This Charter was unanimously adopted by the new Network of Anglican
Communion Dioceses and Parishes at the Network's Organizing Convocation at Christ Church Plano, Texas on January 20, 2004

http://www.anglicancommuniondioceses.org/charter.htm

Charter
for the
Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes

IN THE NAME OF GOD: FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN.
+

WHEREAS the Preamble of the Constitution of The Episcopal Church provides:

"The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, otherwise known as The Episcopal Church (which name is hereby recognized as also designating the Church), is a constituent member of the Anglican Communion, a Fellowship within the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, of those duly constituted Dioceses, Provinces, and regional Churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding and propagating the historic Faith and Order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer. This Constitution, adopted in General Convention in Philadelphia in October, 1789, as amended in subsequent General Conventions, sets forth the basic Articles for the government of this Church, and of its overseas missionary jurisdictions"; and

WHEREAS the Preface to the original 1789 Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church and each ensuing revision contains the following statement:

"In which it will also appear that this Church is far from intending to depart from the Church of England in any essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship; or further than local circumstances require"; and

WHEREAS the Episcopal Dioceses of ALBANY, CENTRAL FLORIDA, DALLAS, FLORIDA, FORT WORTH, PITTSBURGH, QUINCY, RIO GRANDE, SAN JOAQUIN, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, SPRINGFIELD and WESTERN KANSAS, by actions of their several bishops, standing committees, diocesan councils and/or conventions humbly have found it necessary to oppose certain decisions[1] of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church made in August 2003 that were in violation of the instruments of Anglican unity and contrary to the declarations of the Anglican Communion made by the Lambeth Conference in 1998, which were thereafter reaffirmed by the Primates' Meetings; and

WHEREAS the undersigned Dioceses and Convocations prayerfully believe these decisions and consequential actions taken by the General Convention of The Episcopal Church have departed from the historic Faith and Order and have brought immense harm, "tearing the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level"[2] within this Church and throughout the Communion, as well as damaging important ecumenical and interfaith relationships; and

WHEREAS, seeking to be instruments of God's will and to unite like-minded dioceses and congregations in this association, the undersigned Dioceses and Convocations resolve to maintain a faithful Anglican
witness in submission to the sovereign authority of Holy Scripture and as reflected in the theological statement known as the "Confession and Calling of the Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes;" [see below] and

WHEREAS the highest priority of the undersigned Dioceses and Convocations is to seek to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in unity with the See of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion, as members of
that Communion;

THEREFORE the undersigned representatives of the Dioceses and Convocations here assembled agree to associate as follows:

ARTICLE I

Name. This association shall be known as the "NETWORK OF ANGLICAN COMMUNION DIOCESES AND PARISHES," hereafter known as the "Network," And shall operate in good faith within the Constitution of The Episcopal Church.

ARTICLE II

Purpose. The purpose of this charter is to establish said Network, whose associated Dioceses and Convocations will constitute a true and legitimate expression of the world-wide Anglican Communion.

ARTICLE III

Mission and Authority. We, as Dioceses and Convocations, commit ourselves to the propagation of the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the Great Commission to make disciples of all
nations. We further commit ourselves to the formation of disciples submitted to the historic Faith and Order of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church under the ultimate authority of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

ARTICLE IV

Relationship to the World Wide Anglican Communion. We, as Dioceses and Convocations, commit ourselves to full membership in the Anglican Communion of Churches throughout the world, grounded in the classical Anglican formularies,[3] and in submission to the moral and teaching authority of the Lambeth Conference and Primates Meeting. We commit ourselves to maintaining, rebuilding, and strengthening ecumenical relationships. We further commit ourselves to the ongoing re-union of the Anglican diaspora in North America.

