TheAnglican ministry is both the leadership and agency of Christian service in theAnglican Communion.Ministry commonly refers to the office ofordainedclergy: thethreefold order ofbishops,priests anddeacons. Anglican ministry includes manylaypeople who devote themselves to the ministry of the church, either individually or in lower/assisting offices such as lector, acolyte, sub-deacon, Eucharistic minister, cantor, musicians, parish secretary or assistant, warden, vestry member, etc. Ultimately, allbaptized members of the church are considered to partake in the ministry of theBody of Christ.[1]
Each of theprovinces of theAnglican Communion has a high degree of independence from the other provinces, and each of them have slightly different structures for ministry, mission and governance.[2] However, personal leadership is always vested in a member of the clergy (abishop at provincial anddiocesan levels, and apriest (often termed arector orvicar at theparish level) andconsensus derived bysynodical government. At different levels of the church's structure, laity, clergy (priests and deacons) and bishops meet together with prayer to deliberate over church governance. These gatherings are variously called conferences,synods, conventions, convocations, councils, chapters andvestries.
The effect ofHenry VIII'sAct in Restraint of Appeals (24 Hen. 8. c. 12) and firstAct of Supremacy (26 Hen. 8. c. 1) was to establish royal authority in all matters spiritual and temporal, even assigning the power of ecclesiastical visitation over the Church in the English Realm.[3]Queen Elizabeth I, while declining the title of Supreme Head, was declared to be "Supreme Governor of this realm ... as well in all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes as temporal".[4] Thus, although the Church of England was regarded in the sixteenth century as a church of theReformation,[5] it nonetheless maintained the historic church structure, including the maintenance of the threefold order of the ministry, with bishops,consecrated inapostolic succession, ordaining deacons, and priests.[6]
InAnglican sacramental theology, certain ministerial functions can only be performed by individuals ordained into one or more of the threeholy orders. There are two kinds of ministers in this sense. Theordinary minister of a sacrament has both the spiritual power to perform the sacrament (i.e. a valid sacrament) and the legal authority to perform the sacrament (i.e. a licit sacrament). Anextraordinary minister has the spiritual power but may only perform the sacrament in certain special instances undercanon law (i.e. emergencies). If a person who is neither an ordinary nor an extraordinary minister attempts to perform a sacrament, no preternatural effect happens (i.e. the putative sacrament is not merely illicit, but invalid).
In theAnglican Communion, the following are ministers of the sacraments ("clergy" refers to either a deacon, priest, or bishop):
The churches of the Anglican Communion maintain thehistorical episcopate, which ordains clergy into the three orders ofdeacon,priest andbishop.
Bishops provide the leadership for the Anglican Communion and theChurch of England in accordance withepiscopal polity. The Anglican sacramental theology of the episcopate can be found in the Church of England’s Ordination Services. “Bishops are ordained to be shepherds of Christ’s flock and guardians of the faith of the apostles, proclaiming the gospel of God’s kingdom and leading his people in mission.”[13] The service continues in the Liturgy of Ordination to describe Bishops as “principal ministers of word and sacrament, stewards of the mysteries of God”[13] they are to “preside over the ordination of deacons and priests, and join together in the ordination of bishops.”[13] Moreover the rite describes Bishop’s as the church’s “chief pastors”.[13] The principal consecrator continues with the prayer of consecration praying that the ordinand may be “bishop in the ministry of the gospel of Christ, the Apostle and High Priest of our faith”[13] after the laying on of hands with the accompanying words “Send down the Holy Spirit on yourservant N for the office and work of a bishop in your Church.” The principal consecrating Bishop continues with the prayer saying “Through your Spirit, heavenly Father, fillthis your servant with the grace and power which you gave to your apostles.”[13] After the prayer of consecration, the newly ordained Bishop is presented with the episcopal ring, pectoral cross and crozier.
