In October, a South African bishop ordained three staff members of the Co-Mission Initiative churches, based in South West London, whose senior pastor is Richard Coekin. The Bishop of Southwark has since revoked Richard’s licence as a Church of England minister (see front page article).
Since the ordinations, there have been media interviews, in which Richard Coekin has clarified that his main concern is about the authority of the Bible in the modern Church of England. From right across the country, evangelical churches and individuals have inundated Richard’s church office with emails and letters of unqualified support. There have been messages from abroad, not just from South Africa, but from Australia, America, Brazil and more, simply saying that they agree wholeheartedly with what Richard is seeking to do.
The heart of the matter
At the heart of the furore is the statement by the House of Bishops on the Civil Partnerships Bill, which calls upon Anglican clergy to recognise same-sex unions. The Bishop of Southwark, in whose diocese the Co-Mission churches operate, supports this statement, and these churches saw their fellowship with the Bishop impaired by his stance. Since the Bishop had refused for two years to ordain men to lead the church plants of the Co-Mission Initiative, the ordinations went ahead with Bishop Martin Morrison of the Church of England in South Africa (CESA) presiding. This met a pressing need for the churches, but was also a protest concerning what the bishops had said on civil partnerships.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …