August 8, 2022
After division and heroic effort, Lambeth Conference concludes with hope

By Janet Kawamoto

[The Episcopal News – August 8, 2022] The Lambeth Conference of 2022, themed “God’s Church for God’s World,” concluded on Aug. 7 with more unity than seemed possible considering the contention of its first few days.

Bishops from around the church have reported that they emerged hopeful from the two-week meeting; despite disagreements, especially over human sexuality, they found the meeting of bishops from around the Anglican Communion useful in developing relationships, increasing their understanding of the challenges with which provinces in 160 countries must contend, and emphasizing the unity of their faith in Jesus Christ in all its expressions.

There were moments of palpable unity in prayer, said Bishop John Harvey Taylor of Los Angeles, who reported daily from the conference on his Facebook page and blog. “This afternoon, the Holy Spirit’s warm breath came fully among us and swept almost 650 bishops to our feet to pray together, to be the body of Christ in unity,” he wrote on Aug. 2. “It happened right after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, had stated yet again that we are of two minds on marriage equity, pro and con, with each perspective rooted in sincerely held beliefs about doctrine and Holy Scripture.”

Speaking Aug. 7 in his final keynote address at the University of Kent before the conference’s closing service in Canterbury Cathedral, Welby asked, “How should we act? Above all in relationship. That is the first and greatest call… because it is the scriptural call.”

Describing the Anglican Communion, Welby asked, “Is it argumentative? Oh yes. It is diverse? Immensely. Is it God’s holy people? Certainly. Let us go out together in obedience – sent out, as God’s church for God’s world.” (Read more of the archbishop’s address here.)

Read more here. A larger version of the Lambeth bishops' photo is here.
Bishops wrap Lambeth Conference with look ahead to unity, despite persistent divisions

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – Canterbury, England – August 6, 2022] Bishops from across the Anglican Communion, meeting Aug. 6 for their last business day at the Lambeth Conference, looked to the future as they emphasized the conference’s theme of Anglicans engaging with the wider world.

Many Episcopal bishops arrived at the July 26-Aug. 8 conference expressing trepidation over conservative attempts to reaffirm past Anglican statements against same-sex marriage. Though stark divisions remain over issues of human sexuality across the communion, which covers 165 countries, Episcopal bishops said they are concluding their time in Canterbury on a more hopeful note.

“It feels to me like this conference has been a new beginning for the Anglican Communion,” Minnesota Bishop Craig Loya told Episcopal News Service during a break between morning sessions at the University of Kent. Despite their differences, the more than 650 participating bishops have come together throughout the conference to examine some of the most pressing issues in the world today, Loya said, including climate change, interfaith relations, care for refugees and the threat of anti-democratic movements.

As part of the day’s business, the bishops adopted 14 statements of support, each proposed by a sponsoring bishop, highlighting a range of issues that included peace in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine and gun violence in the United States.

Read more here.
In final Lambeth address, Archbishop of Canterbury calls the church to tell, teach and transform

By Lynette Wilson

[Episcopal News Service – Canterbury, England – August 7, 2022] In his third and final keynote address of the 15th Lambeth Conference, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby called on the church “to tell, to teach and to transform by responding to human need,” driving home the conference’s theme, “God’s Church for God’s World.”

“The church united is not merely a help to the world; it is the sign of salvation to the transformation of the world. The church humbled and hospitable, generous and full of love, is not just a nice thing to have in society; it points to the kingdom of heaven,” said Welby on Aug. 7 at the University of Kent, the site of the conference.

The church is not just another nongovernmental organization but “God’s chosen means of shining light in the darkness,” he said. Welby emphasized evangelism, formation and discipleship, focusing on bishops’ vocation in leading God’s church, which exists for the sake of the salvation of God’s world, throughout his final address.

It’s in periods of darkness that churches confront the world’s challenges and grow, and their members must be educated in Scripture and extrapolate it into the world.

“The strength of many churches that grow – grow deeper and grow in numbers – is that everyone knows the Gospel and can say something about their own testimony of their love and meeting with Jesus Christ,” Welby said. “They may not be eloquent, their theology may be slightly crude, but when they speak from the heart, others listen and their transformed lives illustrate their words.

“It is essential throughout the churches of the communion that everyone understands themselves to be witnesses because they are baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Read more here.