Free Church of England: Difference between revisions
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The doctrinal basis of the FCE, together with its episcopal structures, organisation, worship, ministry and ethos are recognisably "[[Anglican]]" although it is not a member of the [[Anglican Communion]]. Its worship style follows that of the [[Book of Common Prayer]] or conservative modern-language forms that belong to the Anglican tradition. |
The doctrinal basis of the FCE, together with its episcopal structures, organisation, worship, ministry and ethos are recognisably "[[Anglican]]" although it is not a member of the [[Anglican Communion]]. Its worship style follows that of the [[Book of Common Prayer]] or conservative modern-language forms that belong to the Anglican tradition. |
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The Church of England acknowledges the FCE as a church with [[Holy orders|valid |
The Church of England acknowledges the FCE as a church with [[Holy orders|valid orders]] and its [[Canon (canon law)|canons]] permit a range of shared liturgical and ministerial activities. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The Free Church of England was founded principally by [[Evangelical Anglicanism|Evangelical]] [[Low Church]] clergy and congregations in response to what were perceived as attempts (inspired by the [[Oxford Movement]]) to re-introduce [[ |
The Free Church of England was founded principally by [[Evangelical Anglicanism|Evangelical]] [[Low Church]] clergy and congregations in response to what were perceived as attempts (inspired by the [[Oxford Movement]]) to re-introduce traditional [[Anglo-Catholicism|Catholic]] practices into the Church of England, England's [[established church]]. The first congregation was formed by [[the Reverend]] James Shore at [[St John's Church, Bridgetown|St John's Church]] [[Bridgetown, Devon|Bridgetown]], Totnes, Devon, in 1844.<ref>Grayson Carter, ''Anglican Evangelicals. Protestant Secessions from the via media, c.1800–1850'' (2001/15)</ref> |
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In the early years, clergy were often provided by the [[Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion]] which had its origins in the 18th |
In the early years, clergy were often provided by the [[Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion]] which had its origins in the 18th-century [[Evangelical Revival]]. By the middle of the 19th century the connexion still retained many Anglican features such as the use of the [[surplice]] and the [[Book of Common Prayer]].<ref>John Fenwick, ''The Free Church of England: Introduction to an Anglican Tradition'', London, Continuum, 2004, pp. 9–33.</ref> |
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The first bishop was [[Benjamin Price (bishop)|Benjamin Price]], who initially had oversight of all the new congregations. |
The first bishop was [[Benjamin Price (bishop)|Benjamin Price]], who initially had oversight of all the new congregations. |
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In 1956, the FCE published a revision of the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'' to form the primary text of the denomination's liturgy. The stated intention of the revision was to remove or explain "particular phrases and expressions" from the Church of England's 1662 edition of the prayer book that "afford at least plausible ground for the teaching and practice of the [[Sacerdotalism|Sacerdotal]] and [[Roman Catholic (term)|Romanising]] Party".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies for use in the Free Church of England otherwise called the Reformed Episcopal Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland|date=January 1956|author=Free Church of England|location=[[London]]|publisher=Marshall, Morgan, & Scott }}</ref> |
In 1956, the FCE published a revision of the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'' to form the primary text of the denomination's liturgy. The stated intention of the revision was to remove or explain "particular phrases and expressions" from the Church of England's 1662 edition of the prayer book that "afford at least plausible ground for the teaching and practice of the [[Sacerdotalism|Sacerdotal]] and [[Roman Catholic (term)|Romanising]] Party".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies for use in the Free Church of England otherwise called the Reformed Episcopal Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland|date=January 1956|author=Free Church of England|location=[[London]]|publisher=Marshall, Morgan, & Scott }}</ref> |
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In 2003, due to the adoption of [[High Church]] practices by the FCE, two bishops and ten congregations split from the main |
