Anglican Communion Network

Anglican Communion Network
Name	Anglican Communion Network
Formation	2004
Type	Religious organization
Headquarters	Houston, Texas
Region served	United States, Canada
Leader title	Chairman
Leader name	Robert Duncan

Anglican Communion Network

The Anglican Communion Network was an American ecclesiastical coalition formed in 2004 by conservative Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada congregations and clergy to respond to theological and polity disputes within the Anglican Communion. It organized diocesan and parish realignments, engaged with global provinces such as the Global South and the Primates, and influenced the formation of alternative structures like the Anglican Church in North America. The Network played a central role in debates surrounding human sexuality, scriptural authority, and ecclesiastical order during the early 21st century.

History

Founded in response to decisions by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church and actions by bishops in the Diocese of New Hampshire and Diocese of California, the Network emerged amid controversies over the consecration of Gene Robinson and the blessing of same-sex unions. Conservative bishops and clergy who opposed those developments looked to alliances with provinces such as the Church of Uganda, the Anglican Church of Nigeria, and the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America. Early meetings included gatherings in Philadelphia and Houston, Texas, and leaders drew on precedents set by movements like the Conservative Anglican movement and earlier realignment efforts in the Anglican realignment.

The Network convened provincial sympathetic bishops and lay leaders from dioceses including San Joaquin (Episcopal Diocese), Fort Worth (Episcopal Diocese), and Pittsburgh (Episcopal Diocese). Its activities overlapped with events such as the formation of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and the 2008 creation of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Over time, the Network’s structure evolved as many member parishes and clergy joined or influenced the ACNA and other alternative jurisdictions.

Organization and Membership

The Network was structured as a coalition of dioceses, parishes, clergy, and lay leaders rather than a traditional province. Leadership included bishops like Robert Duncan and advisory input from figures such as John Hepworth and lay leaders from influential parishes in cities including Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh. Member constituencies included disaffected congregations from the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada, as well as clergy who sought oversight from sympathetic African and South American provinces such as Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, and the Southern Cone.

Affiliations extended to international networks including GAFCON and the Anglican Communion Institute, and cooperative relations were maintained with organizations like Forward in Faith and the American Anglican Council. The Network facilitated alternative episcopal oversight through relationships with bishops from provinces willing to provide canonical cover, a practice seen in diocesan transfers involving the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Theological Positions and Objectives

The Network articulated positions grounded in traditional Anglican formularies, invoking the 39 Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and appeals to scriptural authority as interpreted by conservative Anglican theologians such as J. I. Packer and Alister McGrath. It opposed innovations it viewed as departures from historic teaching, specifically resisting the ordination and consecration of practicing gay clergy exemplified by the election and consecration of Gene Robinson. The Network emphasized episcopal oversight consonant with provinces like the Church of Uganda and prioritized orthodox definitions of marriage consistent with statements issued by the Lambeth Conference resolutions and the Global South.

Objectives included promoting what members described as fidelity to Anglican doctrine, restoring what they regarded as catholic order, and creating structures to receive congregations and clergy who could not in conscience remain under provincial authority perceived as departing from traditional teaching. These aims aligned with similar priorities in bodies such as the Anglican Mission in the Americas and the Crossroads USA movement.

Activities and Initiatives

The Network organized regional convocations, clergy conferences, and laity gatherings in locations including Houston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. It sponsored diocesan realignment processes, legal strategies related to parish property disputes involving entities such as the Dennis Canon litigation in various state courts, and the transfer of clergy and congregations into oversight provided by foreign bishops from provinces like Rwanda and Uganda. The Network participated in international conferences including GAFCON and engaged in ecumenical conversations with conservative groups within Anglicanism.

It produced statements, pastoral guidance, and liturgical resources drawing on the Book of Common Prayer and partnered with seminaries and training initiatives sympathetic to its aims, interacting with institutions such as Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and networks of evangelical Anglican clergy. The Network also coordinated relief and mission partnerships with global Anglican provinces and supported church-planting efforts in North American contexts.

Controversies and Criticism

The Network attracted criticism for its handling of property disputes, with contested closures and litigation in state courts involving dioceses like San Joaquin (Episcopal Diocese), Pittsburgh (Episcopal Diocese), and Fort Worth (Episcopal Diocese). Opponents charged that actions to realign parishes amounted to schismatic departures from the Episcopal Church and violated canonical obligations, prompting rebukes from bodies such as the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and concerns expressed at assemblies including the Lambeth Conference.

Critics within academic and ecclesial circles, including scholars tied to Yale Divinity School and commentators at publications such as The Living Church and Anglican Journal, argued that the Network’s strategies exacerbated fragmentation within Anglicanism and complicated ecumenical relations with partners like the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Debates over recognition of orders and sacraments led to tensions with provinces committed to maintaining collegial structures within the Anglican Communion, and legal outcomes varied across jurisdictions, leaving a mixed legacy for the Network’s approach to doctrinal and institutional conflict.

Category:Anglican realignment organizations