CofE power grab fear

Evangelicals are criticising moves by Church of England bishops which could see orthodox Anglicans involved in episcopal appointments being effectively sidelined.

At a meeting in September, bishops said they would ask February’s General Synod to make a final decision.

Anglican Futures, an evangelical blog, stated: ‘The events that have precipitated this crisis are centred on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), the process by which new diocesan bishops are appointed. On two of the last eight occasions that they have met, they have “failed” to make an appointment… The bishops are frustrated that members of the laity and clergy have the temerity to disagree with them about who should join their number.’

The blog said bishops, ‘in their largely progressive bubble’ see orthodox CNC members as ‘a noisy entryist minority’.

Evangelical bishop Paul Williams told the meeting all the proposals ‘plainly accrued more power to the archbishop’. The bishops voted that ‘work be undertaken to bring the proposals to Synod’.