Challenges Facing Church of England in Its Role within the Anglican Communion

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Discussion1

Anglican Communion2

Link between the Church of England and Anglican Communion3

Challenges faced by the Church of England while playing its role in the Anglican Communion4

Conclusion9

References11

Challenges Facing Church of England in its Role within the Anglican Communion

Introduction

One of the state churches in England is famous with the name of Church of England having two divisions in the form of provinces namely Canterbury that is situated in the North of England and the York division that is in the North. The head of Canterbury and York are considered to be the Canterbury Archbishops and York Archbishops. The Church of England has the privilege to be associated with the Anglican Communion which is considered to be the worldwide family of churches. Being associated with the Anglican Communion puts a lot of responsibilities on the Church of England. It has to continue its operations in a manner that will be aligned with the rules and policies of the Communion. In this attempt, the present scenario provides with evidence that the Church is facing a number of challenges. The essay is written with an objective to portray the challenges and issues of the Church of England by focusing on the importance the Church have in the Anglican Communion. The brief details of the subjects is also presented that will help to understand the importance of the challenges.

Discussion

The Church of England which covers whole of England has gained popularity as one of the most ancient national church. St. Augustine apostle work has provided base for the structure of the Church. Initially the Church was affiliated with Rome, but the sixteenth century led to the separation of Church from the Rome and the Pope's authority. In England, there were “as many Reformations as there were monarchs on the Tudor throne after the break with Rome,” (Platten, 2003, pp.18). The fact that, Church of England is an established Church brings to light the following points:

The position of the Supreme Governor of Church is held by the Emperor (in terms of religion, Jesus is considered to be the Head).

A number of official functions of the State are performed by the Church.

A strong link exists between the Church and the state.

Anglican Communion

The platform that serves as a coordinating point for the Anglican churches of the national and regional community including some of the prelatic churches is an international body popular with the name of Anglican Communion. It is a central platform of complete unity providing the Church of England the mother church of the world wide communion status. The platform enjoys the grade of full communion reflecting a mutual agreement among all the churches that is followed by them in their performance of the functions and activities. The Anglican Communion holds a third position all over the world in terms of the Christian Communion after the ranking of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. “Anglicans have acknowledged that they are a part, or portion of the whole ...