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Winnipeg Free Press
02-08-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
New Anglican primate ready to implement change
'I want to see it thrive, to be an enlivened church. I want it to be a church that lifts the spirits of everyone.' That's the message Shane Parker, the new primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, wants to share with members of that denomination. Parker, 67, formerly the bishop of Ottawa, was elected primate on June 26 at the church's 44th General Synod in London. As head of the church, Parker will be expected to put into effect a mandate to implement changes in the church, which has an estimated 300,000 members in 1,500 parishes. He has accepted that mandate. 'There is a profound need for change,' he said about the situation facing the church, which had about 1.2 million members in 1,800 parishes 60 years ago. Parker, who grew up in Alberta and has served as bishop in Ottawa since 2020, said the church still has a mentality similar to what it was like in the 1950s and 60s, a highwater mark for the denomination. 'Back then, the idea was if you build it, they will come,' he said of how parishes were burgeoning with children and families as a result of the post-war baby boom. But, he said, 'we live in a different time today.' That reality was underscored by recent statistics about the church that show a 12 per cent decrease in the total number of members on parish rolls between 2019-22. During that time, there was also a 26 per cent decrease in average Sunday attendance and a 17 per cent decrease in givers. Along with that, there has also been a drop in the number of people attending services on major holy days in that time frame — a 45 per cent decline in Easter attendance and 47 per cent for Christmas. There were also 25 per cent fewer baptisms. To deal with the situation, the church's General Synod adopted six 'pathways' for change at its General Synod. They are to reduce the size of the church's organizational structure; review the work and staffing levels of the national church; find ways to be more inclusive and diverse in decision making; examine the current model of communications; better define the partnership with the Indigenous Anglican church; and review ways the church can better do ministry in remote northern communities. For Parker, this will mean 'deep changes in our culture, in our structures, in our operations, in the way we behave and how we speak of ourselves and how we speak of our church and how we speak to one another.' One thing Parker wants to do is remove barriers between church structures and members. Using the idea of insulation in a house, he said it can have a positive effect by keeping out the heat and cold. But it can also be negative if it insulates people from each other. His goal in the three years he will be primate — the leader of the Anglican Church of Canada must retire at age 70 — is to remove any insulation that has built up over time that prevents members of the church from actively engaging each other and the world around them. 'We need to feel the cold and the heat and the wind and the fire. We need to understand our context without the insulation that has built up over so many years … so we can feel and hear one another and so we can have the courage to be the church we must be at this point in time,' he said. That will mean finding ways to help the Anglican Church leave the past behind and adapt to life in the 21st-century. 'The glory days of Anglicanism in Canada are the past,' he said. 'We have become self-referential, insulated from our new context, riding the memory of our historical privilege.' He intends to implement the six pathways for change 'faithfully, efficiently and rapidly,' he said, adding he wants to help Anglicans 'change their sense of who we are … we need a cultural change in how we see ourselves in today's context.' For him that means accepting the church's smaller role in Canada and, at the same time, having 'a humble confidence that we have something to share with society.' Among the things Anglicans can share with society are the church's core Gospel values of peace, justice, care for the vulnerable, serving the common good and care for creation. These are, he said, 'values that resonate with many Canadians today.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. At the same time, Parker is interested in pursuing deeper ecumenical and interfaith relations. 'There is common ground,' he said of ways Anglicans can work with other faith groups. He also wants to promote a message of welcome for all in the church, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, along with building deeper relations with Indigenous people. Parker also indicated the church needs to show support for people suffering in Gaza This is something he signalled following his election, when he wore a stole bearing a pattern of Jerusalem crosses. The Hamas attack on Israel was 'heinous,' he said, noting that Israel has a right to defend itself. 'But the actions of the Israeli government are out of proportion to the attack,' he stated, resulting in an 'obscene loss of life … the proportionality must be called into question.' faith@ The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER John LonghurstFaith reporter John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
The Reverend Canon Isaac Beach Appointed To Global Discernment Commission For Archbishop Of Canterbury
