No. The American Anglican Council (AAC) is an independent nonprofit organization centered primarily on advocacy, education, counsel and advice (legal and otherwise), and education. We do not carry out ordinations or consecrations and are considered a non-ecclesial body that comes alongside dioceses and provinces to aid in strengthening biblical orthodoxy across ecclesial lines. We are, however, a ministry partner of the Anglican Church in North America, and are committed to help the province in developing healthy leaders, equipping healthy congregations, and supporting healthy governance at every level of the Church.

The American Anglican Council, which began in 1996, played an important role in helping to found the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). The ACNA officially began December 3, 2008, at the culmination of a three-day meeting of the Common Cause Council, a leadership assembly that included three representatives from each of the nine Common Cause Partners Federation members. These leaders left The Episcopal Church USA due to revisionist theology and heretical beliefs that were not only taught but forced upon many clergy and bishops.  The council unanimously adopted a provisional constitution and nine initial canons that governed the church until a Provincial Assembly met June 22 – 25, 2009 in Bedford, Texas. That meeting amended and provided final ratification of the constitution and canons and installed the ACNA’s first Archbishop, Bob Duncan of the Pittsburgh diocese. The current Archbishop is the Most Rev. Steve Wood. Several Anglican provinces have recognized the Anglican Church in North America and are in full communion with partner provinces in the Global Anglican Communion.

The Episcopal Church (TEC) is the new name for what was formerly known as the Episcopal Church USA; the name was officially changed by General Convention 2006. TEC is currently the only U.S. province of the Anglican Communion recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury. While there are still orthodox Anglican clergy and parishes within TEC, almost all dioceses operate under revisionist leaders with liberal theology.

The Anglican Communion is a worldwide communion of 41 Anglican provinces with approximately 80 million baptized members. It is the fourth largest Christian denomination. The traditional origins of Anglican doctrines are summarised in the Thirty-nine Articles (1571). The Archbishop of Canterbury (currently Justin Welby) in England has acted, in the past, as a focus of unity and is traditionally recognized as primus inter pares (“first among equals”) but does not exercise authority in Anglican provinces outside of the Church of England. In recent decades, as Canterbury has embraced more progressive doctrines considered heretical by most Christians, the focus of unity has become a common pursuit of biblical orthodoxy and adherence to the Scriptures and Anglican tradition as expressed through the historical Anglican formularies. Due to their historical link to English Reformation (Ecclesia Anglicana means “English Church”), some of the member churches are known as “Anglican”, such as the Anglican Church in North America. Others, for example the Scottish Episcopal Church, have names which do not include the word “Anglican”. The Anglican Communion has recently begun to operate along theological lines, divided mainly into orthodox partnerships (GAFCON and the Global South) and liberal churches.

The four historically recognized instruments of unity in the Global Anglican Communion, and each of their roles, are the:

• Archbishop of Canterbury (unique focus of unity; calls the Lambeth Conference; chairs the Primates’ meetings; President of the ACC)
• Lambeth Conference (gathering of the bishops of the Communion; meets once every 10 years)
• Primates Council (Archbishops of each province)
• Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) (includes one to three persons from every province; an advisory council which seeks to develop common policies with respect to the world mission of the Church)

Over the past four to five decades, revisionist theology has infiltrated and taken hold of each of these instruments of unity, which are all primarily overseen and financed by Western (and now revisionist) church authorities. Conversations are currently underway among conservative and biblically-faithful provinces to better define what unifies the Global Anglican Communion in a way that helps it remain true to its biblical roots.

GAFCON, which stands for the Global Anglican Future Conference, was an initiative led by several Global South Primates that called for a conference of orthodox Anglicans in Jerusalem in June, 2008. While there, bishop, clergy and lay representatives discussed the crisis of faith in the Anglican Communion and a possible way forward. On the conference’s final day, the delegation of 1,400 ratified the Jerusalem Declaration. This document outlined principals of orthodox Anglicanism and also called for a Primatial Council to be formed of those Primates that agreed with the Jerusalem Declaration. The document also called for a new province in North America to be formed from the Common Cause Partnership. In 2013 (Kenya), 2018 (Jerusalem), and 2023 (Rwanda), the second, third, and forth GAFCON events were held. GAFCON currently represents the vast majority of practicing Anglicans.

