From June 3 to 11, 2010, over 300 delegates will gather in Halifax, N.S. for the Anglican Church of Canada’s national meeting, General Synod, held once every three years. This web forum is a place to discuss the major topics that will arise at General Synod—from governance to sexuality. You are invited to join the conversation.
It would be hard to overstate the significance of General Synod 2010 for the relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada and Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Anglicans from across Canada will be present and participating in deliberations at many levels. Beyond this, a number of initiatives will be introduced that, if accepted, will frame Indigenous ministries for many years to come.
The Governance Working Group will propose that General Synod takes action to constitutionally recognize the Sacred Circle gathering of Indigenous Anglicans (roughly every three years), the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP), and the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop (NIAB). This recognition is unprecedented. In it the broader church identifies, solidifies, and celebrates the development of these structures. This is a necessary foundation to fulfill the 2001 New Agape Covenant. It also continues the creation of a self-determining Indigenous community within the Anglican Church of Canada.
Over the past two decades, the Church has asked Indigenous Peoples what it might do to partner with Indigenous Peoples. The answer has been loud and clear: “Walk with us, on our healing journey.” General Synod will give the Church the opportunity to renew itself in this healing journey of Indigenous justice in Canada. General Synod will look at Canada’s ongoing Truth and Reconciliation process, the repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, and the issue of Canada’s continuing refusal to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
General Synod will also witness the fruit of local and regional consultations that have been happening among Indigenous communities across Canada. By that time, two Area Missions will have taken major steps towards becoming self-determining structures with their diocese and selecting Indigenous bishops. This work will be presented against a larger backdrop of the growth of Indigenous churches, the expansion of ministry to Indigenous Peoples across the country, and major breakthroughs in the training and formation of Indigenous leadership for ministry.
Even with much to celebrate, we will not forget the ongoing challenges to Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Many communities across Canada that struggle with marginal conditions are faced with great difficulties in supporting their pastoral leaders. This is particularly true in Indigenous communities, including those in urban areas. The Church is morally obligated to provide for the development and support of ministry in these marginal areas. Among the challenges that these ministries and ministers must face are the youth explosion in Indigenous communities, the scandal of continuing poverty among the First Peoples of the land, and the continuing results of dislocation and dispossession—ill-health, violence and abuse (especially among women and children), and the high rate of suicide.
The 2007 General Synod affirmed the work of Sacred Circle and ACIP to create the NIAB. General Synod also strengthened its financial commitment to the Council of the North, as a way of enhancing its ministries among Indigenous Peoples. These have proven to be moments in an ongoing, larger development, something that more and more people are calling a “spiritual movement in the Gospel.” It is felt that this movement is where the real hope for the future lies. This movement is a river of compassion, values, and vision that affirms the traditional character of Indigenous life but also give individuals and communities the power to rise and enter the God’s future for them. Many feel that this spiritual movement, consistent with traditional Indigenous values and teachings, is the necessary foundation for a hopeful future. This General Synod is called to become a part of this movement in the Gospel, and assist in creating the vehicles for a dawning new day, for both the Anglican Church of Canada and the Indigenous communities with it.
What do you think? Is the church doing enough in its walk with Indigenous Peoples?
