service as well as those not familiar with all of the twists and turns of this family feud. Maybe he's a member of one of the disaffected northern Virginia parishes wanting to get in a dig or two.

[C.B.]

TEC should get out in front of this story and publish the names of all the TEC congregations who have held a "vote" to leave TEC since 2003. The burden then will squarely be on those claiming that a larger number have left to add to the list. It would also clarify the difference between the number of TEC churches that have "left" vs. churches that have been "started by" or subsequently "came under the authority of" a foreighn province.

[A MacArthur]

I put a link to Episcope in the comments section following the Cooperman article. So far the majority of the few comments have been from conservatives applauding the "Findings" of the Cooperman article.

Suggest that if you don't like what Cooperman has reported that it would be good to so voice that opinion there.

[Rob]

This analysis seems to want to minimize the impact of "# of congregations leaving" but looking at it another way, all of these congregatons, house churches, church plants, whatever, are largely made up of former Episcopalians. This is a very real problem. Pretending it isn't doesn't make it go away.

[George W. Jordan]

Rob, The Episcopal Church has been pretenting this problem doesn't exist for over four years now. Once you are Baptised and Confirmed an Episcopalian you are an Episcopalian for life. It is the leaders of the Episcopal Church who have changed the mission of the Episcopal Church who are not Episcopalians any more but they have control of both the Churches and the money and are purposely drving those who disagree with them out of the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church leaders promised to set up alternate bishops for us but they have never made any effort to do so. They had rather see us leave and they have succeeded in making us stop attending Services in the Episcopal Church and there are hundreds and thousands of us who have done this as individuals.
However, we are still Episcolpalians and will return to the Episcopal Church Services as soon as the leaders, whom and where ever they are, make it possible for us to do so.