[UPDATE: ACNA responds. See our post.]
AMiA, the US outpost of the Anglican Church in Rwanda and founding member of ACNA, says it will withdraw its citizenship from ACNA and become an independent Ministry Partner with ACNA.
…[Our] “dual citizenship” approach, however, has resulted in significant confusion within the Anglican Mission and the ACNA regarding membership in two provinces, and more importantly, is inconsistent with the Constitution and Canons of the Province of the Anglican Church in Rwanda. Practically speaking, this jurisdictional/membership status became untenable and non-sustainable.
Given these circumstances, both the Anglican Mission’s Council of Bishops and the Rwanda House of Bishops has unanimously agreed that the Anglican Mission will apply for Ministry Partner status at next month’s ACNA Council meeting [in Boston]. This revised status, if approved in Boston, will allow the Anglican Mission to maintain a level of connection to the North American Province, even though the missionary movement will remain under the spiritual and canonical authority of Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini and the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. It also allows for the Anglican Mission to continue to function as a missionary movement committed to church planting as we have for the last decade….
Loosening the ties that bind. Let the parsing begin.
In ACNA the dioceses are non-geographic, placing them in competition for church planting opportunities. Whether this is a flaw or a feature is up for debate. But it’s conceivable that a bishop’s status flows from the size of his diocese.
H/T to Thinking Anglicans.