Church Union Council Rejects Convention Decision
Episcopal News Service. November 10, 1976 [76341]
Isabel Baumgartner
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Leaders of the American Church Union (ACU), a nationwide organization of Anglo-Catholic clergy and laymen of the Episcopal Church, have "absolutely rejected" the September General Convention action permitting women to be ordained to the priesthood and episcopate, on grounds that "the Convention is incompetent to legislate on matters of Apostolic Faith and Order."
The lengthy statement, adopted at the close of a November 2-3 meeting here, was endorsed all but unanimously by some 40 members of the ACU Council.
The document terms Convention "an official structure which has departed from that Faith into a new Church" and "urges the immediate calling of a Council of those clergy and laymen who remain faithful to the Episcopal Church as historically constituted."
The statement "respectfully points out: that bishops who "proceed with the purported ordination of women" and other Episcopalians who support this change will be "acting contrary to the doctrine and discipline of the Episcopal Church as embodied in its Constitution and Book of Common Prayer," thereby "breaking Communion with all those Episcopalians who are resolved to remain loyal to their Church."
"We cannot be made to obey any existing structural authority," it continues, "which has not the authority of Christ." The statement pledges "fiscal, spiritual, and moral support to those Bishops who remain steadfast in the historic Episcopal Church."
Implementing resolutions provide for a committee to be named to "undertake a vigorous program" to gather signatures for the statement, the signatures to be forwarded to "Bishops who do not accept the validity of the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate." The committee is authorized to cooperate with leaders of other groups who support these views, within and without the Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen.
ACU president Bishop Paul Reeves of Georgia chaired the Nashville sessions. Also present at the head table were the group's executive director, the Rev. Robert S. Morse of Oakland, California; honorary lifetime president the Rev. Canon Albert J. duBois of Lexington, Kentucky; secretary the Rev. Clark A. Tea of Boulder City, Nevada; and treasurer Mr. Stuart Casper of Huntington, New York. Serving as parliamentarian was first vice-president the Hon. William R. Baker of Ashland City, Tennessee.
The statement was drafted by an eight-man ad hoc committee chaired by the Rev. John D. Barker, SSC, of Hollywood, California, who heads the Council's Planning and Policy Committee. (A full text is attached.)
Committee chairman Father Barker called the statement "something we can rally around, something to give hope to those people back home who feel in danger of losing their immortal souls."
One debater exclaimed, when an attempt was made to temper a particular phrase, "This is a declaration of war. Let's not pretend that it's not." Most of the discussion was couched in milder terms, and Perry Laukhuff, editor of The Certain Trumpet, reminded his colleagues that "it needs to continue to be our aim to encourage cooperation" by all groups which might join the effort.
Bishop Clarence R. Haden of Northern California, only other bishop present, voted as one of ACU's 14 honorary vice-presidents but took little part in the day's discussion. Of the dozen or so visitors, fewer than half spoke and these only briefly.
Laukhuff, one of the 11 members of the ACU executive committee, was convener for a Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen (FCC) gathering which took place in executive session in Nashville November 4-5. The fifteen or so people attending were leaders of groups affiliated with the FCC.
Laukhuff said that, while he had not been at home for several weeks, his office had told him that "a steady stream" of mail was coming in, supporting the FCC statement circulated at the close of General Convention.
Canon duBois said he had received, to date, "perhaps 2,000 responses, all but three of them favorable."
Report of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Direction of the American Church Union
The Council of the American Church Union, meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, on 3 November, 1976:
- absolutely rejects the Minneapolis General Convention's Canonical changes authorizing the ordination of women to the episcopate and priesthood, because General Convention is incompetent to legislate on matters of Apostolic Faith and Order;
- urges the immediate calling of a Council of those clergymen and laymen who remain faithful to the Episcopal Church as historically constituted;
- calls upon those Fathers in God who remain loyal to the Apostolic Faith and Order to provide positive leadership involving Episcopal ministrations and oversight;
- cannot be pacified or reconciled by Bishops who promote acquiescence to what is considered fundamental error in religion;
- cannot be made to obey any existing structural authority which has not the authority of Christ;
- expresses, as bishops, priests, and laymen whose loyalty is primarily to Jesus Christ, that it cannot be deterred from following through on the logical implications of its position;
- holds its unity with the historic Apostolic Faith of the Episcopal Church to be of a higher binding nature upon it than its unity with Bishops and an official structure which has departed from that Faith into a new Church;
- respectfully points out to those Bishops who intend to proceed with the purported ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate, and to those who support them, that they will be acting contrary to the doctrine and discipline of the Episcopal Church as embodied in its Constitution and Book of Common Prayer, and will thereby be breaking Communion with all those Episcopalians who are resolved to remain loyal to their Church;
- with a will to sacrifice for the Truth's sake, pledges its loyalty and support to those Fathers in God who remain Faithful to Apostolic Order;
- realizing its basic missionary responsibility, intends to give fiscal, spiritual, and moral support to those Bishops who remain steadfast in the historic Episcopal Church;
and therefore moves to adopt the following resolutions:
- 1. Resolved, that the president of the American Church Union appoint a committee of not less than 5 nor more than 9 to be approved by this Council prior to adjournment, which shall undertake to carry out the immediate necessary steps to implement these resolutions.
- 2. Resolved, further, that this committee undertake a vigorous program to obtain signatures of clergymen and laymen to the above statement, said signatures to be presented to the Bishops who do not accept the validity of the ordination of women to the episcopate and priesthood.
- 3. Resolved, further, that said committee cooperate fully with representatives of other member organizations of the Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen and other groups which share our concern.
- 4. Resolved, further, that said committee report to the Executive Committee of the American Church Union not later than its meeting in January 1977.
- 5. Resolved, further, that the Executive Director be instructed to transmit the full text of this act to such bishops, and the president be requested to communicate to them the sense of this Council, with the urgent request for their Episcopal help, guidance, and leadership.
- 6. Resolved, further, that the Executive Director release to the religious and secular press the text of this act.
- 7. Finally, be it further resolved that the Executive Director be instructed to transmit to the membership of the American Church Union the text of this act with the urgent request that they sign and return same to him for the use described above, and also to elicit their support by prayers, counsel, and by their financial support.
In conclusion the Council states that it is in expectation of encouragement by the explicit, positive actions and plans of the Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen and those Bishops who cannot accept the validity of the ordination of women to the priesthood.
The Council prays God's blessings upon their deliberations and actions.
The Rev. John D. Barker, SSC, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee and Planning and Policy Committee; the Rev. William K. Hart, CSA; the Rev. Jack Graves, SSC; the Rev. James Parker, SSC; Col. George Dimon, Jr.; the Rev. George H. Clendenin, SSC; Mr. Perry Laukhuff; the Rev. Jerome Politzer