Photo by Josh Calabrese on Unsplash

Big news deserves to be celebrated, and last week the American Anglican Council (AAC) received some of the best news in our history. For nearly three decades, the AAC has stood in the trenches of Anglican life—championing biblical authority, equipping leaders, revitalizing churches, and strengthening governance across the Communion. We helped give birth to the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), and since that day we have faithfully continued to build it up. But now, that work has been formally recognized: the AAC has been named one of only seven official Ministry Partners of the ACNA.

That’s not just an honorary title. It is a public affirmation of who we are, what we do, and why our work remains essential for the future of Anglicanism in North America.

In the letter we received, Kate Harris, the ACNA Director of Outreach and Development, wrote:

“On behalf of Archbishop Wood and the Executive Committee, it is my great joy to congratulate and welcome the American Anglican Council as an official Ministry Partner of the Anglican Church in North America. We are excited about all of the good work God has done in and through your ministry and look forward to what He will strengthen, grow, and expand through this partnership.”

As an official Ministry Partner, the American Anglican Council (AAC) will serve as the ACNA’s dedicated partner to revitalize and develop healthy churches, leaders, and governance structures, working in close collaboration with the Archbishop and provincial leadership in its mission to reach all of North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ. We hope this partnership also advances your own ministry as it takes deeper root within the life and witness of the Province.”

That letter captures what makes this announcement such a milestone. The AAC isn’t merely a bystander in the story of the ACNA—we are now commissioned to serve as an extension of the Province itself.

Why This Matters

If you’ve followed our work, you know the AAC’s importance. But we often hear questions like: “Didn’t the AAC’s work end once the ACNA was established?” or “Shouldn’t the Province just handle the things the AAC does?” or even “Why support both the AAC and the Province financially?”

Those are fair questions, but they overlook one of the most important design principles of the ACNA: subsidiarity.

From its founding, the ACNA deliberately resisted becoming a bloated bureaucracy like the one so many of us left behind in The Episcopal Church. Instead, the Province intentionally kept its central office lean, pushing ministry outward to dioceses, parishes, and specialized partners. The idea was simple: let the Province set direction, but let others—ministries like the AAC—carry out the work in their areas of expertise.

Archbishop Wood captured this beautifully in his recent letter to the Province. He wrote:

“Our local parishes and dioceses are called to what we might call seedwork—the rigorous toil of planting, tending, nurturing, and pruning to grow strong churches, flourishing communities, and faithful disciples. The Province, by contrast, is uniquely positioned for soilwork—cultivating the conditions that enable this growth to take root and flourish. This means resourcing dioceses and parishes with funding, research, tools, training, and connections that enrich and multiply their ministry.”

As part of the Resource Hub mentioned above, we are developing a number of ways to formalize and strengthen partnerships with various ministries doing excellent work across the province. The first of these efforts is to clarify and define the canonically identified role of Ministry Partners, a select group of ministries that are either explicitly named in our canons or have been commissioned by an ACNA Archbishop to serve as an extension of the Province, providing and extending a specific area of ministry.”

That’s where the AAC comes in. We are called to provide the “soilwork” that enables parishes and dioceses to thrive in their “seedwork.”

This is not new for us. Years ago, while much of the energy in the ACNA was rightly directed toward church planting, the AAC recognized another looming need: helping existing congregations renew their health and vitality. Acting on that foresight, our board committed to carrying that responsibility on behalf of the Province.

That decision has borne fruit. Our Anglican Revitalization Ministries have touched parishes across North America, equipping leaders and congregations for sustainable renewal. Now, through this official partnership, the Province has affirmed that work and charged us to continue it with even greater focus.

As the ACNA’s letter put it, the AAC will be the “dedicated partner to revitalize and develop healthy churches, leaders, and governance structures.” This is what we were built to do, and by God’s grace, it is what we will continue to do.

This recognition isn’t just symbolic. It answers the lingering question of whether the AAC is still necessary. The truth is, the AAC has never been more needed. The challenges facing the Church today—secularization, cultural hostility, leadership burnout, and struggling congregations—require ministries that can come alongside parishes and dioceses with specialized tools, training, and encouragement.

The Province was never designed to do all of this on its own. By design, it needs partners. And now, with official Ministry Partner status, the AAC is formally embedded in the Province’s long-term strategy for growth and mission.

This is both a tremendous encouragement and a sober responsibility. The AAC is not winding down—it is leaning in. We are more committed than ever to resourcing leaders, equipping churches, and strengthening governance, so that the whole ACNA can fulfill its mission: reaching North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ.

So let’s be clear. The AAC served an essential role in the past. We serve an essential role in the present. And now, as one of just seven official Ministry Partners, we will serve an essential role in the future—helping to build up and defend Great Commission Anglicanism for generations to come.

This is good news worth celebrating. And it is good news worth sharing!