AMIA: REPORT RELEASED ON WOMEN'S ORDINATION

This report first examines the appropriateness of women being ordained as priests (presbyters) or consecrated as bishops in the One Holy and Apostolic Church in and through the Anglican Mission in America as these offices are ordered and exercised in the Anglican Communion. In addition, in a following section, it examines the question of the appropriateness of women being ordained as deacons in the Church through the Anglican Mission in America.

The question of this study is not whether there should be involvement of women in Christian ministry--that is fully affirmed by the Anglican Mission in America. We are deeply committed to the ministry of all members of Christ's Body. We see the calling of the ordained ministry, in no small measure, to consist of helping to equip the laity for their crucial ministry to be exercised both within the Church and to the World.

This ministry of "the priesthood of all believers" or of "the whole people of God," involves us all. Men and women are both gifted by God. They bring complementary sensibilities to ministry, and both need to be properly equipped, openly commissioned and fully recognized in the ministry of the Gospel. Given the tremendous scope of the mission that lies before us in a fallen world and in a secular society, we all need to be fully involved in ministry. In Appendix 3, we indicate some of rich variety of this foundational Christian ministry. The focus of this study, however, is upon the question of women in ordained ministry as it is exercised in the Anglican Communion.

We have felt the need to do this study because few of us have given this question the careful, scholarly attention it requires. With that in mind, the Anglican Mission in America has exercised a moratorium on the ordination of women until this study is completed, our convictions have been discerned and the judgment of our Archbishops has been sought and given to us. Since we believe we are not alone in needing guidance, we hope that this report can also serve others as an orientation to this question and as a survey of the pertinent biblical texts and leading theological convictions. Naturally, we invite the readers to search the Scriptures and to read widely for themselves, taking particular note of the books in the Bibliography.

To read the complete report, visit the following URL: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?cid=1&lid=4