Episcopal Press and News
Executive Council Struggles with Statement on Newark Ordination of a Homosexual, Receives Gallup Study
Episcopal News Service. March 14, 1990 [90051]
Kay Collier-Slone, Editor of the Advocate, the Newspaper of the Diocese of Lexington (Kentucky), James Solheim, News Director of ENS
In what appeared at first to be a fairly routine meeting of the Executive Council, events in the world and the church provided fodder for what one member called "some of the liveliest discussion I've ever seen in this meeting." The council, meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, March 6-9, heard a series of reports about the ongoing work of the church as it seeks to carry out General Convention mandates.
In his address from the chair on the opening day of the meeting, Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning set the tone when he talked about the "swirl of events on the world's stage since we last met." He talked about the crises affecting the dioceses of El Salvador and Panama, the ordination of Robert Williams in the Diocese of Newark, and the "tumbling of walls" in Eastern Europe and the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa. "These events have, without exception, special meaning and implications for us as a church, not the least in the program implemented by this Executive Council."
In announcing the release of a special Gallup poll he commissioned on "The Spiritual Health of the Episcopal Church," Browning said the results "both affirm and challenge us" and offer "a perfect challenge as we enter the Decade of Evangelism." (See separate news release.) The poll found that the denomination is "substantially orthodox in religious beliefs, committed to growth, open to change and new expressions of faith," and seeking deeper involvement in issues such as ecology, peace, and justice.
In his introduction to the poll, George Gallup, Jr., said the church has "a fairly clear sense of direction and mission," contradicting the opinion sometimes expressed that the church "is suffering from a major crisis of identity." While the Episcopal Church has shared the membership decline of other mainline denominations, Gallup said the declines are due to a broad set of factors, not specific denominational issues such as controversies over the Prayer Book, the ordination of women, inclusive language, or sanctioning of same-sex relationships.
In discussing the ordination in Newark, Browning said it raised a number of "perennial issues in the institutional life of this church," including "collegiality in the House of Bishops and indeed in the General Convention," an issue "of the boundaries of authority and the question of who speaks for the church," and "the tension between prophetic and pastoral ministry." He added that he feared a "backlash," and he encouraged members of the council "to take the greatest care in how we pronounce on this matter."
The presiding bishop appointed an ad hoc committee to deal with a proposed resolution from the Rev. Barnum McCarty of Jacksonville, Florida. When the committee brought in a resolution, commending the February 20 statement of the presiding bishop and the Council of Advice, it provoked almost two hours of lively and sometimes heated discussion. Many members expressed a deep frustration with the ordination and a strong desire for some kind of action. Some said the issue rightly belongs in the House of Bishops but others disagreed, saying the church expected the council to say something. "How do we tell Jack Spong he was wrong but at the same time avoid the appearance of being judgmental toward the gay community?" asked one council member.
McCarty told the council that he was "willing to let the statement by the bishops be ours, but the discussion has clouded the issue." He moved to substitute his original resolution, which provoked additional conversation and several attempts to amend. When it was clear the council would not be able to agree on either resolution, the presiding bishop invited council members to an open discussion that evening. "This conversation is happening all over the church," he reminded them.
At the end of the evening's discussion, the mood seemed to shift, and a small committee volunteered to prepare a fresh statement. As presented the following day by the council's newest member, the Rev. Randy Dales, of New Hampshire, the statement said the council "shares and regrets the pain, the division, the confusion, and the polarity that have surfaced in the church" following the ordination. It also expressed appreciation for "the pastoral leadership" of the presiding bishop, but said the "divisions and hurt that have been experienced" won't be solved "by resorting to judicial remedies." It expressed hope that "the church will in no way see this event as justification for the exclusion of anyone from our fellowship." When the council amended the statement, commending the statement of the presiding bishop and the Council of Advice to the church "for study and reflection," several members objected and announced their intentions to vote against the statement. "I don't think we as a church have a right to disassociate ourselves from anyone, including Bishop Spong," said Ann Fontaine, of Wyoming.