In 2003, due to the adoption of [[High Church]] practices by the FCE, two bishops and ten congregations split from the main church and formed the Evangelical Connexion of the Free Church of England.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History and other fce – Evangelical Connexion of the Free Church of England|url=https://ecfce.com/other-fce/|access-date=28 September 2021|language=en-GB}}</ref> Three of these congregations returned to the FCE - those in [[Exeter]] (which subsequently left the FCE again in April 2023<ref>{{cite web |title=Mixed week for the FCE: looses a parish but gains a television show |url=https://anglican.ink/2023/04/19/mixed-week-for-the-fce-looses-a-parish-but-gains-a-television-show/ |website=Anglican Ink |access-date=7 July 2023}}</ref>), [[Middlesbrough]] and [[Oswaldtwistle]]. Two churches in [[Farnham]] and [[Teddington]] having become independent altogether, the ECFCE currently has five churches in [[Fleetwood]], [[Leeds]], [[Leigh-on-Sea]], [[Tuebrook]] (Liverpool) and [[Workington]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Churches |publisher=Evangelical Connexion of the Free Church of England|url=https://ecfce.com/church-reports/|access-date=28 September 2021|language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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==Beliefs== |
==Beliefs== |
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==Dioceses== |
==Dioceses== |
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The united church enjoyed modest growth in the first part of the 20th century, having at one point 90 congregations, but after the [[ |
The united church enjoyed modest growth in the first part of the 20th century, having at one point 90 congregations, but after the [[Second World War]], like most other denominations in the UK, suffered a decline in numbers, though there has been a modest increase in the number of congregations in recent years.<ref>Year books 2007-2013.</ref> The 18 UK churches are located as follows. |
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[[File:Holy Trinity Church Free Church of England, Oswaldtwistle - geograph.org.uk - 85391.jpg|thumb|Holy Trinity Church Free Church of England, Oswaldtwistle]] |
[[File:Holy Trinity Church Free Church of England, Oswaldtwistle - geograph.org.uk - 85391.jpg|thumb|Holy Trinity Church Free Church of England, Oswaldtwistle]] |
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|Associate church |
|Associate church |
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St Stephen's |
St Stephen's Middlesbrough closed its building in 2017. The church continued to meet in a community centre but closed in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Release|first=Press|date=13 April 2021|title=A Statement concerning St Stephen's Church, Middlesbrough from the Free Church of England|url=https://anglican.ink/2021/04/12/a-statement-concerning-st-stephens-church-middlesbrough-from-the-free-church-of-england/|access-date=2 July 2021|website=Anglican Ink © 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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===Southern Diocese=== |
===Southern Diocese=== |
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[[Crowborough Community Church|Christ Church]] in [[Crowborough]], East Sussex was founded in 1879 and remained in use by the Free Church of England until the early 21st century. |
[[Crowborough Community Church|Christ Church]] in [[Crowborough]], East Sussex was founded in 1879 and remained in use by the Free Church of England until the early 21st century. It is now an independent Evangelical church.<ref>{{cite book|last=Elleray|first=D. Robert|title=Sussex Places of Worship|year=2004|publisher=Optimus Books|location=Worthing|isbn=0-9533132-7-1|page=19}}</ref> |
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Emmanuel Anglican Church, Tunbridge Wells, was founded in 2016 and joined the FCE in 2019. Its minister, Peter Sanlon, had previously been a Church of England minister. In May 2021 the church announced it was withdrawing from the FCE following concerns about governance in the FCE and the conduct of Bishop John Fenwick.<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 May 2021|title=Parish quits FCE over Fenwick scandal|url=https://anglican.ink/2021/05/05/parish-quits-fce-over-fenwick-scandal/|access-date=2 July 2021|website=Anglican Ink © 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> The same decision was taken by Christ Church, Exmouth (founded 1896; minister Josep Rosello),<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 May 2021|title=FCE Bishops resigns over Fenwick affair|url=https://anglican.ink/2021/05/05/fce-bishops-resigns-over-fenwick-affair/|access-date=2 July 2021|website=Anglican Ink|language=en-US}}</ref> and Christ Church Balham (founded in 2002 as an independent Anglican church; joined FCE 2019<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 January 2019|title=London congregation joins alternative Anglican denomination, questions C of E's 'theological trajectory'|url=https://www.premierchristianradio.com/News/UK/London-congregation-joins-alternative-Anglican-denomination-questions-C-of-E-s-theological-trajectory|access-date=25 January 2019|website=Premier Christian Radio|language=en-GB}}</ref>). |
