By ACNS staff

Five Anglican Communion companion dioceses on four continents have agreed at a recent meeting in Jerusalem to expand collaboration in their ongoing partnership journey, with a focus on clergy training and communication.

Bishops and clergy from the Dioceses of Kiteto (Anglican Church of Tanzania), Leicester (The Church of England), Mount Kilimanjaro (Anglican Church of Tanzania), Trichy-Tanjore (The Church of South India (United)) and Wyoming (The Episcopal Church) gathered from 27 April to 3 May for the latest in a series of conversations aimed at inspiring mission in each of the five dioceses.

They came away rejoicing in their partnership in the Gospel, agreeing that their journey was energizing mission in all of their dioceses.

Drawing inspiration from the Anglican Communion’s “Continuing Indaba”, the group’s joint journey began in 2014 when the Rt Revd Dr Gnanamuthu Paul Vasanthakumar, Bishop of Trichy-Tanjore, invited the Rt Revd Timothy John Stevens, Bishop of Trichy-Tanjore’s companion diocese in Leicester, to come to India together with the Rt Revd Isaiah Chambala and the Rt Revd Stanley Elilekia Hotay, Bishops of Leicester companion dioceses Kiteto and Mount Kilimanjaro. The Rt Revd John Smylie, Bishop of Kiteto’s companion diocese Wyoming completed the circle.

The life-changing experience of seeing the Church serving Dalit communities and the profound expressions of joy and faith among those visited forged a common sense of mission and its purpose among the five bishops and their companions. They decided to embark on a literal, spiritual, and theological pilgrimage of strengthening relationships and learning about life and mission in the other contexts.

Transforming perceptions

Since the initial visit, both lay and ordained people from the five dioceses have continued the journey, gaining not only insights into the other dioceses, but also a different perspective on their own – new perspectives that are transforming their dioceses’ ministries.

One such example is the way that the Diocese of Leicester has made cross-cultural encounters to Trichy-Tanjore and Tanzania a core part of new clergy training.

“When new clergy stand in different contexts where Christians are a minority or where they are facing different kinds of challenges they become more conscious of the particular pressures faced by Christians in their own parishes,” says Canon Mike Harrison, who has taken part in several visits.

“It gives us insight as well as inspiration, courage and hope, and encourages us to proclaim the Gospel in our context.”

The meeting in Jerusalem was a further phase in the inspiring journey. As the group visited the holy sites, they reflected on interreligious tensions under the heading of “blessedness and conflict” and on ways to “model difference without division” within the Anglican Communion.

“I hope our meeting of five dioceses, representing four continents and various theological view points, may be an example for the larger Anglican Communion about how, when centred upon Christ, we are able to find the space and trust to be with one another in authentic and honest conversation,” says Bishop Smylie.

New Energy for Mission

Practical outcomes underlined the bishops’ commitment to taking their conversations a step further. In a statement from the meeting they indicate concrete plans for the ongoing partnership with the aim of furthering proclamation of the Gospel in all five dioceses.

Their plans include a particular focus on the equipping of ordained and lay leaders, not only in terms of study trips but in developing the training programmes of the respective dioceses.

“The bishops resolve to focus on the training and development of ministers and ministry... via both bi-lateral and multi-lateral work together,” says the statement, outlining in particular deeper cooperation between the Tanzanian Dioceses of Kiteto and Mount Kilimanjaro and the South Indian Diocese of Trichy-Tanjore.

Future meetings of the companion dioceses will focus on a particular theme. The Diocese of Leicester will host the next meeting in 2016 and the Diocese of Wyoming in 2017.

The bishops also decided to establish a communications hub in the Diocese of Wyoming to facilitate better interaction between the dioceses.

“The conversations are based on friendship and partnership... [The bishops] know each other's context and experiences. The meetings... lead to quick action and we have seen this benefit the people of each other's diocese and a sense of belonging to the Anglican Communion,” said the Revd A. Suresh Kumar, Link Officer and Bishop's Secretary for the Diocese of Trichy-Tanjore.

The Revd Canon Phil Groves, who facilitates Continuing Indaba from the Anglican Communion Office and who served on the Diocese of Leicester world mission group for ten years, welcomed the developments.

“When Anglicans journey together in honest conversation they find new energy for mission in their own context. This is the aim of Continuing Indaba.”

Download the statement from the meeting on the Diocese of Leicester’s website.

Continuing Indaba

The aim of Continuing Indaba is to enable Anglicans worldwide to live reconciliation by facing their own conflicts and celebrating their diversity and difference, and so to become agents of God’s reconciling mission in the world. It is an official ministry of the Anglican Communion.

Download process guides from the Continuing Indaba website.

Discover more inspiring stories on the Living Reconciliation website.

Updated 12 May with quote from the Revd A. Suresh Kumar.