All bishops, constituting a worldwideCollege of Bishops, are considered to be equal in orders. However, bishops have a variety of different responsibilities, and in these some bishops are more senior than others. All bishops, of diocesan rank and below, are styled theRight Reverend; more senior bishops and archbishops are styled as theMost Reverend. Most bishops oversee adiocese, some are consecrated to assist diocesan bishops in large or busy dioceses, and some are relieved of diocesan responsibilities so they can minister more widely (especiallyprimates who concentrate on leading a member church of the Communion).
Anglican bishops are often identified by thepurpleclergy shirt andcassock they are entitled to wear. However, bishops are permitted to wear other colours, and a formerArchbishop of Canterbury,Rowan Williams, is frequently seen wearing a black cassock. Bishops also usually wear apectoral cross andepiscopal ring. Thechoir dress or convocation habit for bishops, which used to be their only vesture until pre-Reformation vestments were revived, consists of thecassock,rochet,chimere andtippet. Bishops carry acrosier as the sign of their ministry, and, on formal occasions, often wear amitre andcope. When presiding at theEucharist, most Anglican bishops now wearalbs,stoles andchasubles.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is theprimus inter pares, orfirst among equals, of the Anglican Communion. Although he has no formal authority outside of theChurch of England, he hosts and chairs theLambeth Conference andAnglican Communion Primates' Meeting, and is president of theAnglican Consultative Council. For many, being an Anglican means being in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and he is formally an instrument of Communion.[14]
Each member church of the Anglican Communion is an independent body headed by a primate. A primate is the most senior bishop of a member church. As well as beingprimus inter pares, the Archbishop of Canterbury isPrimate of All England, the senior bishop in the Church of England. For historical reasons, the Church of England and theChurch of Ireland (which is headed by theArchbishop of Armagh who is thePrimate of All Ireland) also call their second most senior bishopsprimate: theArchbishop of York and theArchbishop of Dublin are thePrimate of England andIreland, without theAll, respectively.
Although some member churches of the Anglican Communion title their primates asPrimate orPrimate Bishop, most churches use other titles for their primates. Following the style of the Archbishop of Canterbury, many Anglican primates are styledArchbishop. They are either named after the most importantepiscopal see in the church (like theArchbishop of Cape Town) or named after the province they lead (like theArchbishop of Nigeria). TheScottish Episcopal Church uniquely calls its primatePrimus. Other churches have followed the example of theEpiscopal Church in the United States of America by calling the primatePresiding Bishop, orPresident Bishop. These latter titles emphasize the collegiate nature of episcopate rather than the personal authority of the primate. The primates of theChurch of South India,Church of North India,Church of Pakistan andChurch of Bangladesh are calledModerators, reflecting theirMethodist andPresbyterian heritage. Some primates head a diocese, but some are relieved from diocesan responsibility to concentrate on leading the wider church (thePrimate of the Anglican Church of Canada for example).
In recent years, theAnglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has moved from the traditional leadership of anArchbishop of New Zealand, to a Presiding Bishop, and now to atriumvirate ofCo-Presiding Bishops representing each of thetikanga, or cultural streams, in the church —Māori,European andPolynesian. However, the style ofArchbishop is still sometimes used, especially by the Co-Presiding Bishop for the Dioceses in New Zealand.
All of the member churches of the Anglican Communion comprise one or moreecclesiastical province, a grouping of dioceses for administrative purposes. In some provinces, one of the diocesan bishops has oversight of all of the other bishops of the province, and is known as a metropolitan bishop, or simply a metropolitan. Metropolitans are usually given the title of archbishop and styledMost Reverend. Some metropolitans have a fixed see (theArchbishop of Sydney is always metropolitan of theProvince of New South Wales for example), while others may have any see in province (the currentArchbishop of Wales just happens to be alsoBishop of Bangor for example). The primate is often one of the metropolitans.
In some provinces, all of the diocesan bishops share a collegiate metropolitical authority and there is no single metropolitan bishop. This is the case in all nine of the provinces of the Episcopal Church in the United States, which has no metropolitans, and the single province of the Scottish Episcopal Church. In these churches, the Presiding Bishop or Primus respectively is a primate without metropolitical authority over the dioceses of the church.