ARTICLE V

Network Structure. The Network shall be structured as follows:

a) The Network shall consist of participating dioceses and convocations. A convocation will serve as the entity within which individual parishes and congregations not part of a Network diocese and wishing to affiliate with the Network will unite. Convocations shall be of two types: geographical and non-geographical. The Network will initially include five geographical and one non-geographical convocation. The five geographical Convocations, whose boundaries shall be specified by the Steering Committee, will be known as the New England Convocation, the Mid-Atlantic Convocation, the Southeastern Convocation, the Mid-Continental Convocation, and the Western Convocation. The non- geographical Convocation will be known as the Forward in Faith North America (FiFNA) Convocation. The Steering Committee shall ensure that the congregations of each convocation shall come under the spiritual authority of a bishop approved by the Steering Committee. A convocation shall be considered active when it consists of at least six worshiping congregations.

b) There shall be a Network Council consisting of the diocesan bishop, two clergy and two lay representatives of each participating diocese and of two representatives (order unspecified) from each convocation. Additionally, up to five at-large representatives may be chosen by the Global Mission Partners from among their missionary societies serving the Network and the Anglican Communion.

c) The Council shall: elect triennially a Moderator (President and Convening Authority; a bishop) and other officers (any order); meet annually or at the discretion of the Moderator; shape the policy and direction of the Network; and elect twelve members of the Council to serve, with the Moderator and other officers, as the Steering Committee to carry the Network mission forward between meetings of the Council. The Moderator shall have general powers of appointment.

d) The Moderator (President and Convening Authority) of the Network shall cause Network Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws to be prepared in accordance with this Charter.

ARTICLE VI

Affiliation. The Network calls upon other like-minded dioceses, parishes, and congregations to apply for Network affiliation. Any diocese or congregation desiring to affiliate with the Network shall fulfill the requirements for membership as established by the Council and administered by the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE VII

Adequate Episcopal Oversight. In consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion, the Network shall work for the provision of adequate episcopal oversight as mandated by the Primates of the Communion for parishes and congregations requesting such ministry.[4]

ARTICLE VIII

Ordination. The affiliates of the Network hold differing positions regarding the ordination of women and pledge that we shall recognize and honor the positions and practices on this issue of others in the Network.

ARTICLE IX

Stewardship. All assets, of every kind and nature, held by the Network are, and shall be, irrevocably dedicated to and inured to the benefit of the charitable, educational, and religious purposes of the Network, and used according to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code #501(c)(3), and no part thereof shall inure to the private benefit of any individual or be used for any impermissible purpose. Each gift or contribution received by the Network shall be deemed restricted and designated by the donor to advance charitable, educational, and religious purposes of the Network. In the event of dissolution or termination of the Network, the Network's property shall be distributed as directed by the Network's Steering Committee in accordance with applicable law for missionary work.

ARTICLE X

Amendments. This Charter may be amended by the affirmative vote of two thirds of the members of the Council at a duly called meeting.

Executed this 20th day of January, in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand Four at Christ Church, Plano, State of Texas, in the United States of America, in the presence of Almighty God and the below named Witnesses who hereinafter have affixed their seals.

_____________________________

Notes:

1 Resolution C045: Resolved, pursuant to Article II, Section 2, and Canon III.22.3 of the Constitution and Canons of the General Convention, the House of Deputies, consents to the ordination and consecration of The Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson as Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of New Hampshire

Resolution C051: Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 74th General Convention affirms the following: That our life together as a community of faith is grounded in the saving work of Jesus Christ and expressed in the principles of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral: Holy Scripture, the historic Creeds of the Church, the two dominical sacraments, and the historic episcopate. That we reaffirm Resolution A069 of the 65th General Convention (1976) that "homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church." That, in our understanding of homosexual persons, differences exist among us about how best to care pastorally for those who intend to live in monogamous, non-celibate unions; and what is, or should be, required, permitted, or prohibited by the doctrine, discipline, and worship of The Episcopal Church concerning the blessing of the same.

