In order to save costs, the dioceses of Montreal, Quebec, Fredericton, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Western Newfoundland, Central Newfoundland, and Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador may be reduced to just three dioceses, the synod of the ecclesiastical province of Canada has announced.
Such is the desperation of the ecclesiastical province of Canada, that its metropolitan, Archbishop Claude Miller, sees no point in denying the inevitable comparison to deckchairs aboard the Titanic. Rather, he is portraying the Titanic’s maiden voyage as one of promise and opportunity because a remnant was saved. I expect the Titanic’s passengers would have derived considerable consolation from that thought had it been shared with them as they boarded. Small wonder things are falling apart in the Anglican Church of Canada, considering the tenuous grip on reality of those at the helm.
From here:
Archbishop Miller admitted that some critics compare the church’s discussions about change to “just re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” However, in his presidential address to synod members, the metropolitan noted that the doomed ship’s story isn’t entirely about unredeemed loss.
The Titanic’s maiden voyage was “a journey with a promise and opportunity for a new life for most of the passengers on board,” the archbishop said. “Not all died in that tragedy. Sometimes we forget that a remnant was saved and realized that hope. Amid the tragedies and tests of this life there is much hope and reason to give thanks.”
The comment made by Archbishop Miller is nothing more than political spin and a very poor one at that. No one will believe what he says if he even believes it himself.
In the ELCIC, there was an attempt this year to merge the four western synods into two, again citing economic and demographic reasons. At every western synod convention, the proposals for “structural renewal” were soundly defeated. Saskatchewan synod bishop Cynthia Halmarson thinking that because her husband is the civilian chaplain to the North Saskatchewan Regiment entitles her to use military jargon said that the opponents were using “divide and conquer” tactics.
She also made the accusation that those apposed were unwilling to co-operating with the other synods. She is partially correct. It is not that the members of the church do not wish to co-operate with the other synods; it is because they do wish to co-operate with the bishops whose words and actions are becoming increasingly irrelevant to the everyday lives of most Canadian Lutherans who see the bishops as the cause of our current problems.
What is more disturbing is an attempt to reduce the number of national conventions from every two years to three years, with far fewer delegates and GET THIS, retired clergy would no longer be eligible to attend as delegates. This is nothing more than an attempt to silence a very powerful segment of the church that the bishops are beginning to view with increased suspicion and as direct threats to their authority. It is no secret that movement apposed to the liberalization of the church was partially retired clergy led.
Retired pastors have nothing to fear in regard to their careers. Active clergy will be too frightened to challenge the bishops for fear of the damage the bishops could and would do to their careers if they dare to challange them.
We watching the death-throes of an organisation, I fear. As those in control thrash about helplessly, in charge of an organisation which they could never have built themselves, the air of collapse and desperation grows stronger.
I have a grammatical error on my first post.
I said “It is not that the members of the church do not wish to co-operate with the other synods; it is because they do wish to co-operate with the bishops…”
I meant to say “It is not that the members of the church do not wish to co-operate with the other synods; it is because they do NOT wish to co-operate with the bishops… “
In an effort to become relevant to a secular world that doesn’t care, the ACoC may have sown the seeds of a long trajectory of decline.
How profound! Did I just say that.