The majority of bishops in the Anglican Communion are the spiritual, pastoral, and executive heads of dioceses. A diocesan bishop is theOrdinary of his or her diocese, and has wide-ranging legal and administrative responsibilities. Some dioceses can be very large and others quite small: theDiocese of Cyprus and the Gulf covers several countries and the Diocese ofBolivia covers the whole country, while theDiocese of Sodor and Man covers just theIsle of Man. Unless they are metropolitans or primates all diocesans are styledRight Reverend, with the historical exception that theBishop of Meath and Kildare is styledMost Reverend.
In larger or more populous dioceses, diocesan bishops may be assisted by one or more junior bishops. Where the role of an assistant bishop is a legal part of the structure of the diocese, he or she is known as asuffragan bishop. Suffragans usually have a title named after a place within the diocese. For example, theBishop of Jarrow is a suffragan to theBishop of Durham. Some dioceses divide intoepiscopal areas, with each assigned to a suffraganarea bishop. For example, theBishop of Toronto has suffragans assisting him by providing certain delegated duties in four different geographical divisions. Sometimes a diocese may appoint a bishop ascoadjutor bishop, an assistant bishop who will become diocesan bishop on the retirement of the current diocesan. This arrangement allows for greater continuity of episcopal ministry but is not very common in the Anglican Communion. Where a diocesan has not been elected or appointed, a bishop or senior priest may act asvicar general through the vacancy. Retired bishops or bishops who are pursuing ministry outside the usual episcopal ministry are usually licensed ashonorary assistant bishops within a diocese (Stephen Sykes, the formerBishop of Ely who was Principal ofSt John's College, Durham, was also an honorary assistant bishop in Durham).
The overwhelming majority of ordained ministers in the Anglican Communion and theChurch of England arepriests (also calledpresbyters). Priestly ministry is derived from that of bishops in that they are licensed to acure of souls by a diocesan or area bishop. The collegiate nature of thepresbyterate is acknowledged every time a new priest is ordained as other priests share with the ordaining bishop in thelaying on of hands.
The role of the priest can be described in the Church of England’s Ordination service. The Bishop at the ordination declared “With the Bishop and their fellow presbyters, they are to sustain the community of the faithful by the ministry of word and sacrament, that we all may grow into the fullness of Christ and be a living sacrifice acceptable to God.”[13] In the Ordination prayer the Bishop prays that “Through your Spirit, heavenly Father, give these your servants grace and power to proclaim the gospel of your salvation and minister the sacraments of the new covenant.”[13] The Bishop continues “May they declare your blessings to your people; may they proclaim Christ’s victory over the powers of darkness, and absolve in Christ’s name those who turn to him in faith; so shall a people made whole in Christ offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to you, our God and Father.”[13] After the prayer of Ordination the Bishop anoints the palms of the newly ordained priests saying “May God, who anointed the Christ with the Holy Spirit at his baptism, anoint and empower you to reconcile and bless his people.”[13]
All priests are entitled to be styledThe Reverend, and many male priests are calledFather. Some senior priests have other titles. Many member churches ordain women to the priesthood. There is as yet no widely used alternative title to "Father" for female priests, though many utilize “Mother.” Priests traditionally wear a (usually) black cassock or clergy shirt - although many now wear clergy shirts in other colours. In worship, the traditional vesture for Anglican priests is theirchoir dress ofcassock,surplice,academic hood (if one has been awarded) and a blacktippet. However, at the Eucharist, the revived pre-Reformation vestments ofalb,stole,chasuble and occasionally theamice andmaniple, are worn in large sections of the Communion. Even in cases where a priest is not presiding at the Eucharist, he or she may wear a surplice or alb with a stole.