The council heard an interim report from the planning and development committee, charged with the responsibility of developing a long-range planning process. Canon Robert Tharp, who chairs the committee, introduced Helen Spector, who is serving as consultant to the committee. They presented an overview of how the church will be involved, how the vision and goals for the church grow out of the baptismal covenant, the vision of the presiding bishop, and the mission imperatives -- and the stories of people as they live out the Gospel.
Committee members expressed enthusiasm for their task in developing listening skills, affirming the stories of church members, evaluating the church's strengths and weaknesses, identifying planning issues, and defining policy guidelines. "It seems like a natural process and progress," said committee member Joyce McConnell, of Seattle. "I am excited about us getting ourselves into a spirituality that really listens, that honors each other, that allows us to be connected in an institution that does have its frustrations," added Bishop Rusty Kimsey of Eastern Oregon, also a member of the committee. "Too often we just leave each other and our meetings behind. In this process, we are going to discover linkages between all these subgroups that make up the church," he said.
"This is a process that really works because we have already tried it in Minnesota," added the Rev. Philip Allen, from Minneapolis. "It is peoplecentered, and that's something we must really work hard on because we can let a process become too important and people are left out. This keeps us on track," Allen said. Kesley Edmo, a council member from New Mexico, called the process "viable and meaningful. When there is a way to resolve conflicts, discuss feelings, deal with one another in loving ways, then we can aspire to that higher level of connection which is God's love."
The Rt. Rev. Sigisbert Ndwandwe, suffragan bishop of Johannesburg, South Africa, was introduced to the council by Nell Gibson, chair of the partnerships committee. Bringing "greetings to sisters and brothers in Christ in one very big and worthwhile family of God, where differences don't count because membership is by grace alone," the bishop likened the Christian family to the birth family, saying that one could not change that family, because, "it is ours whether we like it or not."
Bishop Ndwandwe, who is spending some time in the companion diocese of New York, said the release of Nelson Mandela from prison has brought a surge of optimism in his country but warned that the release was only a "tentative first step" and that the "basic pillars of apartheid are still firmly in place." The church must therefore continue to pray and see that "necessary changes happen in a peaceful way." He charged the council to make "an uncompromising stand on social issues," not divorcing itself from life but going about its mission in an urgent manner in response to God's call.
Council members spent an afternoon taking a closer look at a variety of ministries in the host diocese. Forming three different small groups, they heard presentations on Episcopal social services and joint endeavors with the dioceses of Kansas and Western Kansas; they visited the 400-student St. Paul's Episcopal Day School; and they visited St. Luke's Hospital, a 686-bed facility established by Episcopalians in 1882. The groups joined for a session at St. Andrew's Church that focused on evangelism as seen through three different ministries -- a small rural church, a growing suburban parish, and an urban church with nearly 2,000 members.
On the final day the council heard a presentation from Patti Browning, Diane Porter, Jane Wolf, and Betty Coats on a recent trip to the Middle East by representatives from provinces of the church. And it heard a report from Nelson Price, who heads VISN, the interfaith satellite network.
Several special guests from the Anglican Church of Canada, Dean Duncan Wallace of Regina and the Rev. Michael Inghan from the Primate's office, shared their reactions to the meeting. Wallace gave council members an overview of the Canadian church, emphasizing its similarities with the Episcopal Church and encouraging more sharing of insights, concerns and strategies. Inghan said he admired the internationalism and inclusiveness of the council in "expressing the multi-cultural reality of the Episcopal Church." He praised the way the Decade of Evangelism was being implemented throughout the church, the prophetic stance the church takes on issues of social justice, and the development of strong structural links with partners. Pat Mauney of the presiding bishop's staff and Tom van Culin will represent the council at the next meeting of the Executive Council of the Anglican Church of Canada.
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