Lesbian Archbishop Inflames Global South // TEC on Managing Decline // New Hampshire Diocese Plummets // St. Thomas Fifth Avenue in Homosexual Scandal // Southwest Seminary Dean Fired //

Anglican Mission in South East Asia Formed // Peru gets New Bishop

Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from His fruit, and no effective witness without His power. As a body without breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead. --- John Stott

More than wealth, or fame, or purpose, or identity, the modern West pursues escape—from obligations, from commitments, from confinement, from limits. Aided by digital technologies, we’ve come closer than ever before to escaping the need for God, the need for each other, even the need for our own bodies. – The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics

The strongest warriors often carry the deepest wounds. The most effective ministers often know the most about darkness. The people God uses to pull others from the pit are usually the ones who know exactly what the bottom feels like. – The Biblical Man

We do not exist to maintain status. We exist to storm the gates of Hell. We are not here to be tax-exempt but to be Spirit-filled. Our Founder was not a bureaucrat. He was a crucified King who rose in power and gave us a command: Go. –- Dr. Ronald Moore

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

www.virtueonline.org

Sept. 12, 2025

With the consecration of the lesbian Archbishop Cherry Vann of the Church in Wales now assured, and a we-don’t-care attitude by Western Anglican leaders, it might just be time for Global South leaders to reassess their future in what is a deeply divided Anglican Communion. The liberal media applauded the election; conservative media saw it as another nail in the coffin of an already divided communion. First Female Archbishop: A Decade-Long Struggle for Acceptance screamed one headline. Others were of a similar nature. Christian group blasts Church in Wales’ defiance of biblical doctrine with lesbian archbishop, was a conservative response.

For the record, the Church in Wales reported 29,000 worshippers in pre-pandemic figures. As Bishop of Monmouth, Archbishop Vann warned that many congregations “have few, if any, members under 60: the life of the Church doesn’t look sustainable beyond a decade or so.”  That might be the truest word spoken.

A statement from First Things which describes itself as America’s most influential journal of Religion and Public Life said of the election of Vann that “it leaves the Church in Wales increasingly out of step with the majority of Anglicans worldwide.”

“The Church’s teaching on marriage—between one man and one woman—is historic, biblical, and doctrinal. It is enshrined in our liturgies and canon law, and upheld by the Lambeth 1.10 resolution. We give thanks for all who continue to uphold this teaching, often at great personal cost, bearing faithful witness to Christ’s truth and love.”

“We believe that no one persisting in a relationship contrary to Scripture should hold any position of Christian ministry or leadership. Sadly, this decision will only deepen divisions within the Anglican Communion. Entire Provinces that uphold orthodox biblical faith have already distanced themselves from Canterbury-aligned structures that have departed from the truth. Across the Communion, faithful Anglicans continue to seek out alternate structures that maintain and proclaim biblical orthodoxy, such as the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE).”

Their statement was issued on behalf of First Things which comprises the following evangelical groups and organisations across the Church of Ireland:

Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy (EFIC)

Church of Ireland Evangelical Fellowship (CIEF)

New Wine Ireland

In addition, this statement is also supported by:

GAFCON Ireland

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The fallout from the new lesbian archbishop of the Church in Wales has yet to be fully realized, but we got an indication this week when five out of eight staff at Bangor Cathedral are at risk of being made redundant or discontinued owing to “financial pressures”, according to the Church Times. When the people go, their money goes with them.

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If you were wondering about how The Episcopal Church is handling decline and a plethora of issues as it sinks slowly into the sands of time; well, the bishops reflected on all this on the sunny beaches of the Dominican Republic this week, where they soaked up sun, sang and danced, ate and drank merrily.

PB Sean Rowe gave a dystopian report updating bishops on structural changes in The Episcopal Church and the challenges many church leaders say they are facing today, including the polarized political environment; humanitarian crises and conflicts worldwide; the church’s decline in membership and the troubles facing the U.S. economy and fewer congregational pledges; and difficulty in managing canonical processes, maintaining generative relationships and handling conflict.  All these issues did not deter the bishops from having a good time …and of course mammajuana’s (a DR favorite) went down by the gallon.

Meantime a report by VOL on the state of the Diocese of New Hampshire, post Gene Robinson and the soon to retire Robert Hirschfeld might give the bishops pause to reflect on the state of their own dioceses.  The numbers are not good.