After bishops, archdeacons are the most senior clergy in dioceses, except in the Church of England and the Anglican Church of Canada and Southern Africa where the dean of the cathedral church is the senior priest in the diocese. Archdeacons are usually priests, but deacons also occasionally serve as archdeacons (for example, when women have not been allowed to be ordained priests or when a deacon is given administrative responsibility over other deacons). Archdeacons are usually styled theVenerable instead of theReverend. Most archdeacons oversee a part of a diocese called anarchdeaconry in conjunction with their parish responsibilities, although some may hold the title in association with specific administrative responsibilities. For example, in certain dioceses, an "executive archdeacon" assists the bishop in certain administrative functions while not holding a parish appointment. Archdeacons are episcopal vicars, which means that they are responsible for the pastoral and practical management of the diocese within their archdeaconry or specific area of responsibility.
Not all member churches of the Anglican Communion have archdeacons. The Scottish Episcopal Church has the post ofdean which is the most senior priest in each diocese. A Scottish dean's role is similar to that of an archdeacon but is styled theVery Reverend.
Each diocese has acathedral that is the mother church and home to the diocesan bishop'scathedra or throne. Some dioceses have more than one cathedral for historical reasons. As cathedrals are sacramental, liturgical and administrative resource centres for their dioceses, their clergy are usually among the most senior in the diocese. Different member churches of the Anglican Communion have different structures of cathedral clergy. TheChurch of England has perhaps the most complex system. In England, the senior priest of a cathedral is called thedean (until 2000, some used to be known asprovosts instead). The dean is assisted by other senior clergy who are calledcanons orprebendaries. These have different roles within the cathedral community. For example, aCanon Treasurer is responsible for the fabric and finance of the cathedral, aCanonPrecentor is responsible for the worship of the cathedral and aCanon Chancellor is responsible for the archives and libraries of the cathedral. Some non-cathedral clergy are awarded the title ofHonorary Canon orPrebendary as a particular distinction. Some cathedrals have minor canons who are similar in status to anassistant curate in a parish church. Besides cathedrals, the Church of England (and now also both theChurch in Wales and theAnglican Church of Canada) has a number ofcollegiate churches androyal peculiars that function in a similar fashion, but do not have a bishop's throne, with the exception of theChurch in Walescollegiate church ofSt Mary's Church, Swansea, which has a bishop's throne.
Other member churches of the Anglican Communion have much simpler cathedral arrangements. Most other cathedrals are also parish churches. In the Scottish Episcopal Church, the senior priest of a cathedral is aprovost. In the Anglican Church of Canada, a cathedral's senior priest is known as therector of the cathedral and a dean of the diocese. Deans and provosts are styled theVery Reverend, while canons and prebendaries (but not minor canons) are styled theReverend Canon orPrebendary. In many provinces of the Communion, the title of "canon" is a gift of the bishop, which may be given to senior or distinguished clergy — and in some cases, to laypeople ("lay canons").
Many Anglican dioceses groupparishes within an archdeaconry into subdivisions known as deaneries. To distinguish them from the posts of cathedral deans they are often calledrural deaneries,regional deaneries, orarea deaneries, led by rural, regional, or area deans. These are appointed by the bishop from among the parish clergy in the deanery to act as a vehicle of communication between the parishes of the deanery and the archdeacons and bishops, and to facilitate collegiality among his or her colleagues through regular meetings (often called theclericus orchapter). Regional and rural deans have no special title, and generally hold the appointment on a rotating basis.
Acommissary is a priest who represents a bishop on particular issues or in regions outside of the bishop's country.
Historically, parishclergy have been given thecure of souls of the bishop, and hence areperpetual curates, and the temporalfreehold of the parish, and hence areincumbents orparsons. Depending on thetithes they received, they were eitherrectors (receiving both the greater and lesser tithes),vicars (receiving just the lesser tithes) or perpetual curates (receiving no tithes). In time, the third category was merged in with vicars. Still today, each parish in England and Wales gives to its incumbent the title rector or vicar depending on the historical situation with tithes, but, as all clergy in these churches are paid from central funds, the distinction is meaningless. In some places in England and Wales,team benefices have been established. In them, a team of clergy is licensed to a group of parishes, and the senior priest is known as ateam rector and other priests of 'incumbent status' are known asteam vicars. A parish priest without secure tenure but holding a bishop's licence is termed apriest in charge,temporary curate orbishop's curate.