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St Peter's, Croydon, was a new FCE church in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 March 2018|title=St Peter FCE Inaugural Service|url=https://fcofe.org.uk/2018/03/28/st-peter-fce-inaugural-service/|access-date=28 September 2021|website=The Free Church of England|language=en-GB}}</ref> |
St Peter's, Croydon, was a new FCE church in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 March 2018|title=St Peter FCE Inaugural Service|url=https://fcofe.org.uk/2018/03/28/st-peter-fce-inaugural-service/|access-date=28 September 2021|website=The Free Church of England|language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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===South American |
===South American diocese=== |
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The |
The church in [[South America]], comprising 25 congregations, was recognised as an overseas diocese by the convocation held in June 2018. The 16 Brazilian congregations are registered as the Anglican Reformed Church of Brazil ({{lang-pt|Igreja Anglicana Reformada do Brasil}}; IARB).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://igrejaanglicana.com.br/ |title=Igreja Anglicana Reformada do Brasil |work=Igrejaanglicana.com.br |date=20 June 2014 |access-date=6 December 2015 |archive-date=2 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502044033/http://igrejaanglicana.com.br/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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On 5 May 2021, the South American |
On 5 May 2021, the South American diocese withdrew from the FCE, citing a "total loss of confidence in the leadership of the FCE" and "abuses of power committed by Bishop John Fenwick".<ref>{{Cite web|date=7 May 2021|title=South American diocese withdraws from the FCE|url=https://anglican.ink/2021/05/06/south-american-diocese-withdraws-from-the-fce/|access-date=2 July 2021|website=Anglican Ink|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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==Recognition of orders== |
==Recognition of orders== |
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The FCE is in communion with the [[Reformed Episcopal Church]], which itself is now a member of the [[Anglican Church in North America]]. Within the UK the FCE is a member of the Free Churches Group<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.churches-together.net/Articles/179473/Churches_Together_in/Free_Churches/FCG_Member_Denominations.aspx |title=churches-together.net |publisher=churches-together.net |access-date=6 December 2015}}</ref> and [[Churches Together in England]]. From 1992 to 1997 the FCE was in official dialogue with the Church of England, which the 1998 [[Lambeth Conference]] saw as a sign of hope.<ref>Mark Dyer et al. (eds.), ''The Official Report of the Lambeth Conference 1998'', Harrisburg, PA, Morehouse Publishing, 1999, p.228.</ref> It is a Designated Church under the [[Church of England]]'s Ecumenical Relations Measure 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supplementary material |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/legal-services/canons-church-england/supplementary-material |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=The Church of England |language=en}}</ref> |
The FCE is in communion with the [[Reformed Episcopal Church]], which itself is now a member of the [[Anglican Church in North America]]. Within the UK the FCE is a member of the Free Churches Group<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.churches-together.net/Articles/179473/Churches_Together_in/Free_Churches/FCG_Member_Denominations.aspx |title=churches-together.net |publisher=churches-together.net |access-date=6 December 2015}}</ref> and [[Churches Together in England]]. From 1992 to 1997 the FCE was in official dialogue with the Church of England, which the 1998 [[Lambeth Conference]] saw as a sign of hope.<ref>Mark Dyer et al. (eds.), ''The Official Report of the Lambeth Conference 1998'', Harrisburg, PA, Morehouse Publishing, 1999, p.228.</ref> It is a Designated Church under the [[Church of England]]'s Ecumenical Relations Measure 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supplementary material |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/legal-services/canons-church-england/supplementary-material |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=The Church of England |language=en}}</ref> |
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FCE bishops have attended the enthronements of [[George Carey]], [[Rowan Williams]] and [[Justin Welby]] as [[Archbishops of Canterbury]]. Since 2013, the Free Church of England has been in dialogue with the conservative [[Old Catholic Church|Old Catholic |
FCE bishops have attended the enthronements of [[George Carey]], [[Rowan Williams]] and [[Justin Welby]] as [[Archbishops of Canterbury]]. Since 2013, the Free Church of England has been in dialogue with the conservative [[Old Catholic Church|Old Catholic]] of the [[Union of Scranton]]; one of the FCE parishes is served by a priest of the Union of Scranton's [[Nordic Catholic Church]], the former FCE deacon [[Calvin Robinson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dnkk.no/Sentrale%20sider%20-%20engelsk/index.htm |title=Den nordisk-katolske kirke » for den udelte kirkes tro |work=Dnkk.no |date=29 August 2015 |access-date=6 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chadwick |first=Fr Anthony |date=2013-03-16 |title=Free Church of England and the Union of Scranton |url=https://sarumuse.org/2013/03/16/free-church-of-england-joins-the-union-of-scranton/ |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=The Blue Flower |language=en}}</ref> |
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==Anglican realignment== |
==Anglican realignment== |
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{{Main|Anglican realignment}} |
{{Main|Anglican realignment}} |
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The FCE has been involved in the [[Anglican realignment|realignments]] within the [[Anglican Communion]]. In 2009 the |
The FCE has been involved in the [[Anglican realignment|realignments]] within the [[Anglican Communion]]. In 2009 the church was represented at the launch of the [[Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans]] (UK and Ireland), the local expression of the [[Global Anglican Future Conference]] (GAFCON) movement inaugurated the previous year in [[Jerusalem]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} In October 2013, the bishop primus, John Fenwick, attended the second Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON 2) in [[Nairobi]]. He has been consulted in the restructuring of GAFCON UK (the successor body to the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (UK and Ireland)) under the leadership of Bishop [[Andy Lines]], the ACNA missionary bishop endorsed by the GAFCON primates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gafcongbe.org/about|title=About Gafcon GB & Europe|website=gafcongbe.org}}</ref> |
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In February 2016, [[Foley Beach]], |
In February 2016, [[Foley Beach]], archbishop of the [[Anglican Church in North America]], signed an instrument declaring the Anglican Church in North America to be in full communion with the Free Church of England, and recognising "their congregations, clergy, and sacraments, while pledging to work together for the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the making of his disciples throughout the world". Archbishop Beach's declaration was ratified by the provincial council of the ACNA in June 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrew Gross |date=2016-06-21 |title=Archbishop Foley Beach addresses Provincial Council 2016 |url=https://anglicanchurch.net/archbishop-foley-beach-addresses-provincial-council-2016/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=The Anglican Church in North America |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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== Notable people == |
== Notable people == |
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* [[Calvin Robinson]], political commentator, broadcaster |
* [[Calvin Robinson]], political commentator, broadcaster and priest in the [[Nordic Catholic Church]] currently serving as minister of the FCE's Christ Church, Harlesden. Formerly a theological student in training for ordained ministry in the Church of England, Robinson was denied ordination in 2022 and joined the FCE, where he was ordained as a deacon, before leaving the FCE in 2023 and joining the Nordic Catholic Church. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*{{Official website}} |
*{{Official website}} |
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* [http://mammana.org/bcp/misc/free_church_of_england1956.pdf Free Church of England Book of Common Prayer] (1956) |
* [http://mammana.org/bcp/misc/free_church_of_england1956.pdf Free Church of England Book of Common Prayer] (1956) digitised by Richard Mammana |
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{{Christianity in the United Kingdom}} |
{{Christianity in the United Kingdom}} |
Revision as of 12:50, 6 April 2024
Free Church of England | |
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![]() | |
Classification | Protestant |
Scripture | Christian Bible |
Theology | Low Church Anglicanism |
Polity | Episcopal |
Associations | |
Origin | 1844 |
Separated from | Church of England |
Congregations | 18 |
Official website | fcofe |
The Free Church of England (FCE) is an episcopal church based in England. The church was founded when a number of congregations separated from the established Church of England in the middle of the 19th century.[1]
The doctrinal basis of the FCE, together with its episcopal structures, organisation, worship, ministry and ethos are recognisably "Anglican" although it is not a member of the Anglican Communion. Its worship style follows that of the Book of Common Prayer or conservative modern-language forms that belong to the Anglican tradition.