That we reaffirm Resolution D039 of the 73rd General Convention (2000), that "We expect such relationships will be characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God", and that such relationships exist throughout the church. That, we recognize that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions. That we commit ourselves, and call our church, in the spirit of Resolution A104 of the 70th General Convention (1991), to continued prayer, study, and discernment on the pastoral care for gay and lesbian persons, to include the compilation and development by a special commission organized and appointed by the Presiding Bishop of resources to facilitate as wide a conversation of discernment as possible throughout the church. That our baptism into Jesus Christ is inseparable from our communion with one another, and we commit ourselves to that communion despite our diversity of opinion and, among dioceses, a diversity of pastoral practice with the gay men and lesbians among us. That it is a matter of faith that our Lord longs for our unity as his disciples, and for us this entails living within the boundaries of the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church. We believe this discipline expresses faithfulness to our polity and that it will facilitate the conversation we seek not only in The Episcopal Church, but also in the wider Anglican Communion and beyond.

2 The Primates Statement of October 16, 2003.

3 By this phrase we mean a commitment to the Scriptures, the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, the 39 Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer (particularly in its 1662 version), and the Chicago Lambeth Quadrilateral.

4 Lambeth Conference, 1998, Resolution III.6.(b), "Instruments of Anglican Communion;" and the Primates Statement of October 16, 2003.

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Confession and Calling
of the Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes

Preface

There are times within the history of the church when Christians have been faced with threats, some internal and some external, to the integrity of their common life and faith. The recent actions of the Diocese of New Westminster and the General Convention of the Episcopal Church U.S.A. confront the various provinces of the Anglican Communion with just such a threat to the historic Faith and Order that defines their existence as a communion. In the face of this, obedience requires a faithful statement of belief and a renewed commitment to the practices that give expression to the saving truth of the Christian Gospel. The statement of confession and calling that follows has been occasioned by actions that have compromised the witness and mission of Anglicans throughout the world, rent the unity of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church U.S.A., torn the fabric of the Anglican Communion, and violated the trust so necessary for the fruitful relations with other churches and other faiths. It is offered with an admission of common responsibility for the dire circumstances in which the Anglican Communion finds itself, with a deep sense of penitence for shared disobedience. We are committed to amendment of life, the genuineness of which we pray shall be attested by the appearance among us of the fruits and the gifts of the Spirit. The statement is offered also with the knowledge that the spiritual health of our Communion and the authenticity of its witness and mission require of us not only fidelity to the faith of the Apostles but amendment of life in ways marked out by the path of suffering taken by our Lord.

Stewards of a Trust

I. 1. We confess, hold and bear witness before God and the world, that we have been "entrusted with a glorious Gospel" by God (1 Tim. 1:11), a "message of reconciliation" in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:19); and that as "stewards of God's mysteries" our calling is to be "trustworthy" (1 Cor. 4:1f.), willing to "guard the truth" that the Holy Spirit has shared with us through our baptism (2 Tim. 1:14) in the Church, passed on to us from the apostles (1:13). Our identity as Anglicans, whether in the Episcopal Church, USA or the Anglican Church in Canada, is founded on this trust and this calling.
I. 2. We confess, hold and bear witness that this "mystery of the faith" (1 Tim. 3:9) is the Church's knowledge and proclamation of and life within the glorious reality of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This trust embraces the full knowledge of God, given for the life of the world (cf. Jn 1:18) and revealed in Christ through the Church's own life and teaching (cf. Eph. 1:15-23).
I. 3. We confess, hold and bear witness that we are obliged to share this "mystery of Christ" even and particularly in suffering (Col. 4:3). Its form and meaning is embodied in the historical reality of God's own self-giving, the Father "sending the Son" (1 Jn. 4:9f.) in Jesus' incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension (1 Tim 3:16). It is given testimony through and for the sake of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives (1 Cor. 2:7 ff.), "sending us" in the same movement as the Father sends His Son (Jn. 20:21f.), so that, in the end, God might be glorified (cf. Rom 16:27). This is our mission, located in God's own life.
I.4 We confess, hold and bear witness that this sending, the work of the Holy Spirit in particular, is accomplished not through drawing us into new truths, but by binding us more fully to Scripture's remembered word, especially the living testimony to Jesus' very words, rooted in the Old Testament's promises and meanings. Thus, the mystery of God's own life as Trinity lived in mission is shared with the world through his revealed word and human lives that listen and live within the revelation of God's own being in Christ (compare Jn. 2:22; 14:24ff; Acts 11:16).
I.5. We confess, hold and bear witness, in particular therefore, that this trust is given to us in the Holy Scripture's received authority: the "Word of God" making known the "mysteries" of God through the prophets and apostles by the Holy Spirit (Col 1:25ff.; Rom. 16:25f.; Eph. 3:5; Nicene Creed). This Word is made known and rightly apprehended, furthermore, in the Church's life as it is bound in the unity of love and truth before the eyes of the world (Jn. 17:20-26; Col 2:1-6), expressed in the common Creeds and Canons of the Christian churches, as they have been led in recognized council across the ages. Within the Anglican Church of which we are a part, this means that Scripture's meaning is rightly discerned in addition through the theological ordering of our common historic formularies, including the sixteenth and seventeenth century authorized Books of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles which ground the belief and practices of our Communion's life. "In this way the authorities, which the church needs for her mission, are defined and limited." (Barmen Declaration Article 1).
I.6 We confess, hold and bear witness finally that Scripture's authority is fruitfully received and fulfills its formative function for the people of the Church when it is read in common, as a whole, coherently and comprehensively, Old and New Testaments together, as a single revelation of God's mysteries which teaches and builds up the Church in truth and holiness (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; I Cor. 10:6).