Press Release – Anglican Church in Aotearoa Canon Isaac currently serves as a member of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), one of the Communions highest governing bodies and a key site for the Archbishop of Canterburys leadership across the global church. Māori Anglican priest, the Reverend Canon Isaac Beach (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rangitihi), has been appointed a voting member of the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for the new Archbishop of Canterbury. He joins the 20-member Commission of primates, clergy and lay people as the Oceania representative. 'I was honoured to be nominated by the Oceania Primates on the Anglican Consultative Council to serve as the region's delegate,' says Canon Isaac. Canon Isaac currently serves as a member of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), one of the Communion's highest governing bodies and a key site for the Archbishop of Canterbury's leadership across the global church. 'I feel comfortable working among a group of respected leaders I've long admired. Working alongside people like Archbishop Hosam Naoum, whose ministry continues to inspire me, feels natural and energising.' Canon Isaac is a governance leader and passionate social entrepreneur, whose life's work has centred on indigenous Anglican expression, climate resilience, and growing young leaders. He was raised in Te Hāhi Mihinare, the Māori strand of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, which continues to shape his faith and vocation. 'Archbishop Brown Turei was one of the first to encourage me in my calling, and I've been deeply shaped by the guidance of Archbishop Don Tamihere.' 'The search for a new Archbishop of Canterbury is sacred work, and so we commend all the members of the CNC, alongside all those working to support them, into the loving care and guidance of the Holy Spirit,' says Archbishop Don Tamihere. 'We're proud and humbled on Canon Isaac's behalf that he's been called to be a part of this sacred work. We already know Canon Isaac to be a person full of humility and integrity. He will embrace this responsibility not only as the proudly Indigenous Anglican priest that he is, but also as a committed servant who cares deeply about our whole Anglican family, both local and global, both great and small. 'We know that the CNC will bring that same spirit to the search for an Archbishop of Canterbury who will help lead and serve the Anglican Communion with love, joy, and peace, for the flourishing of all peoples.' In 2019, Isaac served as one of the first Global Youth Representatives on the ACC. Over his six years in this role, he took part in two global meetings, ACC-17 in Hong Kong and ACC-18 in Ghana, helping to bring a youthful and indigenous voice to the heart of the Anglican Communion's decision-making. The Crown Nominations Commission will begin its discernment process for the next Archbishop of Canterbury with meetings in May, July, and September 2025, starting by reflecting on the qualities and attributes gathered through a public consultation across the global Anglican Communion. We uphold the Anglican Communion and the Commission in our prayers as they enter this sacred time of discernment.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
The Reverend Canon Isaac Beach Appointed To Global Discernment Commission For Archbishop Of Canterbury
Māori Anglican priest, the Reverend Canon Isaac Beach (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rangitihi), has been appointed a voting member of the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for the new Archbishop of Canterbury. He joins the 20-member Commission of primates, clergy and lay people as the Oceania representative. 'I was honoured to be nominated by the Oceania Primates on the Anglican Consultative Council to serve as the region's delegate,' says Canon Isaac. Canon Isaac currently serves as a member of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), one of the Communion's highest governing bodies and a key site for the Archbishop of Canterbury's leadership across the global church. 'I feel comfortable working among a group of respected leaders I've long admired. Working alongside people like Archbishop Hosam Naoum, whose ministry continues to inspire me, feels natural and energising.' Canon Isaac is a governance leader and passionate social entrepreneur, whose life's work has centred on indigenous Anglican expression, climate resilience, and growing young leaders. He was raised in Te Hāhi Mihinare, the Māori strand of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, which continues to shape his faith and vocation. 'Archbishop Brown Turei was one of the first to encourage me in my calling, and I've been deeply shaped by the guidance of Archbishop Don Tamihere.' 'The search for a new Archbishop of Canterbury is sacred work, and so we commend all the members of the CNC, alongside all those working to support them, into the loving care and guidance of the Holy Spirit,' says Archbishop Don Tamihere. 'We're proud and humbled on Canon Isaac's behalf that he's been called to be a part of this sacred work. We already know Canon Isaac to be a person full of humility and integrity. He will embrace this responsibility not only as the proudly Indigenous Anglican priest that he is, but also as a committed servant who cares deeply about our whole Anglican family, both local and global, both great and small. 'We know that the CNC will bring that same spirit to the search for an Archbishop of Canterbury who will help lead and serve the Anglican Communion with love, joy, and peace, for the flourishing of all peoples.' In 2019, Isaac served as one of the first Global Youth Representatives on the ACC. Over his six years in this role, he took part in two global meetings, ACC-17 in Hong Kong and ACC-18 in Ghana, helping to bring a youthful and indigenous voice to the heart of the Anglican Communion's decision-making. The Crown Nominations Commission will begin its discernment process for the next Archbishop of Canterbury with meetings in May, July, and September 2025, starting by reflecting on the qualities and attributes gathered through a public consultation across the global Anglican Communion. We uphold the Anglican Communion and the Commission in our prayers as they enter this sacred time of discernment.