The Church of England acknowledges the FCE as a church with valid orders and its canons permit a range of shared liturgical and ministerial activities.
History
The Free Church of England was founded principally by Evangelical Low Church clergy and congregations in response to what were perceived as attempts (inspired by the Oxford Movement) to re-introduce traditional Catholic practices into the Church of England, England's established church. The first congregation was formed by the Reverend James Shore at St John's Church Bridgetown, Totnes, Devon, in 1844.[2]
In the early years, clergy were often provided by the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion which had its origins in the 18th-century Evangelical Revival. By the middle of the 19th century the connexion still retained many Anglican features such as the use of the surplice and the Book of Common Prayer.[3]
The first bishop was Benjamin Price, who initially had oversight of all the new congregations.
In 1874 the FCE made contact with the newly organised Reformed Episcopal Church in North America.[4]
In 1956, the FCE published a revision of the Book of Common Prayer to form the primary text of the denomination's liturgy. The stated intention of the revision was to remove or explain "particular phrases and expressions" from the Church of England's 1662 edition of the prayer book that "afford at least plausible ground for the teaching and practice of the Sacerdotal and Romanising Party".[5]
In 2003, due to the adoption of High Church practices by the FCE, two bishops and ten congregations split from the main church and formed the Evangelical Connexion of the Free Church of England.[6] Three of these congregations returned to the FCE - those in Exeter (which subsequently left the FCE again in April 2023[7]), Middlesbrough and Oswaldtwistle. Two churches in Farnham and Teddington having become independent altogether, the ECFCE currently has five churches in Fleetwood, Leeds, Leigh-on-Sea, Tuebrook (Liverpool) and Workington.[8]
Beliefs
The church holds a threefold ministry of deacons, presbyters, and bishops, and only ordains men.[9] Its order's have been recognised as valid by the Church of England since 2013.[10]
Organisation
The provision of contemporary language liturgies has been approved by convocation and a process of drafting and authorisation has begun. The church has continued to ordain bishops in the apostolic succession, with Moravian, Church of England and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church bishops taking part on occasion.[11]
Dioceses
The united church enjoyed modest growth in the first part of the 20th century, having at one point 90 congregations, but after the Second World War, like most other denominations in the UK, suffered a decline in numbers, though there has been a modest increase in the number of congregations in recent years.[12] The 18 UK churches are located as follows.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Holy_Trinity_Church_Free_Church_of_England%2C_Oswaldtwistle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_85391.jpg/220px-Holy_Trinity_Church_Free_Church_of_England%2C_Oswaldtwistle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_85391.jpg)
Northern Diocese
Bishops:
- –1917: William Troughton
- 1927–1958: Frank Vaughan
- 1958–1967: Thomas Cameron
- 1967–1973: James Burrell
- 1973–1998: Cyril Milner
- 1999–2003: Arthur Bentley-Taylor
- 2003–2006: John McLean
- 2006–present: John Fenwick
Church | Location | Founded | Link | Minister | Notes |
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St George, Mill Hill | Blackburn, Lancashire | 1907 | [13] | Kenneth Howles | |
Emmanuel, Morecambe | Morecambe, Lancashire | 1886 | Brett Murphy | ||
Holy Trinity, Oswaldtwistle | Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire | 1870 | [14][better source needed] | Anthony Roberts | |
St John with Trinity, Tottington | Tottington, Greater Manchester | 1853 | Arthur Kay | ||
St David, Preston | Preston, Lancashire | 1939 | Vacant | Previously an unaffiliated Anglican church | |
Christ Church, Liscard | Liscard, Merseyside | 1880 | Trevor Hutchinson | ||
St Augustine, Isle of Man | Douglas, Isle of Man | 2016 | [15] | Sir Laurence New | Joined FCE 2020. Meets in Jim Crosbie Memorial Hall, Derby Road, Douglas. IM2 3EN |
Impact Community Church | Hollinwood, Greater Manchester | [16] | Elijah Boswell | Associate church |
St Stephen's Middlesbrough closed its building in 2017. The church continued to meet in a community centre but closed in 2021.[17]
Southern Diocese
Bishops:
- 1889–1896: Benjamin Price
- 1896–1901: Samuel Dicksee
- 1904–1927: Richard Brook Lander
- 1927–1934: Joseph Fenn
- 1934–1955: John Magee
- 1955–1968: George Forbes-Smith
- 1968–1971: Ambrose Bodfish
- 1972–1976: William Watkins
- 1977–1990: Arthur Ward
- 1990–2006: Kenneth Powell
- 2007–present: Paul Hunt
Churches:
Church | Location | Founded | Link | Minister | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
St Jude, Balham | Balham, London | 1887 | [18] | Mark Gretason | |
St Andrew, Bentley | Bentley, West Midlands | 1943 | [19] | Paul Hunt | |
St Jude, Chuckery | Walsall, West Midlands | 1909 | [20] | joined FCE 1947 | |
Emmanuel, Birmingham | Saltley, West Midlands | 1903 | Daniel Choe | ||
Christ Church, Broadstairs | Broadstairs, Kent | 1904 | Jabson Watson | ||
Christ Church, Harlesden | Harlesden, London | 1886 | [21] | Calvin Robinson (priest of the Nordic Catholic Church) | |
Christ Church, Willesborough | Willesborough, Ashford, Kent | 1874 | Jabson Watson | ||
St Francis, Shoreham-by-Sea | Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex | 2012 | [22] | Gerald Kirsch | |
St Paul's, Bexhill-on-Sea | Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex | 1928 | [23] | P. Gadsden | joined FCE 2021 |
Christ Church in Crowborough, East Sussex was founded in 1879 and remained in use by the Free Church of England until the early 21st century. It is now an independent Evangelical church.[24]
Emmanuel Anglican Church, Tunbridge Wells, was founded in 2016 and joined the FCE in 2019. Its minister, Peter Sanlon, had previously been a Church of England minister. In May 2021 the church announced it was withdrawing from the FCE following concerns about governance in the FCE and the conduct of Bishop John Fenwick.[25] The same decision was taken by Christ Church, Exmouth (founded 1896; minister Josep Rosello),[26] and Christ Church Balham (founded in 2002 as an independent Anglican church; joined FCE 2019[27]).