In the rest of the Anglican Communion, most parish priests are called rectors or incumbents. However, in some member churches where mission societies have been instrumental in their continuing development, parish priests are calledchaplains. In some provinces, such as theEpiscopal Church in the United States of America, a rector is the head of a self-sustaining parish, while a vicar is the head of amission sustained from diocesan funds.
Afterordination most clergy serve as assistants to parish priests before taking up a lead post in a parish. As they share thecure of souls with the parish priest they are often known asassistant curates, although in many places they are colloquially known simply as "curates" in distinction from the incumbent, and their term of appointment as an assistant is known as a curacy. Some assistant clergy are experienced priests and deacons who for various reasons are not incumbents. They may include those who are in full-time secular employment and those who hold administrative posts within the diocese. In some parishes, such senior assistants are often known as associate priests. Junior clergy in a cathedral or collegiate church are sometimes calledminor canons. If their main financial income comes from sources other than their work as ministers, they may be termed Self Supporting Ministers (SSM).[15]
Since theEnglish Reformation, deacons have been the lowest order of clergy in the Anglican Communion and theChurch of England: theminor orders (which only came to be clearly defined at theCouncil of Trent) having been removed from the hierarchy.
The role of the deacon is described in the ordination rite. “Deacons are called to work with the Bishop and the priests with whom they serve as heralds of Christ’s kingdom.”[13] They are called to “proclaim the gospel in word and deed, as agents of God’s purposes of love.[13]” Deacons are called to “share in the pastoral ministry of the Church and in leading God’s people in worship”,[13] “They assist in administering the sacraments; they distribute communion and minister to the sick and housebound.”[13]
Although deacons are fully members of the clergy (they wearclerical collars and are styledthe Reverend), they are not permitted to preside at theEucharist,bless people, orabsolve sins. As these ministries were, and in many ways still are, essential in the life of the church, deacons are usually ordained priests after about a year in the diaconate — they aretransitional deacons. The term is somewhat misleading since the order is never superseded — all priests are also deacons and occasionally act in this role in worship. Most deacons serve asassistant curates inparish churches, a ministry that usually continues into their ordination to the priesthood. Some deacons serve asminor canons incathedrals or as assistantchaplains in a wide range of non-parochial ministry.
The responsibilities of deacons involve assisting at worship - particularly setting up the altar for the Eucharist and reading theGospel. They are also accorded responsibility for pastoral care and community outreach, in keeping with their traditional role of manifesting the church in the world.
So-calledvocational deacons are individuals ordained with the intent of staying in the order rather than seeking the priesthood. Such deacons often have secular careers. In these cases, the vocational deacon has the same responsibilities as their transitional colleagues but without the element of apprenticeship. Many vocational deacons have careers in the social services, where they can manifest their particular ministry of care and outreach.
Since different member churches of the Anglican Communion have different policies on theordination of women, there are some churches (such as theAnglican Church of the Southern Cone) and some dioceses (such asSydney) in which women may be ordained deacons but not priests or bishops.
Certainlaypeople may receive specific commission or authorisation from a bishop (often on recommendation of a parish or its clergy) to perform certain aspects of ministry. The rationale for licensing is that the ministry is considered too specialised or otherwise extraordinary to be carried out in the absence of individual evaluation and recommendation. There is variation across jurisdictions, but there are four common areas.