MEMBERSHIP in 2004 was 15,531; by the time Robinson retired in 2012 it had dropped to 12,896 a drop of nearly 17% or 2,635.

AVERAGE SUNDAY ATTENDANCE (ASA) in 2004 was 4,746. By 2012, ASA was down to 4,027, a drop of 719 or 15.1%, during Robinson’s reign.

By 2023, AVERAGE WEEKLY ATTENDANCE, under the new bishop Robert Hirschfield (X New Hampshire) had plummeted to 2,605 a drop of 35%! Total baptisms plunged by 287 or 76%. Confirmations dropped by 64%, with a small uptick in plate and pledge.

The acceptance of gay marriage (B012) has not seen a steady stream of homosexuals coming into the church even though there are now six gay and lesbian bishops functioning in the church. Many branches of the Anglican Communion do not recognize them as legitimate bishops and will not break bread with them. You can read more here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/diocese-of-new-hampshire-numbers-nosedive-under-gay-and-straight-bishops

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Another disturbance in the TEC universe was the announcement this week that the Dean and President of Southwest Seminary was fired. Dean Bader-Saye’s termination comes following his admission of developing an inappropriate relationship with an employee with whom he was in a supervisory relationship.

The irony is that he taught Ethics. His class will now be taught by Dr. Tony Baker, Professor of Theology, whose PhD is in Theology, Ethics, and Culture, and who worked with Dr. Bader-Saye to design and coordinate the Theology and Ethics portions of our curriculum. You can read more here: Seminary of the Southwest Dean fired

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In 2021 All Saints, Ft Worth TX was forced from its church building and rectory having lost both in a protracted court battle with ACNA. It is now spending $11 million to renovate a former Methodist property with plans to move in by the end of 2026, according to ENS."

Jeff Walton, Anglican writer for IRD noted the following: “Amused that Pravda’s coverage comes across as incredulous that the parish lost its historic building to the Diocese of Ft. Worth. THAT NEVER HAD TO HAPPEN. Bishop Jack Iker offered deeds to each parish and All Saints declined, instead opting to litigate.”

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The flagship parish of the Diocese of New York, St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue is plagued by homosexual assault. Here is the story:

Alexandria, Va. — Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, reports that the alleged victim of multiple sexual assaults by gay church members and clergy at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue has sued the church, the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and various persons allegedly involved in the situation.

In a suit filed in New York County, the plaintiff, whose name Anglican Watch is withholding as the victim of sexual assault, alleges that:

Gay Episcopal priest Mark Schultz, then employed by St. Thomas and residing at the St. Thomas Choir School, sexually assaulted him. Schultz’s husband, pornographer Erich Erickson, also sexually assaulted him. Bill Davis, a retired RN and St. Thomas Church employee, sexually assaulted him.

The Church and Diocese, acting by and through Bishop Matthew Heyd, responded to Westphal’s complaints of sexual assault by retaliating. This retaliation included banning Westphal from the church and engaging in a smear campaign against Plaintiff, falsely alleging to the church community and Plaintiff’s employer that Plaintiff was dangerous, had assaulted church employees, and had made terroristic threats.

Additionally, the suit alleges various specific details of sexual misconduct, including a gay parishioner showing the victim a picture of the parishioner in fishnet stockings, while telling him that “all the action happens upstairs” at the church.

The lawsuit, filed by New York attorney Cody Warner, seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees, costs, and disbursements.

St. Thomas, which maintains the only Anglican residential choir school program in the United States, has done nothing to address the allegations of sexual assault, with the Rev. Mark Schultz and Erich Erickson still residing at the St. Thomas Choir School. Additionally, Schultz continues to officiate at church services.

St. Thomas was previously the scene of credible allegations of child sexual abuse involving boys at the Choir School.

A redacted copy of the civil complaint is available on the Anglican Watch website.

Anglican Watch is the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church. Founded in 2015, the organization addresses sexual and non-sexual abuse in the Episcopal Church and other faith traditions.

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The Church of England remains rudderless. Increasingly one hears the voices of many saying who really cares. The church seems to be muddling along without a leader, largely we suspect because nobody really cares. 98% of Brits don’t attend a parish any more.

The real question now, as the Church of England remains rudderless, is, what if Lambeth Palace decided to throw a party and nobody came.

What if the Primates of Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Egypt and the Republic of the Congo, all of whom had been offered invitations, simply decided not to come, even with the possibility of meeting King Charles and downing Canapes on Lambeth lawns.

