ACNA Working Group on Race Announced

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has announced the composition of its Working Group on Race, Racism, and Racial Reconciliation:

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The group is charged with joining in godly conversation and then leading the Church in similar dialogue. As the Rt. Rev. John Guernsey, Dean of Provincial Affairs who was tasked with convening the group, said, “The polarization in our culture and political life, coupled with the sensitivity of matters of race, make this a very painful topic for many. Sadly, many do not feel it is wise for them to express their views except to someone they are confident agrees with them. As a result, it is clear that one of the primary tasks of this group is indeed to talk, and then, out of that experience, to speak to the Church at large in the hope of fostering greater openness and deeper healing throughout the Province.”

Co-chairs of the group, the Rt. Rev. Alphonza Gadsden and the Rt. Rev. Keith Andrews, added, “This working group is a commitment to courage; to listen, to learn, to speak, and to act in such a way that the voice of Jesus may be heard above all other voices. Perhaps what flows from our time together, at least in part, is a better view of all the nations (ethnicities) giving praise and glory to God because we truly see others through the heart of Jesus.”

Members of the Working Group are as follows:

The Rt. Rev. Keith Andrews, Co-Chair, Diocese of Western Anglicans
The Rt. Rev. Al Gadsden, Co-Chair, REC Diocese of the Southeast

The Rt. Rev. Bill Atwood, International Diocese
Sarah Culpepper, Diocese of Fort Worth
The Rev. Kimberly Deckel, Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others
The Rev. Gabe Garcia, Diocese of Western Anglicans
The Rev. Tommy Hinson, Diocese of Christ Our Hope
The Rev. Kempton Jackson, Diocese of Rocky Mountains
The Rev. Esau McCaulley, Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others
The Rev. Gerald McDermott, Anglican Diocese of the South
The Rev. Lawrence McElrath, Special Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy
Gabby Manriquez, Diocese of Western Anglicans
The Rev. Allan Tan, Anglican Network in Canada
Albert Thompson, Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic
The Rt. Rev. William White, REC Diocese of the Southeast

Ex officio as Dean of Provincial Affairs:
The Rt. Rev. John Guernsey, Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic

The group will work together through November and assess their progress at that time in order to determine next steps.

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I do not know enough about the participants to have much of an informed public opinion about the composition.  But I am glad to see there are a number of particularly vocal names that are not in the Working Group.

In my initial comments on the formation of this group, I said it may be helpful to defer public discussion in ACNA to a less angry, less polarized time.  That seems to be Archbishop Foley Beach’s desire as well.  Among his recommendations in his letter to the clergy yesterday was this:

Specifically, regarding racial issues, we now have a Provincial Working Group on Race, Racism, and Racial Reconciliation which has begun meeting and who will present their results to the bishops in several months. Until then, it is time to listen and not to pontificate our specific political positions. Let us love our neighbors as ourselves.

Now how much ACNA clergy or even Working Group members comply with that request in both letter and spirit is an open question.

I’ve opined that creating this group is something of a gamble.  But proceeding on an ad hoc basis was not working, to put it mildly.  The Working Group has a weighty and volatile task.  I will be among those praying for them.