VISION FOR THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA 2019
I want a church in 2019 that
- Welcomes children and youth, and draws on their faith, creativity, and energies to shape worship and undertake ministry and mission
- Honours its 16th century theologian Richard Hooker and the three-fold cord of scripture, reason, and tradition, and interprets the Bible afresh by reasoning, in light of sacred and secular knowledge, to shape faith, conscience, and action in changing contexts
- Understands that God is the Lord of all life and therefore our faith must be lived out in society, the economy, and the political domain
- Is open to the world, helping its members apply their faith to resolve justice issues in the social, economic, and political realms, and address environmental trends putting at risk ecosystems and the commonwealth of life on Earth
- Understands that with the invention of nuclear weapons, we can choose war, or humanity, and therefore works for the abolition of these weapons and war itself
- Actively opposes armed violence, and the ever-growing militarism and military expenditures that waste physical, financial, and spiritual resources
- Seeks wholeheartedly the peace and justice envisioned in the Gospel promise that God in Christ will guide our feet into the way of peace
- Helps its members to understand we must walk more lightly on Earth and to share its resources with the whole human family, for whom God intends to provide
- Teaches, in its worship and prayers, the beauty and wonder of creation and our calling to stewardship
- Works through teaching and action to stop the war on the environment (seen in deforestation, overfishing, soil exhaustion and erosion, waste of water, and so on)
- Gives leadership to avert catastrophic climate change – a grave justice issue — by making the serious reductions in carbon emissions needed in the church at all levels, and by pressing governments to achieve meaningful targets (25 to 40 per cent cut from 1990 levels by 2020) through regulations and incentives
- Encourages and supports the sharing of ministry between clergy and laity
- Fosters the empowerment of women and establishes gender parity as the norm in church bodies
- Creates groups involving clergy and laity to study critical issues, in light of faith and in dialogue with scientists, and makes their analyses known
- Encourages fresh liturgical expression, fostering creativity in prayer and hymnody
- Helps both local and worldwide neighbours
- Affirms and supports aboriginal ministries
- Helps victims, whether of wars, environmental disasters, or human rights violations and abuse, fostering justice and compassion
- Teaches the wonder, beauty, and joy of sexuality and of its fulfilment in faithful, loving union, whether heterosexual or homosexual
- Supports the Anglican Communion and helps create deeper bonds with other Christian denominations in worship and action.
