Network Chief Organizational Officer confirms suspicions

It became clear when the Anglican Communion Network announced its April meeting of Network Bishops that it was beginning to fragment. I commented on this HERE.

Posted today on the ACN pages is a statement by the COO of the Network that confirms this sense. Titled, "Who is in the Network," Canon Fenton says the following:

"To speak very frankly, we don’t expect all of these dioceses to maintain their Network affiliation indefinitely. However, we are not in the business of kicking people out. Affiliated parishes and dioceses can change their status as they wish, and we honor their decisions."

And then he writes,

"Of course, at the end of the day, it does not much matter how many parishes we count as affiliates. It does matter a great deal how we work together to build a biblical, missionary and united Anglicanism here in North America."

and later,

"As the staff of Bishop Robert Duncan, our moderator and the moderator of the Common Cause movement, it is our job to help make the Common Cause Partnership a concrete reality. That includes organizing and supporting meetings of the Common Cause Council of Bishops, the elected officers of Common Cause, and many other gatherings and initiatives. Network affiliated dioceses and parishes are also represented at Common Cause meetings by the Network."

Not all the Dioceses in the Network will keep that affiliation. Not all parishes who now are affiliates will be in the future. (Canon Fenton outlines how many have already affiliated with various Provinces outside the US). What matters is building a biblical, missionary and united Anglicanism in North America. What matters is the Common Cause Partnership.

Interestingly, Canon Fenton sees himself as staff of Bishop Duncan, not as staff to the Network. So the melding of the Network "work" and the CCP "work" into one is by way of the Executive, namely the Bishop.

But it seems pretty clear: the Network is closing down, or at least fading in importance. What will remain of the 10 Dioceses in the CCP will be the portions of those few dioceses that walk and go over as a bishop, clergy and laity to some new entity related first to an outside Province and then to a new Anglican collective in North America.

At least that's how it reads from here.