The Windsor Report Study Group, May 2007

In May, a group of us met for four successive Tuesdays, at Ross's invitation, to participate in a thorough analysis and discussion of The Windsor Report. The following attended: Suzanne Reamy, Dick Hickman, Bill Ernst, Abby Rogers, Barbara Moore, Rick Curtis, Bill Bennett, and Ernest Walker. Participants read the designated section before the discussion. Ross began with a brief analysis of the portion to be discussed and a series of suggested questions. We had animated discussions, not only because of the nature of the issues, but also because we did not always agree on a given point.

Although The Windsor Report, published by The Lambeth Commission on Communion in 2004, came about in response to the upheaval following the election and consecration of Gene Robinson as Bishop to the Diocese of New Hampshire and further actions by the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada concerning same sex unions, its purpose is to explore the broader issue of maintaining the Anglican Communion.

 
The importance of the Communion was central to the report, as it “enables us, in mutual interdependence, to engage in our primary task, which is to take forward God's mission to his needy and much loved world.”

 
A significant point of debate is the issue of adiaphora, defined as things that do not make a difference. Who and in what way do we determine which matters are church dividing? Over what can we disagree and yet maintain unity in the church?

 
What is the nature of this Communion that ties us together through mutual bonds of affection? The Windsor Report detailed the instruments of unity present in the global Anglican Communion today--"the mechanisms by which churches take common counsel", namely the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, The Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates Meeting. The latter three instruments are relatively recent, having been established within the past 140 years. But are these enough? The report proposes that in addition to these instruments which interact and counterbalance one another, a council of advice should be established to act as an additional source of expertise to assist the archbishop in discerning how and when to exercise a ministry of unity on behalf of the Communion.

 
Another issue at stake is the level of “autonomy” in individual churches. The Windsor Report carefully examines the delicate balance between the autonomy of individual provinces (expressed as diversity reflecting local culture and traditions of reading scripture) and common identity. A common Anglican Covenant is proposed, which would define the boundaries of our communion within the Church as a whole and how we might interact within it.

 
In order to avoid further conflicts inevitable as new ideas arise, The Windsor Report advises that the TEC adopt a universal method of testing the reception of such ideas in order to reach a consensus on how we as a worldwide church can move into the future as a unified body.

The Report asks Episcopalians as well as Anglicans across the world to reflect on matters that some may have never considered or simply taken for granted. The informality of organizational structure that has sometimes served as a strength and that has distinguished Anglicanism from Roman Catholicism also leaves the church vulnerable to the divisions such as those that have become so apparent in this decade.

 
The Windsor Report sought to lay out specific steps the parties on all sides of the conflict could take to avoid widening the breech. Our study group was particularly struck with the thoughtful presentation of the issues leading up to the current crisis. It has solidified our need as a church--from the level of the parish to the province--to reflect more deeply on our communion and the bonds that hold us together. Since 2004 there has been only limited movement by TEC and other contending parties to embrace the recommendations of the Windsor Report. Nonetheless, those recommendations continue to offer one path to healing the breaches that continue to divide the church.

The Windsor Report can be found online at windsorreport2004.anglican communion.org