A SHORT STUDY GUIDE  

TO AID THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN RESPONDING TO  

THE DRAFT ANGLICAN COVENANT  

AS PREPARED BY THE COVENANT DESIGN GROUP  

Responding to the Draft Anglican Covenant  

 

The Covenant Design Group (CDG), appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, has

prepared a “Draft Anglican Covenant”1. Every Province (Church) of the Anglican

Communion has been asked to respond to this Draft by January 1, 2008.

 

Resolution A166 adopted by the 2006 General Convention (attached) supports the

process of the development of an Anglican Covenant, as recommended by the Windsor

Report, and tasks the International Concerns Standing Committee and The Episcopal

Church’s members of the Anglican Consultative Council to follow this process. The

International Concerns Standing Committee has recommended that the Executive

Council of the Episcopal Church provide a response to the current Draft Covenant on

behalf of the Episcopal Church as a whole.

 

All Episcopalians, including Deputies to General Convention, Bishops, members of

Committees, Commissions, Agencies and Boards of the General Convention, as well as

Standing Committees of Dioceses are encouraged to send their responses to: Response to

the Draft Anglican Covenant, Offices of the General Convention, The Episcopal Church

Center, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY, 10017 by June 4, 2007. The Executive

Council will then use these materials to inform its response to the Draft Covenant, which

will be prepared by its October 2007 meeting. It is hoped that the views of all concerned

will be expressed and reflected in the report produced by Executive Council.

  

This Short Study Guide has been prepared to help all Episcopalians to participate in the

development of our Church’s response to the Draft Covenant. It follows the outline of

The Report of the Covenant Design Group and offers questions for consideration at the

end of each section. This Study Guide is intended to be read alongside the text of The

Report of the Covenant Design Group.

  

The Report of the Covenant Design Group is in three sections: “The Report of the

Covenant Design Group”, “An Introduction to a Draft Text for an Anglican Covenant”,

and “An Anglican Covenant Draft”.

 

“The Report of the Covenant Design Group”

 

The opening part of the Report sets the historical context leading up to the Draft

Covenant and the work of the Covenant Design Group (CDG).

The third paragraph of this section refers specifically to a paper prepared for the Joint

Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates, (JSC)

“Towards an Anglican Covenant”.2 It should be noted that the JSC’s paper was “tabled”

in the work of the CDG. This meant that the paper was taken under consideration by the

Covenant Design Group.

 

Later in the text it is noted that “other models” of possible covenant texts have already

arisen in the Anglican Communion. The CDG had access to such covenants as, but not

limited to: 1) the proposed Anglican Covenant in Appendix II of the Windsor Report3; 2)

The “Covenant for a Communion in Mission” drafted by the Inter-Anglican Standing

Commission on Mission and Evangelism4 and commended by the XIII meeting of the

Anglican Consultative Council Resolution #27; 3) the draft covenant offered by a Global

South Task Force, and 4) a proposal from the Anglican Church of Australia.

 

The Covenant Design Group asked the Primates “to recognize in the general substance of

the preliminary draft set forth by the CDG a concise expression of what may be

considered as authentic Anglicanism.” The 2007 Primates Meeting has commended the

Report of the CDG for study.

  

Question:

  

(1) Do you think an Anglican Covenant is necessary and/or will help to strengthen the

interdependent life of the Anglican Communion? Why or why not?

  

“An Introduction to a Draft Text for an Anglican Covenant”

  

This part of the report presents an initial theological introduction to the Draft Covenant

which is to follow immediately afterwards. Its focus is on the nature of communion that

we Anglicans share.

 

(2) How closely does this view of communion accord with your understanding of the

development and vocation of the Anglican Communion?

 

“An Anglican Covenant Draft”

  

1. Preamble

  

Section one is the Preamble and sets out the rationale for an Anglican Covenant.

  

(3) Is this a sufficient rationale for entering into a Covenant? Why or why not?

 

2. The Life we Share

 

Section two seeks to articulate aspects of the faith and order shared by all of the churches

of the Anglican Communion. Note that Items 2-3, affirm the first three points of the

Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, specifically: the Holy Scriptures, the creeds, and the

sacraments of baptism and Eucharist.

  

(4) Do these six affirmations adequately describe The Episcopal Church’s understanding

of “common catholicity, apostolicity, and confession of faith”? Why or why not?  