Although derived from the same name as deacons, deaconesses have often been considered lay ministers in the church (probably at least from the time of theFirst Council of Nicaea, which agreed with this view). Deaconesses disappeared completely from the Western Church by the eleventh century. In 1836,Theodor andFriederike Fliedner founded the first deaconess house inKaiserswerth on theRhine. In 1862, theBishop of London,Archibald Campbell Tait, restored the "ancient order of deaconesses" withElizabeth Ferard by thelaying on of hands. Women were ordained deaconesses by the Bishop ofAlabama (in 1885) and the Bishop ofNew York (1887), and gradually, more dioceses began to make deaconesses, but there was no clear consensus: some intended that deaconesses be inholy orders, and others did not. In churches that now ordain women, the order of deaconess has largely died out.
LicensedLay Readers, whose prominence varies widely among dioceses and national churches, are licensed by their bishop. They are authorised to lead worship services, apart from the celebration of the Eucharist. Their responsibilities and privileges can include:
In the Church of England there are nearly as many Readers as there are ordained clergy.[16]
In many Church of England dioceses, Readers are better known as "Licensed Lay Ministers (Readers)" or, more informally, as "Licensed Lay Ministers".
Licensed lay administrators may be authorised by a bishop to assist in the distribution of Holy Communion. Normally the parish priest submits to the bishop at regular intervals a list of names of persons to be so licensed. In some dioceses or parishes, lay administration is limited to thechalice, and lay administrators may also be permitted to take the consecrated elements from the church to the sick or shut-in to be administered there.
In many parts of the Anglican Communion, day to day parish ministry is carried out by catechists. A catechist in most parts of the Anglican Communion is someone who is licensed by the bishop on recommendation of the priest and local church council. A century ago, a catechist was a teacher paid by the Church, today a village catechist is primarily a pastor in the village. In most parts of the Anglican Communion, the priest comes for Holy Communion only when it is possible. The Catechist organises and conducts worship services on Sundays when there is no priest, and throughout the week, the catechist rings the bell that calls people to Morning and Evening Prayer. In most villages, the catechist also works with youth, educates parents and godparents for the Baptism of their children, rehearses those to be confirmed, and many other duties.
Some dioceses have training centres for catechists, in some dioceses catechists are trained by priests or by more experienced catechists.
Most catechists also assist in the distribution of Holy Communion when the priest comes to a village for celebration. In some parishes, a catechist also distributes Holy Communion with elements previously consecrated by the priest.
Lay people assist in the execution of theliturgy of divine services in numerous ways, as musicians, readers of thelections (not to be confused with "lay readers," above), intercessory leaders, and ushers (often called sidesmen or sidespeople).
For many years some parts of the church have relaxed the official rules about lay ministry. Clergy often see their role as officiant and teach that the congregation are the ministers both in worship and through their daily work. In some churches lay people commonly take on the role of lay-reader as above, and as well perform some of the other functions listed below without necessarily being identified as such by either title or vestments.
Assistants to the sacred ministers may form a distinct category ofaltar servers, often organised into a guild. Their liturgical responsibilities include some or all of the following:
A distinct kind of assistant at the altar in services of the Eucharist (although he or she may be coincidentally ordained), especially inAnglo-Catholic worship, is thesubdeacon. The subdeacon is one of the three sacred ministers of the liturgy (the other two being the presider or celebrant — a priest or bishop — and the deacon). He or she is responsible for reading theEpistle (or other non-Gospel New Testament passage, normally the "second reading"), and assisting in specific ways in the setting up of the altar and other aspects of the liturgy. Unlike the other laypeople serving in thechancel, who will usually be attired in analb orcassock, the subdeacon wears atunicle, a vestment distinct to the office, over the alb, sometimes with amaniple.
Laypeople perform a variety of ministries outside the context of worship — indeed, it is an article of Anglican belief that the Christian initiatory rite of baptism enables each believer to fulfil ministries specific to their skills and talents. Such ministry may include administration, teaching, finances, hospitality, childcare and visiting the sick. The essential ministry of personal or lifestyle evangelism is a role carried out by many Anglicans among their family, neighbours, friends and associates, demonstrating in practical ways the healing nature of God.
