Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Future For The Ordinariates? Quick Prognosis

My regular correspondent comments,
I doubt that many more groups will be entering any of the Ordinariates. Priests will be ordained to replace retiring pastors, and perhaps some new groups will be gathered, like the St Margaret's congregation in Katy, TX, around an unassigned clergyman. But I think the "continuing" bodies are tapped out, and as for and as for mainstream Anglican/TEC congregations---what could they be waiting for?
I'm inclined to agree. The basic issue is, as Frederick Kinsman had recognized by 1920, Anglicanism is a congregational denomination. Among other things, if an Episcopal parish is dissatisfied with actions of the national church, it makes little difference if they're satisfied with how things are at St Thomas Podunk and Fr Schmidlap. If they become dissatisfied with Fr Schmidlap, they kick him out and get someone new. Any idea of departing the denomination would become destructive and divisive to the community that's generally satisfied with how things are.

Clearly this has been the experience we've seen with parishes that attempt to leave either TEC or a continuing denomination.