Trustworthy in Obedience and Communion

II.1. In light of this trust, we are called by God to two primary acts and attitudes of faithfulness: obedience and communion. The preaching of Jesus Christ is done for the sake "bringing about the obedience of faith" (Rom. 16:26), and to this we submit ourselves, standing firm over against "every wind of doctrine" precisely for the sake of "growing up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together […] upbuilds itself in love" (Eph. 4:14-16).
II.2 We are called because of this to found our communion in Christ on common obedience to God's word which requires of us not pluriformity of truth and practice, but that we be of one mind and follow the pattern of holiness marked out for us by our Lord and his Apostles (Jn. 17:14 & 17; Phil. 2:2 & 5; I Pet. 2:21; II Pet. 1:20; I Tim. 1:15-16).
II.3 We are called therefore to oppose assaults on the authority of the Scriptures. We are also called to oppose assaults on the way of life that the Scriptures enjoin (1 Tim. 6:3-6). This opposition comes, not from a divisive spirit, but from the precious vocation to holiness, which leads us away from sin into the clear and obedient participation in God's own nature (Lev. 11:44: 20:26; Matt. 5:48: I Pet. 1:14-16; 2 Pet. 1:4).
II.4 We are called in our day and place, to oppose all those actions of synods, conventions, individual bishops and priests, that contradict the apostolic and the Church's commonly accepted scriptural teaching on marriage between man and woman as the divinely ordained, holy, and exclusive context of human sexual activity, as the privileged social sacrament of God's covenant of faithfulness for and figure of human redemption (Hosea 2:16-21; Mark 10:5-9: Eph. 5:29-32; Rev. 19: 7-9), and on chastity outside of marriage as a holy and worthy calling (Matt. 19:12; I Cor. 7:32). Such contradictions of Christian teaching subvert the communion of our churches within the Anglican Communion and rend relationships within the larger Church. In doing this, they represent an attack on the very mysteries of God, the evangelical trust of which we are stewards
II.5 We are called to confess our profound sorrow for how these actions have broken ecumenical trust within the wider household of faith. We are further called, then, to oppose all such actions that subvert the truth of the gospel and the unity of the church that flows from it. We recognize that this opposition will involve a struggle to discern true witness and in this struggle we seek to be governed by charity and the desire to build up and not tear down others in the integrity of their faith (I Cor. 8:1, 9; II Cor. 13:10; I Tim. 6:11; Titus 3:9ff). For we uphold the truth that all persons are called in baptism to a life that is daily renewed in the image of Christ Jesus according to his word (2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:29; Col. 3:5-17). We seek always to witness to this universal gift and challenge together.
II.6. We are called to preach, convince, rebuke, exhort and teach in accordance with the Scripture's truth that draws us together in Christ (2 Tim. 4:2).
II.7. Our calling to obedience in particular commits us to follow the apostolic injunction to direct ourselves to the knowledge and commending of Holy Scripture (Acts 20:27; 1 Tim. 4:13; Col. 3:16), devoting ourselves to the Apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). To that end,
II.7. i. We commit ourselves to the study of Scripture, through serious, regular, and responsible discipline and scholarship;
ii. We commit ourselves to the clear explication of Scripture's full and perspicuous meaning as apprehended within the common witness of the Church, in our preaching, writing, and witness;
iii. We commit ourselves to an obedient following of Scripture through disciplined habits of prayer, zeal to maintain the unity of the body in the bond of peace, a common life conformed to the pattern of our Lord's, and through humble listening, conforming, and mutual correction according to the teaching of Holy Scripture;