Nigeria, the largest Anglican province in the communion and the most robustly evangelical, had already sent divorce papers to the Episcopal Church over the scandalous consecration of the homosexual Gene Robinson and they recently sent similar divorce papers to the Church in Wales for ordaining an avowed lesbian to be their next archbishop!

But the deeper question now is the sheer relevancy of the Church of England and the role it still plays in the communion.

The “bonds of affection” among primates and their 42 autonomous provinces has been strained to the limit. Many believe they are now irreversibly shattered, the fabric of the communion irrevocably torn. You can read more here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/can-the-church-of-england-be-saved-and-who-cares

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On 27th August the Church of England Redress Scheme leaked the personal details of nearly 200 survivors of CofE abuse in a data breach. House of Survivors recognises that this was human error with no malevolent intent – nevertheless it has distressing consequences for all survivors involved. Many survivors had kept their name and identity carefully hidden. And many experienced it as yet another betrayal in a long narrative of harm done by the Church and its agents. The fact that this breach has occurred so early in this critical process which is meant to redress the Church’s long history of failing to protect and support abuse survivors—makes this incident particularly galling. It reinforces the very failures of safeguarding and care that the redress scheme was meant to address. It may now cause many survivors to be wary and distrustful of the Redress Scheme.

House of Survivors fears that this data breach may cause the Redress Scheme to be delayed, and this would be the worst outcome. It has taken many years to reach the point taken today, with a Redress Scheme voted for by Synod and ready to begin towards the end of this year or beginning of next. There have been too many delays. Too many survivors are struggling to survive economically as result of the damage in their lives and the re-abuse by the Church.

In our view, the Redress Scheme should move forward without the Church going back to the drawing board to negotiate with a new law firm (which might take another year at least). Kennedys and the Church must work together urgently to put this right and make sure there is no further additional harm to survivors. In our view, Kennedys should quickly offer fair and proportionate compensation to all survivors in the data breach, enabling us to move forward without the additional stress of civil claims.

https://houseofsurvivors.org/2025/08/28/redress-scheme-data-breach/

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In Peru this week, a new bishop was commissioned. He was the Rt. Rev. Victor Condori, as suffragan bishop with the right of succession when Bishop Jorge Aguilar retires. Also ordained were two priests and two deacons as well as fourteen lay ministers. In attendance were visitors and representatives from most of South America, the USA, England and Australia. Bishops participated from all over South America with one from the USA. The first hand report was written by The Rev. Canon Ian Montgomery.

You can read more here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/report-on-the-consecration-ordination-and-commissioning-in-peru

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A network of Anglican Churches, congregations and Christian Service Organisations has been launched under the umbrella of the ANGLICAN MISSION IN SOUTH ASIA (AMISA), the brainchild of Dr. Vinay Samuel.

The establishment and work of Anglican Mission in America and the Anglican Mission in Europe has inspired church leaders in India committed to an orthodox Anglican theology and practice to launch a network of churches and congregations’ eager to identify with a Reformed Anglican/Catholic tradition and become part of the Global Anglican family.

In the past forty years there is a very significant growth of “independent” churches in India. Such growth is rapid in urban centres and is also accelerating in rural India.  Church growth in India is largely among such churches that have membership of between 50 to 100 families in a congregation, meeting in homes or rented halls. Less than 1% have grown into large churches with membership of 500 to 2000 families. The membership is mostly of low-income families (the “Anawim” of the Bible) and is often home to Christian families who no longer feel at home with large upwardly mobile urban churches of established denominations to which they once belonged. Some of them call themselves ex-Anglican.

Such independent churches are usually enterprises started by a gifted and even charismatic lay leader who is self-trained and with no formal theological or pastoral training. Some of us have been involved in offering training programmes for such pastors for 30 years. Leaders of the AMISA network in South India are in touch with over 2000 such churches in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Independent Churches have many more first generation Christians than historic, established churches as they grow through Christian mission and witness that is their dominant concern. They are at the cutting edge of church growth in South Asia. Similarly, leaders in North India, Sril Lanka and Nepal are in touch with several hundred similar independent churches who work with first generation believers.

The main work of AMISA will be to Provide accredited training of pastors in a biblical and Anglican understanding of the church, the nature of its ministry and its mission. Youth and Children’s ministry. Recognised training is needed in securing state recognition where required.

You can read more here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/anglican-mission-in-south-asia-launched-amisa

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