In the Anglican Communion, “Global South” is the term used to refer to those provinces and dioceses near or south of the equator, particularly those in Africa, southern Asia, and Latin America. These Anglicans, representing approximately 70% of the Anglican Communion, meet together regularly; a majority of Global South leaders are deeply evangelical and are outspoken critics of the theological crisis in The Episcopal Church in some provinces of the Anglican Communion. These Global South leaders have solidified a more formal union through the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) and have brought in non-global-south provinces (like the ACNA) to join them in their mission and ministry. Many GSFA provinces are also members of GAFCON. 

Anglican orthodoxy refers to doctrine, teaching, and practice consistent with Scripture, the theology of the Anglican Church (based primarily on the first four Ecumenical Councils of Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon) developed at the English Reformation, and the traditional Anglican formularies (the 39 Articles of Religion; the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral; the 1888 Lambeth Conference; the Jerusalem Document).

Liberalism, in regards to Anglicanism, is also known as revisionism or “Progressive Christianity.” It seeks to change theological, doctrinal, and moral essentials of orthodox Anglicanism. This version of Christianity offers a “new gospel” based on humanist principles. Revisionists often reject the authority of Scripture and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation, and they often support the practice and promotion of sexually immoral practices and lifestyles.

The AAC has individual members and affiliate congregations/ministries with differing views on women’s ordination, and we respect those differences. We also partner with provinces around the Global Anglican Communion, including the ACNA, who also have differing views. We are committed to finding continued common ground in our work with all Anglican provinces, despite these differences, towards a more conciliar approach to Anglicanism worldwide.

In addition, leaders of the Anglican Communion, who share conservative theological views, have stated that the questions surrounding the ordination of women are not considered “essential to the Faith.” These views do not directly bear on the issues of sexual immorality and theological heresy now dividing the Church and endangering people’s souls and bodies. The question is still an open question among some conservative/orthodox congregations, and we hope for a conciliar approach to determining a unified way forward.

The AAC supports the orthodox Christian view on marriage and sexuality and stands in line with most of the Christian denominations throughout the world. The issues of sexuality, which have divided the Church, are not justice or civil rights issues; rather sexuality is a theological and doctrinal issue addressed and settled by the plain reading of Scripture and the traditional interpretation of Scripture by the Church. We believe that holy matrimony unites one man and one woman in the sight of God, as has been the Church’s belief across denominational lines for centuries. In addition, both Jesus and Paul clearly teach this. 

We also believe that homosexuality is condemned in Scripture as sinful regardless of context (there being no provision for “committed partnerships” or same-sex unions). The Church is called to lovingly lead people toward repentance and transformation (if they are willing) rather than embrace sinful patterns behavior.

As far as an official Anglican stance on this issue, Lambeth 1.10 was a “resolution on human sexuality” passed by the 1998 Lambeth Conference; it has since been upheld by each of the other three instruments of Anglican unity as the Communion’s mind on human sexuality. Lambeth 1.10 (Full Text)

The resolution upholds, among other things:

• • marriage defined as “between a man and a woman in a lifelong union”
  • abstinence for those who are not called to marriage
  • homosexual practice as “incompatible with Scripture”
  • rejection of “legitimising or blessing of same sex unions” and of ordination of “those involved in same gender unions”
  • recognition of the need to “minister pastorally and sensitively” to all, including those who practice homosexuality

In regards to other social issues regarding life and human flourishing, the AAC adheres to the traditional and biblical view of fighting for and supporting life, from conception until death. In our Covenant of Faith (“A Place to Stand”) we state our position on the sanctity of life in the following way: “All human life is a sacred gift from God and is to be protected and defended from conception to natural death. We will uphold the sanctity of life and bring the grace and compassion of Christ to those who face the realities of previous abortion, unwanted pregnancy, and end-of-life illness.”