The Anglican Network in Canada
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| The Anglican Network in Canada | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Anglican Network in Canada |
| Abbreviation | ANiC |
| Formation | 2005 |
| Type | Religious organization |
| Headquarters | Calgary, Alberta |
| Region served | Canada |
| Leader title | Bishop |
| Leader name | Charlie Masters |
| Parent organization | Anglican Church in North America |
The Anglican Network in Canada is a fellowship of Anglican congregations in Canada that formed amid disputes within the Anglican Communion. It identifies with Anglican realignment movements and is a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America, drawing clergy and laity from across Canada, the United States, England, and other provinces of the Anglican Communion. The network emphasizes traditional Anglican doctrine and pastoral care while maintaining relationships with global Anglican bodies and conservative ecclesial partners.
History
The roots of the network trace to disputes involving Anglican Church of Canada, Anglican Communion, Episcopal Church (United States), Global Anglican Future Conference, GAFCON, Lambeth Conference, and provincial controversies that intensified in the early 2000s. Following synod decisions in New Westminster (Anglican Diocese), Diocese of Niagara, and Diocese of Montreal (Anglican) that prompted clergy departures, groups aligned with Anglican Mission in the Americas, Reformed Episcopal Church, Convocation of Anglicans in North America, and Crossroads Anglican Church sought alternative oversight. In 2005, leaders who included figures connected to Anglican Church in North America, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Church of Uganda, Anglican Church of Kenya, and Anglican Province of the Southern Cone supported a new network in Canada.
Prominent bishops and clerics associated historically with the network have ties to John Hepworth, Stephen London, Ralph Spence, Don Harvey (bishop), Harry Goodhew, Stephen Sykes, and others influential in global Anglican debates. The network grew through parish realignments in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, often involving legal disputes with dioceses such as Diocese of New Westminster and Diocese of Toronto (Anglican) over property and registration. In 2009 the network became a founding jurisdictional member of the Anglican Church in North America, forging canonical structures and episcopal consecrations aligned with GAFCON primates and allied provinces like Church of Nigeria and Anglican Church in North America leaders.
Beliefs and Practices
The network upholds classical Anglican formularies including the Book of Common Prayer, the 39 Articles, and the historic episcopate as articulated in documents from Lambeth Conference resolutions and writings by Richard Hooker. Liturgical practice often reflects Anglican liturgy with variations from Common Worship and regional prayer books, while clergy formation references institutions such as Trinity College (Toronto), Wycliffe College, Toronto, Regent College, and Ridley College (Melbourne). Theologically the network emphasizes orthodox positions on Holy Scripture, Nicene Creed, and traditional teachings on marriage often aligning with pronouncements from GAFCON, Global South (Anglican)', and primates of provinces such as Church of Nigeria and Province of the Southern Cone.
Pastoral care models draw upon historic Anglican pastoral theology and contemporary resources from Anglican Relief and Development Fund, Anglican Global Mission, Tearfund, World Relief, and mission partners in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Clergy formation and training programs have partnerships with evangelical and Anglo-Catholic seminaries including McMaster Divinity College, Vancouver School of Theology, and independent colleges allied with Anglican Communion Institute networks.
Organization and Governance
Governance follows a synodical and episcopal pattern modeled on Anglican provincial structures such as Province of Canterbury, Province of York, and Anglican Church of Canada canons while adapting to the reality of being a constituent body of the Anglican Church in North America. Executive and synodical bodies include executive councils, college of bishops, and lay representation analogous to structures found in General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada and General Convention (Episcopal Church). Episcopal consecrations have involved bishops from Church of Nigeria, Anglican Church in North America, Church of Uganda, and other primatial participants in line with precedents set by ACNA College of Bishops and GAFCON assemblies.
Canonical development and disciplinary processes have referenced jurisprudence from cases in Ontario Superior Court of Justice, British Columbia Supreme Court, and precedent from litigation involving Diocese of New Westminster v. Mathew and other property disputes. The network maintains registries for clergy orders, parish records, and educational standards comparable to provincial registrars such as Anglican Church of Canada Registrar offices.
Dioceses and Parishes
ANiC comprises diocesan groupings, missionary districts, and parishes across Canadian provinces including clusters in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and outreach in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Notable congregations historically affiliated with the network include parishes in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Surrey, British Columbia, Winnipeg, and Toronto suburbs. Parochial ministry includes church planting initiatives, campus ministries near institutions such as University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary, and chaplaincies at hospitals and prisons modeled on partnerships with organizations like Prison Fellowship and Bible Society.
Many congregations maintain links with mission agencies such as Anglican Frontier Missions, Church Mission Society, Mission to Seafarers, and overseas companion dioceses in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and Peru.
Ecumenical Relations and Affiliations
The network engages ecumenically with bodies including the Anglican Church in North America, GAFCON, Global South Anglican, Reformed Episcopal Church, Orthodox Church in America, Free Church of Scotland, United Church of Canada in local cooperative efforts, and evangelical alliances like National Association of Evangelicals and Evangelical Fellowship of Canada on social issues. Internationally it cultivates relationships with primates from Church of Nigeria, Church of Uganda, Anglican Church of Kenya, and provinces represented at GAFCON conferences and Global Anglican Future Conference gatherings. Dialogue and cooperative ministry occur with humanitarian and development partners such as World Vision, Christian Aid, and faith-based coalitions including Micah Challenge.
Controversies and Legal Disputes
The network's formation generated high-profile disputes over ecclesial authority, property ownership, and clerical orders, involving litigation in Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Supreme Court of British Columbia, and appeals referencing precedents from House of Lords and Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence on charitable trust and corporate trusteeship. Conflicts often involved dioceses like Diocese of New Westminster and Diocese of Toronto (Anglican), contested parish property, and clergy departures leading to cases akin to Bishop of Oxford v. The Times-style ecclesiastical law questions. Public controversies intersected with debates hosted at General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, Lambeth Conference, and GAFCON conferences, and provoked responses from secular institutions such as provincial legislatures and municipal authorities when church property and incorporation issues arose.