I am on my way pursuing ordination as an Anglican priest. However, there is a wonderful non-denom. church in town that strongly desires for me to serve them as their pastor once I am ordained. Is it possible for an Anglican priest to be sent/commissioned to serve in a non-Anglican church, while remaining Anglican?
Short answer....No. Non-denominational churches are basically Baptist Churches who do not want to be identified as Baptist for their own reason. Baptist theology and Anglican theology is different. Very. I was a Baptist Minister and am now an Anglican Priest. This said, talk with your Bishop and get his guidance on this. I would be shocked if he let you. Let you visit and preach probably. I saw a Roman Catholic Priest preach at a Baptist Church once. A more liberal one. blessings Fr. Mark
Thank you for replying. To give some more details, this nondenominational is much more somewhere between Presbyterian and evangelical Anglican (which is where I am). They use a lot of the BCP liturgy in their services. To be frank, I sometimes wonder if they might be interested down the line in joining the Anglican church. With that context, I'm not sure the first part of your answer sticks. But as an ex-Baptist myself, I wholeheartedly agree that the two theologies (to say nothing about the two ecclesiology, good heavens!) are very different. We are trying to set up a meeting with our Dean. We'll see. I am wondering if anyone knows whether there is any precedent or anything?
Does anyone else have any insight into this? A friend directed me to this story: http://glennpackiam.typepad.com/my_...-becoming-an-anglican-priest/comments/page/2/ This man has since been fully ordained as a priest in the ACNA, though he still serves in a nondenominational context.
Who does the Church answer to? If there is no government above the Session (Presbyterian model) then they are Baptist or congregational. At best they are Reformed or Presbyterian, not Anglican. Here in my town we have a Presbyterian Church patching together a liturgy using various Anglican Liturgies. They are loosely affiliated with the CREC, Conference of Reformed Churches. Though they use Anglican liturgy, they do not have Anglican theology. I would be very careful with this church. Just because they use "smells and bells" does not make them Anglican. Or Anglican leaning. And by saying be careful I am not implying they are not Christian. Fr. Mark Adam, For all that is Holy stop. Glenn Packiam, Bishop Ross and Pear! These people have no clue about Anglicanism. Bishop Ross was supposedly confronted by the House of Bishops of the ACNA for this abandonment of Anglican order, faith and tradition in ordaining a man who had no hint of following his Anglican ordination vows. PEAR split from AMiA, another group who had difficulty with Anglican theology and tradition. Then Bishop Murphy brought Todd Hunter of the Vineyard movement in for church planting. In less than 9 months Hunter was Confirmed, ordained Deacon, Priest and Bishop. I remember hearing him asking what was the great issue with getting Confirmed. As a Bishop he could not even properly vest! I read Packiam's blog. He makes up his liturgy and has the congregation joining in with absolution! The Eucharistic prayer has congregational participation! Do not take AMiA and PEAR as symbols of Anglicanism. While there maybe some who understand what it means to be Anglican, most are as a local AMiA minister told me......"baptists in robes and proud of it". This is one of the great problems of the ACNA, a lack of Anglican identity, Theology and understanding. One of the reasons I went to the desert called the Roman Catholic Church. You can not be Anglican and non Anglican at the same time. You have to discern where God is leading you and go in that direction. This is what an elderly Roman Catholic Priest told me before I came home. I will be praying for you, your Bishop and Dean. Fr. Mark
Pretty much yes. Todd Hunter is a mess and the people Murphy associates with are a mess. That being said however, the groups they associate with: AMiA, now PEAR etc, have all but disappeared from the national stage. I wouldn't attach too much importance to them. As our Lord said the branches that do not stem from Him will wither, and these groups certainly have withered. Their congregations have largely dissolved into ACNA and converted into the Anglican mainstream, and were normalized. The rest are out in the 'wilderness' where everyone understands they have nothing in common with us. The movement has little representation in the College of Bishops, and they have no presence in the Anglican media or blogosphere. For all intents and purposes they aren't there any more. To answer the OP's question, I do not think you should take your bearings from the likes of AMiA or PEAR. There are solidly evangelical jurisdictions like CANA out there which do not compromise with Anglican identity. But I don't think CANA allow you to serve in a non-Anglican parish. I think you need to ask yourself what the purpose of that would even be. If you're asking because this church has a lucrative offer for you, and you'll import Anglican traditions and liturgy with your arrival anyway, then just ask if they'll be wiling to just follow you into ACNA, under CANA oversight or something.
Thank you, Fr. Mark and Stalwart! That is very illuminating. While I do find myself leaning more on the low-church and evangelical Anglican side of things (I myself do come from more Baptistic backgrounds), I can see what you are saying about these men (esp. Packiam). No; I'd never want to go AMiA, because even I know that's a MESS! From talking to those outside this forum, I think you are right. I feel the decision is simply, A) Continue full-on into ordination in the ACNA and seek to work in an Anglican church (or to bring that congregation into the ACNA), OR B) Go into this non-denom. congregation that I do love and receive ordination from some non-Anglican source (leading that church in the Anglican way without being able to affiliate). My heart is torn. If only the church had never split up so much! This whole experience makes me long for real Unity of the Church universal.
As a final update... The decision has been made. I am NOT going with the non-denom congregation. Once we started really looking into it, I was reminded just why I love Anglicanism! I will continue to pursue ordination in the ACNA. Thanks again for all your advice.