Part 3 - Two Diverging Roads

The Falls Church did not arbitrarily conduct their vote and decide to leave without warning. In fact, the church has been engaged in dialogue over this issue and the issues of contention with The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion for at least a decade.

In 1996, Assistant Bishop Righter of the Diocese of Newark performed the ordination of a practicing homosexual. The greater Anglican Communion condemned this action in 1998 decennial Lambeth Conference, a meeting of the leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion. However, The Episcopal Church continued to defy the greater church authority with the election of Gene Robinson in 2003.

The Archbishop of Canterbury appointed a commission that issued the Windsor Report in October 2004, criticizing the consecration and stating that the worldwide communion had made its position clear. The report called for a moratorium on additional consecrations.

Further actions by The Episcopal Church continued to fly in the face of the Windsor Report, so much so that in 2005 the Anglican leadership asked The Episcopal Church to withdraw its members from the council until the next Lambeth Conference in 2008.

Virginia Bishop Peter Lee voted to approve Richter’s actions at the 1997 General Convention, and adapted the policy of the Virginia Theological Seminary to match them. He also supported the elections of Robinson and Schori.

In contrast, The Falls Church has upheld the standards of the greater Anglican Communion and engaged in dialogue with Lee and The Episcopal Church about them. Such dialogue led them to ally themselves with like-minded members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, and to withdraw their monetary support of the Diocese of Virginia.

Yates, the vestry, and the leadership of the other ten churches have written innumerable statements regarding their beliefs and viewpoints, and have made every effort to reconcile with the Diocese of Virginia.

When it became clear to them that reconciliation was no longer an option, they drew up a statement of protocol through a council appointed by Lee.

This protocol called for a period of discernment and reflection on whether to leave The Episcopal Church of at least 30 days, voting on the issue at a special congregational meeting called by the vestry, a majority of at least 70% for the motion to pass, that any dissenting vestry be given voice to submit their opinions, and a second vote over whether or not the congregation wishes to keep the church property. The Episcopal Church agreed that the churches could secede if both votes passed by majority.

The Falls Church and its cohorts acted according to these principles, only to be sued by the Diocese of Virginia once they had been carried out.

Granted, The Episcopal Church has an interest in its flock. It also has an interest in expressing its concerns and beliefs and ensuring that those who align with them are given a voice.

However, it is pointless for the diocese to bring this case to court because the law clearly favors The Falls Church.

Lee and other Episcopal leaders, including Schori, gave the churches the impression that while they would be saddened by their departure, they respected their protocol and decisions.

Further, the dissenting minorities in the majority of the seceding churches are so small that it is ludicrous for The Episcopal Church to attempt to seize the property on their behalf. There are over 1, 300 adult members of The Falls Church, and only around 100 of them voted not to break communion.

It is clear that the majority of members wish to align with the greater faith body that shares their beliefs. It is The Episcopal Church who is expressing a minority opinion in this case, comprising only 3% of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

As Yates said last December, the best thing that a leader can do in an irreconcilable dispute is to find the most gracious way to separate. The other leaders and he never wished to fight the case in court.

One road has diverged into two. The best road for peace would be for The Episcopal Church to end litigation and resolve differences cordially and respectfully, instead of trying to bully the churches into giving in to their demands.

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Reports referenced in the articles can be accessed at the following web sites:

www.thefallschurch.org
www.americananglican.org
www.episcopalchurch.org
www.globalsouthanglican.org
http://kendallharmon.net/t19
www.thediocese.net
www.40daysofdiscernment.org