ACC-15 Thinks Thinly

From The Living Church-

The 15th Anglican Consultative Council which met Oct. 27-Nov. 7 in Auckland was a stirring occasion for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia. It offered an opportunity to showcase our “three tikanga” life, the way in which we express ourselves as church according to the cultural streams of Maori, New Zealanders of European origin, and Polynesia. That showcasing included significant opening events as well as wonderful and generous hospitality. ACC members fanned out across the country to participate in worship services in many parts of the North and South Islands. For the whole church, this was the first time Archbishop Rowan Williams was able to visit during his time in office. His visit to Christchurch, my home diocese, was a blessing as we saw and heard for ourselves this fine Christian leader and insightful, intelligent theologian.

But ACC does not exist to impress host churches every three years. It exists as one of the Instruments of Communion in the life of global Anglicanism. In recent years an emerging argument from some commentators has been that it is the most important instrument of them all, as it is the only one that involves not only bishops but other clergy and laity as well. The vital question to ask of each ACC meeting, then, is how it will affect the Communion. As best I can tell, ACC-15 will have little, if any, effect on the Communion.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/acc-15-thinks-thinly