As I was preparing to teach a course in Canon Law last week, I discovered to that the ACNA had not yet posted the changes to the Provincial Canons approved at Provincial Council 2022 in June at The Falls Church VA. One of the fundamental principles of Anglican Conciliarism—the way we make decisions together in the Church—is that “what touches all must be decided by all.” This principle goes back to Acts 15:22, where “the whole church” participated with the Apostles and elders in sending out the letter from the very first Council at Jerusalem. This principle was later affirmed verbatim in the Roman Justinian code. For this reason, we have a process that involves sending all of the proposed changes in our ACNA canons to the whole church for comment for the last two to three years annually, usually in late March, by video and posting online. We take the comments we receive from “the whole church,” and the Governance Task Force further adjusts our proposed amendments for a second round of commenting. By the time these proposed amendments arrive at our annual June Provincial Council, they have been reviewed by Bishops, Clergy, Chancellors (attorneys for dioceses and congregations), our AAC Anglican Legal Society and lay leaders multiple times before we present them on the floor for approval.

I am honored to serve as Chair of the ACNA Governance Task Force. In keeping with these principles, processes, and transparency, I wanted to share the current Constitution and Canons of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) including the changes approved by Provincial Councils 2020, 2021, AND 2022, which were posted today on the ACNA website. You can find them here: [https://anglicanchurch.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CURRENT-C-and-C-2022.pdf]. Please note the Provincial Council 2022 changes are in green. The 2022 amendments made some significant changes:

• Adds permission for Bishops to resign their Holy Orders (and not just their office) under the same circumstances as presbyters and deacons, and with the same careful processes for reinstatement as we provide for presbyters and deacons. Canon III.8, new section 9, at p. 28
• Grammatical changes to clarify the language in the “Array of Offenses” for clergy misconduct in Canon IV.2.1(9) “Disobedience to, or willful contravention of the Canons of this Church or the constitution or canons of the Diocese in which the charged or accused member of the clergy holds office” at p. 29
• The same for Canon IV.2.1(10), “Habitual neglect of the duties of the charged or accused member of the clergy’s office” at p. 29 
• Clarifies that any suspension of ministry of a deacon, presbyter, or bishop requires an Inhibition pursuant to Canon IV.9 and not merely a Godly Admonition, Canon IV.2.2 at p. 30
• Adds prior written consent by three of the five senior ACNA active Diocesan Bishops by date of admission for a Godly Admonition to a Bishop or the Archbishop, Canon IV.2.2 at p. 30
• Adds requirement for the Archbishop to consult with Executive Committee before filling any vacancies in the Provincial Court for the Trial of a Bishop and the Provincial Tribunal, Canon IV.5, Sections 2.2 and Sections 4.2 at pp. 33 and 34 
• Adds notification of Standing Committees in the case of all Inhibitions (deacons, presbyters, bishops, and Archbishop), Canon IV.9 Sections 2.1, 3.2 and 4.1-2 at pp. 37-38
• Adds prior written consent of four of the five senior ACNA active Diocesan Bishops by date of admission for a 60 day Inhibition of a Bishop or the Archbishop, the same for extension of that Inhibition, and three of the five senior ACNA active Diocesan Bishops by date of admission for a modification or revocation of an Inhibition upon written application and a showing of good cause by a bishop or Archbishop so inhibited. Canon IV.9, Sections 3 and 4 at pp. 37-38.

These amendments provide additional procedural due process and fairness for clergy subject to Godly Admonitions and Inhibitions including bishops and the Archbishop.

And on another note: What is the Church of Nigeria thinking?

Many of you will have read the distressing report of how a missionary suffragan bishop from the Church of Nigeria’s Mission to North America (CONAAM) led a group of people to disrupt the Sunday morning worship of a multi-cultural, multi-racial Anglican congregation that is part of the Diocese of the Rocky Mountains (ACNA). You can read the whole tragic story here: https://virtueonline.org/church-nigeria-bishop-leads-violent-sectarian-mob-attacking-anglican-church-new-jersey.  Here is a pertinent quote from the report:

“In a video obtained by the Anglican Office for Government & International Affairs, Bishop Unigbe is clearly seen pushing and shoving church members and at one point to raise his Bishop’s staff, striking a church member trying to stop the illegal trespassing. The video shows the violent mob continuing to illegally trespass and attempting to move past law enforcement and church officials. The video also shows that, despite multiple requests from law enforcement officers who were already on the scene, Bishop Unigbe and 14 of his followers refused to obey lawful police orders to leave the church.”

The videos appear to depict the incidents reported in this press release. Not only is it tragic and heartbreaking to see this behavior among fellow Christians (for which there should be repentance and a request for forgiveness), but also it describes behavior which can be fully prosecuted under the law.

This, in turn, raises a number of difficult questions on the eve of GAFCON’s gathering in April 2023 in Kigali:

• What does the Church of Nigeria not understand, or not respect, about the freedom of association and worship that American Anglicans enjoy under our Constitution?
• If the threats continue here at Christ Church Anglican, Irvington NJ, what is to prevent missionary bishops from the Church of Nigeria from similarly entering and disrupting other Anglican Churches?
• Were this Missionary Bishop and the Bishop of CONAAM acting under the authority and at the direction of the Archbishop and Primate of all Nigeria? If not, how soon will he direct his bishops to cease and desist?  
• But if, in fact, they were acting under the authority and direction of the Archbishop and Primate of all Nigeria, is he not also responsible, as a foreign national, for causing acts of violence to be committed on US soil against US citizens? And what will the FBI and other US authorities have to say about this behavior and its consequences? 

We are distressed by misinformation trending on the Church of Nigeria social media. Is it right for members of the Church of Nigeria to bring false witness against their ACNA brothers and sisters in Christ, including their ACNA brother bishops, by stating that ACNA is in favor of gay marriage and that Bishop Ross is a gay bishop? This is absurd. They ought to know better. The Church of Nigeria under Archbishop Peter Akinola was among those who blessed and helped found the ACNA and its sacrificial commitment to follow the Bible in every way with regards to marriage, human sexuality, holiness of life, and leadership in the Church. Nothing has changed in our commitment to this—nothing. It is evident in both our Constitution and Canons and the faithfulness of our leaders. The only thing that has changed is the willingness of some in the Church of Nigeria to bear false witness.

Please pray for Archbishop Foley Beach (ACNA) and Bishop Ken Ross as they deal with this unfortunate situation. Please also pray for work of the Anglican Office of Government and International Affairs as they also assist in bringing this situation to a biblically faithful and peaceful resolution.