AAC: IS THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN DISARRAY?

By Cyntha Brust, AAC Communications Director

Two stories have surfaced in the last two weeks about the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA). On the surface, they may appear unrelated, but closer examination raises a number of questions about the future of ECUSA.

On July 19, 2004, the Rt. Rev. John Lipscomb, Bishop of Southwest Florida, announced in a letter posted to the diocesan website that he had been invited to be part of a "team" visiting several provinces in East Africa. He will be joined by the Rt. Rev. Ted Daniels, assistant bishop of the Diocese of Texas and the Very Rev. Titus Presler, Dean of the Seminary of the Southwest. The letter does not define who issued the invitation, but does note that they are traveling with "the full knowledge and support of our Presiding Bishop." According to Bishop Lipscomb's letter, the trip is scheduled for July 19 — August 2, 2004.

The focus of the trip appears to center on attempts toward reconciliation with African provinces and dioceses that have decried the decisions of General Convention 2003 and subsequent actions of ECUSA. To date, twenty-one Anglican provinces have declared either impaired or broken communion with ECUSA.

The letter from Bishop Lipscomb reads in part: "Why are we making this journey? There can be no question that we are at a crossroads as members of the Anglican Communion. Sustained conversation between the leaders of our various provinces is critical. Our decisions and actions in the United States have created a situation in which we struggle with what it means to live in strained or impaired communion with many of those who have been our partners in mission."

The timing of this trip — just 2 months before the Lambeth Commission is expected to issue its report to the Archbishop of Canterbury — is significant. It seems ECUSA's leadership has suddenly backed away from its position that the worldwide Anglican Communion's outrage does not matter. For years, orthodox leaders have sought the counsel of the Global South and nurtured relationships with leaders in those regions. Is ECUSA now willing to acknowledge that their unilateral actions have gravely damaged the Anglican Communion? Have they accepted the fact that the autonomy argument they have used for a year is invalid at best? Will their attempts at reconciliation include repentance? Who planned this trip, and who is funding it?

In a surprising development, the Chief Operating Officer of the Episcopal Church Center announced the resignation, effective immediately, of Daniel B. England as Director of Communication. The announcement was not only unexpected and abrupt, but also offered few details. The first and most obvious question is, "Why?" ECUSA is in the midst of a dire crisis, and the Director of Communication suddenly resigns for undefined "personal reasons."

It is always significant when an organization in crisis loses staff in key leadership positions, but this case is particularly curious. In March of this year, Dan England unveiled a new communications strategy to ECUSA's Executive Council. The clear, strong and consistent message crafted by Mr. England since then has been two-fold: "All is well" within ECUSA and the reaction of orthodox Episcopalians as well as the Global South should be disregarded.

Does Mr. England's resignation signal an acknowledgement that the approach chosen by ECUSA has proven ineffective, unsuccessful or even a complete failure? In other words, is the Episcopal Church leadership actually in serious disarray, and can ECUSA no longer afford to denigrate the voice of the Communion?

As these two situations are considered together, once again questions must be asked: What is going on behind the scenes in ECUSA? Is the leadership divided? Do they expect a decidedly unfavorable report from the Lambeth Commission and are attempting damage control at the eleventh hour? Time will tell.