iv. We commit ourselves to teaching the people and leaders of the Church through word and example the truths of Scripture's mysteries through disciplined and accountable means of Christian and priestly formation.
II.8. Our calling to communion in Christ in particular leads us to a commitment to engage, be formed by, contribute to, and promote the "proper working" of the "knitted joints" of Christ's Body within the church in which we are placed by God:
II.8. i. We commit ourselves to the primary organ of stewardship within the Church of Christ, that is, an episcopate rooted in holiness, knowledge of Scripture, and apostolic faithfulness (Titus 1:7-9);
ii. We commit ourselves to the organs of communion within the Anglican Fellowship of churches, respecting, living within, and holding accountable the representative bodies of our larger church, especially in its faithful witness to the Gospel of which she is a steward;
iii. We commit ourselves to conciliar discussion and decision-making, and reject the patterns of autonomous and sectarian self-rule that characterize the present age;
iv. We commit ourselves to the virtues of communion (cf. Rom. 12:9-21; Eph. 4:25-5:21), which embody the revealed truth of the Scripture's witness to the very being of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the pattern of love itself;
v. We commit ourselves to the work of healing schism and estrangement within the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 1:10), through truth-telling, testing of the faith, repentance, humility, apostolic authority, and building each other up (2 Cor. 13:5-11).
vi. We commit ourselves to the support of communion, through our ministry, mission, and the sharing of our goods and resources in partnership with those to whom God has joined us in the Body of His Son.
Repentance, Reconciliation, Reform, Renewal
III.1. We know that the trust we have been given is ours to guard even in the face of divine judgment, and even through the midst of suffering (2 Tim. 1:11f). Our faithfulness as stewards is tied both to our own penitence and accepted affliction, "rejoicing in the sharing of Christ's sufferings" and in the testing and justice of God, "entrusting our souls to a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:12-19). Our confession and calling therefore lead us to repent (Mk 1:14-15; Lk 24:45-47); to seek reconciliation among ourselves, in the church and in the world (2 Cor. 5:18-20); to reform our lives and the life of God's Church (Matt. 5:17-20); and to renew the church where God has placed us (Rom 12:1-2), and to do this:
III.1. i. through disciplined patterns, held in common among us and our leaders, of prayer, bible study, and the humility of constant repentance, gentleness, and suffering (James 4:6ff; 1 Tim. 1:15; Gal. 6:14). These patterns will be founded on a rule of life, of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as outlined by our Lord (Matt. 6:1-21) including but not limited to: the Daily Office using the Lectionary, Daily study of Scripture, weekly Communion, submission to appropriate spiritual authorities, regular fasting, and sacrificial giving.
ii. through the mission of sharing the glorious Gospel of God and teaching obedience to its revelation among all peoples (Matt.28:18-20), that "every family in heaven and on earth" might come to know and be transformed by the "fullness" of Christ's love (Eph. 3:14-19);
iii. through the formation of believers in the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:12-4:6), in knowledge and sacrificial service;
iv. through a unity of belief and practice that serves to expose the individualism and congregationalism that is now regnant within the Church at large and that denies the Name of Jesus (1 Cor. 1:10; Phil. 2:1-11);
v. through our seeking of the oneness of Christ's body for which our Lord prayed, working to overcome the fractures past and present that have marred the Church of Christ "One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic." (Nicene Creed).

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