St Peter's, Croydon, was a new FCE church in 2018.[28]
South American diocese
The church in South America, comprising 25 congregations, was recognised as an overseas diocese by the convocation held in June 2018. The 16 Brazilian congregations are registered as the Anglican Reformed Church of Brazil (Portuguese: Igreja Anglicana Reformada do Brasil; IARB).[29]
On 5 May 2021, the South American diocese withdrew from the FCE, citing a "total loss of confidence in the leadership of the FCE" and "abuses of power committed by Bishop John Fenwick".[30]
Recognition of orders
In January 2013 it was announced that the Church of England had recognised the holy orders of the Free Church of England.[31] This move followed approximately three years of contact between the bishops of the Free Church of England, the Council for Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission. The recognition was not voted on by the General Synod but was endorsed by the standing committee of the House of Bishops. John McLean, the then Bishop Primus of the Free Church of England, said: "We are grateful to the archbishops for this recognition of our common episcopal heritage. I pray that it will not be an end in itself, but will lead to new opportunities for proclaiming the Gospel." Christopher Hill, Bishop of Guildford and chair of the Church of England's Council for Christian Unity, said: "I hope there will be good relations between us and especially in those places where there is a Free Church of England congregation."[32]
Recognition of the orders of the Free Church of England under the Overseas and Other Clergy (Ministry and Ordination) Measure 1967 means that FCE clergy are eligible to be given permission under that measure to officiate in the Church of England, subject to such procedures and authorisations as may be required. A number have been so authorised while remaining clergy of the FCE in good standing. The measure also permits FCE bishops to ordain and perform other episcopal functions at the request of the bishop of a diocese in the provinces of Canterbury and York, subject to the consent of the relevant archbishop.[33]
Relationships
The FCE is in communion with the Reformed Episcopal Church, which itself is now a member of the Anglican Church in North America. Within the UK the FCE is a member of the Free Churches Group[34] and Churches Together in England. From 1992 to 1997 the FCE was in official dialogue with the Church of England, which the 1998 Lambeth Conference saw as a sign of hope.[35] It is a Designated Church under the Church of England's Ecumenical Relations Measure 1988.[36]
FCE bishops have attended the enthronements of George Carey, Rowan Williams and Justin Welby as Archbishops of Canterbury. Since 2013, the Free Church of England has been in dialogue with the conservative Old Catholic of the Union of Scranton; one of the FCE parishes is served by a priest of the Union of Scranton's Nordic Catholic Church, the former FCE deacon Calvin Robinson.[37][38]
Anglican realignment
The FCE has been involved in the realignments within the Anglican Communion. In 2009 the church was represented at the launch of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (UK and Ireland), the local expression of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) movement inaugurated the previous year in Jerusalem.[citation needed] In October 2013, the bishop primus, John Fenwick, attended the second Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON 2) in Nairobi. He has been consulted in the restructuring of GAFCON UK (the successor body to the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (UK and Ireland)) under the leadership of Bishop Andy Lines, the ACNA missionary bishop endorsed by the GAFCON primates.[39]
In February 2016, Foley Beach, archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, signed an instrument declaring the Anglican Church in North America to be in full communion with the Free Church of England, and recognising "their congregations, clergy, and sacraments, while pledging to work together for the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the making of his disciples throughout the world". Archbishop Beach's declaration was ratified by the provincial council of the ACNA in June 2016.[40]
Notable people
- Calvin Robinson, political commentator, broadcaster and priest in the Nordic Catholic Church currently serving as minister of the FCE's Christ Church, Harlesden. Formerly a theological student in training for ordained ministry in the Church of England, Robinson was denied ordination in 2022 and joined the FCE, where he was ordained as a deacon, before leaving the FCE in 2023 and joining the Nordic Catholic Church.
References
- ^ Richard D. Fenwick, "The Free Church of England otherwise called the Reformed Episcopal Church c. 1845 to c. 1927", PhD thesis, University of Wales, 1995.
- ^ Grayson Carter, Anglican Evangelicals. Protestant Secessions from the via media, c.1800–1850 (2001/15)
- ^ John Fenwick, The Free Church of England: Introduction to an Anglican Tradition, London, Continuum, 2004, pp. 9–33.
- ^ Allen C. Guelzo, For the Union of Evangelical Christendom: The Irony of the Reformed Episcopalians, Pennsylvania, State University Press, 1994, pp. 224–227.
- ^ Free Church of England (January 1956). The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies for use in the Free Church of England otherwise called the Reformed Episcopal Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland. London: Marshall, Morgan, & Scott.
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Further reading
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). 1911. .
External links
- Official website
- Free Church of England Book of Common Prayer (1956) digitised by Richard Mammana
- Religious organisations based in England
- Christian denominations in England
- Evangelical Anglicanism
- History of the Church of England
- Anglicanism in the United Kingdom
- Anglican realignment denominations
- Religious organizations established in 1844
- 1844 establishments in England
- Reformed denominations in the United Kingdom
- Anglican organizations established in the 19th century