 

(5) The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (of the

Church of England) are not currently authoritative documents for The Episcopal Church.

Do you think they should be? Why or why not?

  

3. Our Commitment to Confession of Faith

  

Section three posits five specific commitments of each Church in the Anglican

Communion based upon the faith and order described in part 2.

 

(6) Is each of these commitments clear and understandable with respect to what is being

asked of the member churches and are they consistent with statements and actions made

by the Episcopal Church in the General Convention? Why or why not?

  

4. The Life we Share with Others

  

Section four outlines some common elements of the Anglican Communion as we seek to

work together in service to God’s mission in the world. Note the vision articulated here

is consistent with that offered by the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Mission

and Evangelism in their report to ACC XIII “A Communion in Mission” and underscores

the “Five Marks of Mission”5 articulated by the Anglican Consultative Council at their

meetings of 1984 and 1990.

  

(7) Is the mission vision offered here helpful in advancing a common life of the Anglican

Communion and does this need to be a part of the Draft Covenant? Why or why not?  

 5. Our Unity and Common Life

 Section five describes some of the structural aspects of an emerging polity (the

organizing of our common life) of the Anglican Communion. Note the first affirmation

picks up the fourth point of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral – the historic episcopate.

The second affirmation, involving paragraphs 2-6 of this section, concerns the “mutual

loyalty and service” to which the several churches of the Communion are called and thus

lays out an understanding of the role of four “Instruments of Communion” (the

Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council,

and the Primates Meeting).

(8) Does this section adequately describe your understanding of the history and

respective roles of the “Four Instruments of Communion”? Why or why not?

 6. Unity of the Communion

 

The churches of the Anglican Communion are mutually responsible and interdependent

but autonomous. To date there has not been an “executive” or “judicial” body for

resolving disagreements or disputes.

 The Draft Covenant proposes a new process by which the Instruments of Communion

can be both supported and utilized when areas of disagreement and/or difficulties

between churches in the Anglican Communion arise.

  

Section six also refers to “a common mind about matters of essential concern. . .”

  

(9) Do you think there needs to be an executive or judicial body for resolving

disagreements or disputes in the Anglican Communion? If so, do you think it should be

the Primates Meeting as recommended by the Draft Covenant? Explain.

 (10) What does the phrase “a common mind about matters of essential concern. . .”

mean to you?

 

7. Our Declaration  

The final section is a proposed signatory declaration by which each church of the

Anglican Communion would commit to this proposed Covenant.

(11) Can you affirm the “fundamental shape” of the Draft Covenant? Why or why not?

 (12) What do you think are the consequences of signing such a Covenant as proposed in

the Draft?

Concluding Questions:  

(13) Having read the Draft Covenant as a whole do you agree with the CDG’s assertion

that “nothing which is commended in the draft text of the Covenant can be said to be

‘new’”? Why or why not?  

(14) In general, what is your response to the Draft Covenant taken as a whole? What is

helpful in the draft? What is not-helpful? What is missing? Additional comments?

 Please send your responses by June 4, 2007 to:

Response to Draft Anglican Covenant

The Office of the General Convention

The Episcopal Church Center

815 Second Ave, New York, NY 10017

FAX: (212) 972-9322

Or respond by e-mail to gcsecretary@episcopalchurch.org

FINAL VERSION - Concurred

Resolution 2006 - A166

 

Title: Anglican Covenant Development Process  

  

Resolved, That the 75th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, as a demonstration of

our commitment to mutual responsibility and interdependence in the Anglican Communion,

support the process of the development of an Anglican Covenant that underscores our unity

in faith, order, and common life in the service of God’s mission; and be it further

  

Resolved, That the 75th General Convention direct the International Concerns Standing

Committee of the Executive Council and The Episcopal Church’s members of the Anglican

Consultative Council to follow the development processes of an Anglican Covenant in the

Communion, and report regularly to the Executive Council as well as to the 76th General

Convention; and be it further

  

Resolved, That the 75th General Convention report these actions supporting the Anglican

Covenant development process, noting such missiological and theological resources as the

Standing Commission on World Mission and the House of Bishops’ Theology Committee to

the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative

Council and the Primates, and the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion; and that

the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church report the same to the Primates of the

churches of the Anglican Communion.