The Church of England and Church of Scotland have proposed an agreement that would allow the “national” churches in the United Kingdom to work more closely together, including allowing exchange of ministries. Problem is that apparently no one consulted the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The Telegraph reports:
The Daily Telegraph has learnt that a formal agreement between the two churches – which emerged separately from the Reformation in the 16th Century – is set to be put before their governing bodies, the General Synod and General Assembly, early next year.
The pact, drawn up by panel of senior clerics after years of discussion, will be seen as a landmark in relations not just between neighbouring churches but two separate branches of Protestantism. It comes ahead of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation….
…Perhaps the most ambitious clause is a commitment to work towards “interchangeability” of clergy with Church of England priests and Church of Scotland ministers being fully recognised – and eventually able to work – in each other’s churches.
As well as recognising one another’s ministers, the churches exchange views on ministry and come together on initiatives such as Fresh Expressions, for example. The Church of Scotland also sends a representative to the General Synod while the Church of England sends a representative to the General Assembly.
In a joint statement prefacing the report, joint study group co-chairs Rev Dr John McPake and Rt Rev Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester, write:
“Our hope is that joint affirmation by our two churches of The Columba Declaration would:
- Affirm and strengthen our relationship at a time when it is likely to be particularly critical in the life of the United Kingdom;
- Provide an effective framework for coordinating present partnership activities and for fostering new initiatives;
- Enable us to speak and act together more effectively in the face of the missionary challenges of our generation.”
The report emphasises that joint ecumenical work must also include other churches mentioning the Episcopal Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church by name. At the same time it acknowledges the, “distinctive partnership in the gospel to which our two Churches are called within the United Kingdom, rooted in our shared history and in our parallel and overlapping roles as the churches of our respective nations.”
The report will be presented to the Church of England’s General Synod in February and to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May for approval.
Thinking Anglicans posted two responses from the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Bishop David Chillingsworth, Bishop of St. Andrews, Dunkeld, and Dunblane, and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church writes:
A spokesperson for the Scottish Episcopal Church says “We have noted the announcement today about the Columba Declaration agreed between the Church of Scotland and the Church of England.
“We welcome the opportunity for the further ecumenical discussion referred to in today’s press statement and look forward to being able to consider the full text of the report when we receive this. We fully understand the desire of the Church of Scotland and the Church of England as national churches to discuss and explore matters of common concern. However certain aspects of the report which appear to go beyond the relationship of the two churches as national institutions cause us concern. The Scottish Episcopal Church, as a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, represents Anglicanism in Scotland, and we will therefore look forward to exploring the suggestions within the report more fully in due course.”
I think that the first surprise in the announcement of the Columba Declaration is how little it says about the shared concerns of two churches which have a particular status in the national life of England and Scotland. Clearly there are constitutional issues which are common to the Church if Scotland and the Church of England. But there is little mention of them. Nor is there any discussion of one further matter which concerns the Church of Scotland and its ecumenical partners in Scotland. That is the issue of territoriality – the question of how the Church of Scotland and its ecumenical partners will together sustain mission and ministry across the whole of Scotland.
The second area of interest is what it tells us about how the Church of Scotland appears to see ecumenical relationships within Scotland. That is part of how we read and understand the context in which we find ourselves in Scotland today. Scotland is changing rapidly. Whether or not it becomes independent at some stage in the future, Scotland is becoming a more distinct place – more sure of its own identity. The Scottish Episcopal Church is a church which prioritises ecumenical and interfaith relationships. My reading of our context in Scotland today leads me to the conclusion that the Scottish Episcopal Church should work to develop our relationship with other historic, Scottish-rooted churches – primarily the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church. Our history as Episcopalians in Scotland is interwoven with the history of Scottish Presbyterianism and of Scotland itself. The Columba Declaration turns the Church of Scotland towards the Church of England in a way which to me seems to be a misreading of our context. The ecumenical family of churches in Scotland needs the leadership and active involvement of the Church of Scotland at this critical time in our national life.
But the aspect of the Columba Declaration which will cause most concern to the Scottish Episcopal Church is the potential involvement of the Church of England in the ecclesiastical life of Scotland. The Church of England is not a Scottish Church nor does it have any jurisdiction in Scotland. The Anglican way is to recognise the territorial integrity of each province – they are autonomous but inter-dependent, The important question is whether, within that understanding of the relationship between provinces of the Anglican Communion, it is proper for the Church of England to enter into this agreement about ministry and ecclesiastical order in Scotland.. That is a matter which will have to be explored in future dialogue between the Scottish Episcopal Church and both the Church of Scotland and the Church of England.
I shall write more about latter aspect shortly.
And in follow-up, he writes:
…The question here is not whether the development of ecumenical relationships is desirable – for of course it is. The question is about whether that development can take place respectfully and in good order. The Scottish Episcopal Church now seems to be faced with the possibility that Church of England clergy will minister in Scotland under the authorisation of the Church of Scotland and without reference to the Scottish Episcopal Church. Yet the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church are partner members of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion in Scotland is expressed in the life of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The Church of Scotland and the Church of England seem to have decided that their commonality as National Churches justifies them in setting aside other ecumenical relationships and etiquette. What would really help this situation – mitigating the damage already done to long-established relationships and avoiding further damage – would be for the two churches to decide to delay publication of the full document to allow time for consultation.
I appeal to them to do so…