We were talking about authority in our Anglicanism class this morning. There’s the three-legged stool, of course (scripture, tradition, and reason), but there’s more to it than that. In fact, one of the pressing issues in Anglicanism has to do with the nature and exercise of authority in the church. One of the key problems has to do with where authority in the church comes from. In the Episcopal Church, for example, authority rests in laity and clergy together. In General Convention, there are two houses, the house of deputies consisting of lay and clergy delegates, and the house of bishops. In individual parishes, rectors are ultimately selected by the vestry, but they serve under the bishop. Bishops are elected in diocesan conventions, needing majority votes from lay delegates and clergy. In other nations, the Anglican church is organized quite differently.

All of this may seem esoteric and relatively unimportant, but that’s not the case. There is a connection, a symmetry between the structure and how authority it is exercised. In the Episcopal Church, democracy, or giving the people a voice, is written into our constitution. We talk a lot about the ministry of the baptized, but to giving laity voice and vote in church governance says a great deal about the relationship between clergy and laity, and about the role of the laity in the church. General Convention will take place in July, and no doubt there will be some news coming out of it. It is our governing body; unlike other churches, especially the Roman Catholic, people have a say in the governance and authority of the church.