We neglected in this article to mention the outstanding episcopal oversight and pastoral care brought to the Rev. Sean Duncan and St. Timothys by the Diocese of Ft. Worth and its Bishops, the Rt. Rev. Ryan Reed and the Rt. Rev. Jack Iker. We regret the oversight and are grateful for their continued support for churches like St. Timothy’s.
The video below details the story of St. Timothy’s Anglican Church in Marshall, TX and their Rector, Fr. Sean Duncan, their lay leaders, and their 80+ and growing members as they invited the American Anglican Council (AAC) to help them on their journey into the Anglican Church in North American (ACNA).
The AAC brings clarity out of confusion so that leaders like Fr. Sean and his congregation can:
- resist false teaching and recommit to the Great Commission “to make disciples of all nations” in Jesus’ name (Matt. 28:16-20)
- build healthier congregations whose heart is mission rather than maintenance
- address clergy isolation, burnout, and loneliness
- build up biblically-faithful, courageous, and resilient leaders at every level of the Church
- host weekends that introduce people to the person and power of the Holy Spirit
- network Anglicans all over the world!
St. Timothy’s story is one every biblically-faithful Anglican faces globally when church leaders substitute what culture has defined as “good” and “evil” for the living and healing truth of the Bible. This is why the American Anglican Council also brings clarity out of confusion for global Anglicans—bishops, other leaders, and dioceses—who are facing the same issues and challenges as Fr. Sean and his congregation.
It’s the story of what Anglicans who depart from false teaching must also ask: “What does biblical faithfulness look like?” What identity must be recovered? How do we find renewed vision and mission to make disciples of Jesus from all nations?
The American Anglican Council stands ready to help churches and leaders seek answers to these questions of church growth, renewal, and life in the Spirit. The St. Timothy’s story is but one of many that detail the essential work of building up Anglican leaders who choose Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples and do so in faithfulness to “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3)!
Hear more from St. Timothy’s Anglican Church:
During our visit to St. Timothy’s in Marshall TX, we had the privilege of sitting down with two of their key leaders: their Rector Fr. Sean Duncan and Mrs. Edwina Thomas for a new Anglican Perspective podcast. The link to listen in can be found below!
Like many clergy in the Anglican Church in North America, Fr. Sean Duncan comes from a Baptist and Presbyterian background, having discovered “the Canterbury Trail” through his seminary studies on church history and the sacraments. He was ordained in TEC and in 2020 became Rector of Trinity Episcopal in Marshall TX. In this interview he shares in detail the challenge he faced from new safeguarding policies of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. He closes his story with two words for brothers and sisters in ministry facing similar challenges in places like the Church of England: “If Jesus is calling you to sacrifice for the sake of biblical truth, don’t say no to him,” and “When you say yes, trust that God will provide far more than you can possibly imagine.”
Mrs. Edwina Thomas is one of the unsung heroes in the formation of the Anglican Church in North America. As the then Executive Director of SOMA USA during the years of our formation (2003-2009), Edwina networked biblically-faithful Episcopalians and congregations with biblically-faithful archbishops, bishops, clergy, provinces, and dioceses across the globe. These short-term SOMA missions built enduring relationships with overseas Anglicans who became the “lifeboats” that carried us through our exodus from TEC until we formed the ACNA. In this interview, Edwina describes how this took place and acknowledges the calling she found to be a “spiritual mother” to many of the younger leaders who are now the archbishops and bishops we continue to partner with in Africa, Asia and South America. Edwina continues to walk out this call to deeper intercessory prayer and encouraging her rector, Fr. Sean Duncan.
Listen here:
