Resolutions

Resolutions of ACC-2

1. Unification of Ministries
2. Anglican-Lutheran Conversations
3. Exchange of Information between Commissions
4. Anglican-Orthodox Conversations
5. ARCIC Statement on the Eucharist
6. Commission on the Theology of Marriage
7. Mar Thoma Church
8. Canadian Plan of Union
9. Ghana Church Union
10. Anglican Centre in Rome
11. Unity and Ecumenical Affairs
12. Social Justice
13. Christian Structures and Life-Style
14. New Methods of Bible Study and Liturgy
15. Programmes of Education
16. Employment Schemes
17. Allocation of Gross National Product
18. Investment Policy
19. Anglican Council of South America
20. Council of Jerusalem and the Middle East
21. The Sudan
22. Proposed Province of Melanesia
23. Metropolitan Functions
24. Information on Christian Initiation
25. Polygamy
26. Mission and Evangelism
27. New Implementation of MRI
28. 'Membership, Manpower and Money'
29. Exchange Rates and Payment of Contributions
30. Chairman and Vice-Chairman's Term of Appointment
31. Proposal for Additional Younger Members
32. Secretary General
33. Legal Status
34. Communication
35. St George's College, Jerusalem

Resolution 1: Unification of Ministries

The Council notes that the Acts of Unification of the Ministries in the Churches of North India and Pakistan have made it possible already for most of the Anglican Churches to enter without reservation into full communion with the united Churches. It commends these acts as models to other Churches engaged in the preparation of schemes of union.

Resolution 2: Anglican-Lutheran Conversations

This Council

1. receives with satisfaction the Report of the Anglican-Lutheran International Conversations (1970/72) and commends it to the member Churches for consideration;
2. approves of the setting up of the Anglican-Lutheran Joint Working Group to receive and examine the comments from the Churches; and to take account of other inter-Church conversations in which Anglicans and Lutherans are involved;
3. recommends that it will be essential to allow proper time for the Churches to report their response to the Joint Working Group.

Resolution 3: Exchange of Information between Commissions

The Council requests the Anglican-Roman Catholic and the Anglican-Orthodox International Commissions to keep those engaged in the Anglican-Old Catholic Conversations informed of their progress.

Resolution 4: Anglican-Orthodox Conversations

The Council receives the interim report of the Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission and commends the continuing dialogue to the prayer and study of the member Churches.

Resolution 5: ARCIC Statement on the Eucharist

The Council welcomes the ARCIC Agreed Statement on Eucharistic Doctrine. It recommends the Statement to the consideration of all member Churches and asks those Churches which have not already reported their response to the Secretary General to do so.

Resolution 6: Commission on the Theology of Marriage

The Council resolves that on the Anglican side the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission on the Theology of Marriage shall continue under the aegis of the Council until its work is done.

Resolution 7: Mar Thoma Church

The Council encourages Churches of the Anglican Communion to enter into the same kind of relationship with the Mar Thoma Syrian Church as that which most of them already enjoy with the Old Catholic and other Churches in terms of the Bonn Agreement.

Resolution 8: Canadian Plan of Union

The Council considered the Canadian Plan of Union and asks the Anglican Church of Canada to take note of the observations made in this Report.

Resolution 9: Ghana Church Union

The Council encourages the dioceses in Ghana to continue in the negotiations and draws their attention to the difficulties that would be caused if lay celebration of Holy Communion were allowed in the Church.

Resolution 10: Anglican Centre in Rome

The Council warmly appreciates the past and present work of the Anglican Centre in Rome and its successive Directors. It hopes that this work will continue vigorously and that the Council of the Centre will consider how it may be promoted and extended. It emphasizes the importance of discussion with the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome, and the development of consultation with other departments of the Curia. It urges that proper financial provision be made for the activities of the Centre and its Director.

Resolution 11: Unity and Ecumenical Affairs

The Council commends the report on Unity and Ecumenical Affairs for study by all the member Churches, drawing particular attention to what is said about:

1. The true dynamic of unity
2. The present situation
3. Intercommunion now
4. A way ahead
5. The unification of ministries.

Resolution 12: Social Justice

The Council calls upon its member Churches:

1. to be sensitive to the violent dehumanization of minority peoples in their midst;
2. to acknowledge the Church's vocation to side with the oppressed in empowering them to live their own lives in freedom, even at some sacrifice to itself, while at the same time seeking in the power of Christian love to bring about the true liberation of the oppressor;
3. to seek for the education of the majority in these needs by confrontation with and participation in the suffering of the oppressed.
4. that where solutions to such violence seem possible (as, for example, in the pollution of our environment by industry or testing of nuclear devices), to join with those pressing for such resolution;
5. where apparent resolutions are not available, to serve as an agency for demanding that attention is not averted, through either fear or fatigue, from the persistent and hopeful quest of a just settlement.

Resolution 13: Christian Structures and Life-Style

Church institutions and leaders should critically examine their extravagant structures and life style in the light of Jesus' example, to demonstrate their solidarity with their fellows who suffer oppression and poverty.

Resolution 14: New Methods of Bible Study and Liturgy

The changing pattern of society demands that the Churches seek and engage in new methods of Bible study and liturgy to uncover their power for our times as revelatory instruments of the unique Christ.

Resolution 15: Programmes of Education

1. The Churches of the Anglican Communion should educate their members to accept the sacrifices involved in the initiation of political, social, and economic reforms, and show an openness of attitude towards oppressed groups in their struggle for social justice.
2. The Churches should give high priority to the development of educational programmes for liberation and social justice. In particular, we recommend that the Churches:
   1. review critically their involvement in public (general) educational systems, and in particular in church schools;
   2. in all continents give high priority in the field of education to non-formal educational programmes, and initiate new forms of education for liberation, making use of the recently developed approaches and concepts worked out especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America-e.g. 'village as school' approach, community- organization, awareness-building ('conscientization'), lay-training centres;
   3. make use of all available facilities in the field of educational experimentation and research, including the use of WCC, UNESCO, and other conference material;
   4. promote the production of educational materials in print, audio-visual aids, role-play methods, and other media, in order to foster information and communication among their membership as well as the wider public.
3. The Churches should set about afresh approach to such programmes of education for social justice by:
   1. identifying areas of oppression;
   2. offering their facilities for dialogue between oppressors and oppressed, and using their contacts and influence to bring this about;
   3. training those who will act as mediators to sustain these dialogues at a deep level;
   4. finding forms of organizing creative confrontation where dialogue is not possible.

Resolution 16: Employment Schemes

As a means of seeking to achieve a liberated and just society, the Churches should become actively involved in schemes which provide employment opportunities for unemployed people, particularly the school and university leavers.

Resolution 17: Allocation of Gross National Product

The Council calls upon member Churches in developed countries, which have not yet achieved a minimal target of the allocation of 1 % of Gross National Product for the assistance of poorer nations achieving balanced growth, to do all in their power to educate and assist their adherents to bring pressure upon governments to achieve such a target.

Resolution 18: Investment Policy

As an example of the responsible use of power, the Council urges the member Churches, particularly in the more affluent countries, to examine their investment portfolios and bank deposits for the purpose of influencing, through the exercise of stock resolutions and other comparable means (not excluding divestment), the management practices of companies and multi-national corporations in which church funds are invested or deposited, to the end that heightened sensitivity to social goals, including environmental concerns, be furthered, and social justice be served; and where possible to integrate such practices with those of other church bodies.

Resolution 19: Anglican Council of South America

The Council recommends to the dioceses in South America and to the Province of Brazil that they should proceed with plans for the setting up of the Anglican Council of South America (CASA) after due attention to the points in the Report.

Resolution 20: Council of Jerusalem and the Middle East

The Council recommends that the dioceses of the Jerusalem Arch-bishopric should inaugurate a Council as outlined in the Draft, taking into account the specific recommendations in this Report.

Resolution 21: The Sudan

The Council advises that the diocese of the Sudan should be authorized to revert to the sole jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury as an extra-provincial diocese, pending the establishment of the new Province of the Sudan.

Resolution 22: Proposed Province of Melanesia

The Council recommends that the diocese of Melanesia and the Province of New Zealand proceed with plans for constituting a Province of Melanesia, and that when these are agreed to by the diocese and the General Synod of the Province, the Council recommends that the new Province may be formed.

Resolution 23: Metropolitan Functions

The following proposal is submitted to the member Churches of the Anglican Communion for their approval:

In any case in which they are satisfied that the existing metropolitan provision for a diocese or group of dioceses can no longer operate, the President of the Anglican Consultative Council, in consultation with i the Chairman and the Secretary General, is authorized to make the t necessary provision for such metropolitan functions.

Resolution 24: Information on Christian Initiation

The Secretary General is asked to circulate to member Churches information regarding the studies on Christian Initiation mentioned in the Report, and similar studies from other Churches, indicating how each may be obtained.

Resolution 25: Polygamy

The Council recommends to the Churches:

1. Fr Adrian Hastings' book Christian Marriage in Africa;
2. that in the case of the conversion of a pagan polygamist, he should be received into the Church with his believing wives and children, provided that this should only be done in suitable cases with the willing consent of the local Christian community, and only within a context where the Church's teaching on monogamy is strictly recognized;
3. that they should actively pursue educational policies on the nature and discipline of Christian marriage.

Resolution 26: Mission and Evangelism

In the light of the report on Mission and Evangelism the Council challenges anew the Church to embark on a prayerful, urgent, and realistic review of its role in all areas of society, and calls upon member Churches to set up or refer to appropriate committees, representative of all concerned, with a view to initiating action to recognize and remedy the deficiencies of the Church's work and witness, so that it may the better discharge its responsibilities to the whole community.

Resolution 27: New Implementation of MRI

The Council:

1. warmly commends to member churches and missionary agencies the new implementation of the concept of MRI as contained in the Report;
2. affirms that this implementation will help to break the old pattern of some churches as giving and others as receiving churches, and that it will provide a means by which all churches will draw on others for spiritual help and insight, and not merely respond to those who have financial and personal needs;
3. asks the Secretary General to take appropriate steps towards the implementation of the Programme;
4. asks the Secretary General, in the interim period and until churches and missionary agencies have accepted and initiated the new proposals, to seek from member churches details of present priorities of uncompleted projects in the 1972/73 Directory, with a view to conveying this information to churches wishing to support projects during this time;
5. realizing that the proposed planning and consultations may well involve the provision of finance for services to be provided by the ACC Office, and may necessitate an additional staff appointment, agrees that the principle be accepted; and therefore requests, subject to their agreement, that such costs, if they do arise, be shared among the various missionary agencies and boards; and requests the Secretary General to take appropriate action.

Resolution 28: 'Membership, Manpower and Money'

The Council receives with appreciation the Report Membership, Manpower and Money in the Anglican Communion, commends it to church planning bodies as valuable resource material; asks the Standing Committee to consider and report to ACC 3 the need for a further issue and the form which it should take; and requests the Secretary General to convey to the Reverend Dr David Barrett the Council's gratitude.

Resolution 29: Exchange Rates and Payment of Contributions

When member Churches pay their contributions to the inter-Anglican budget, they should pay whatever sum will provide in £ sterling their allocation as stated in £ sterling in the budget.

Resolution 30: Chairman and Vice-Chairman's Term of Appointment

When the Chairman's appointment as Chairman extends beyond the ,date at which his or her membership of the Council ordinarily expires:
from the time of the expiry of the ordinary membership

1. the Church he or she represents shall be entitled to elect anew member to succeed him or her as member of Council;
2. the Chairman shall become an 'additional member of Council' until the completion of the term as Chairman;
3. the same rules shall apply to the Vice-Chairman.

Resolution 31: Proposal for Additional Younger Members

The Standing Committee is asked to consider amending the Schedule of Membership of the Council to provide for the appointment of an additional two lay persons not over 28 years of age at the time of appointment.

Resolution 32: Secretary General

The Standing Committee is empowered to deal with the appointment of the Secretary General should this be necessary at any time between meetings of the Council.

Resolution 33: Legal Status

1. The Council approves that a Trust be set up in the United Kingdom the object of which shall be to advance the Christian religion in accordance with the terms of the Constitution of the Anglican Consultative Council which may hold on behalf of the Council all property and funds situated in the United Kingdom.
2. The Council delegates full responsibility to the Standing Committee to approve on its behalf the final form of the said Trust and to appoint the necessary Trustees.

Carried. In favour 47, against nil, abstentions nil.

Resolution 34: Communication

1. The Secretary General is authorized to establish a Task Force on Communication which will make recommendations to the Council in 1975 on
   1. the function, use, and distribution of Compasrose and Anglican Information;
   2. additional channels for the gathering and dissemination of news from each Church to all the Churches;
   3. exchange of information regarding available educational and promotional materials;
   4. encouragement of the use of Response and the Cycle of Prayer;
   5. the intensification of person-to-person relations among Churches;
   6. the feasibility of a system of rapid communication such as TELEX.
2. The Task Force on Communication should include persons from the Churches actively involved in these areas of responsibility as well as consultants from the communication field.

Resolution 35: St George's College, Jerusalem

The Council

1. receives the report made to it by the Archbishop in Jerusalem that he has delegated to an International Governing Council the joint responsibility for governing the College;
2. commends to the Churches of the Anglican Communion the work of the College and the facilities which it offers as a centre for studies which draw on the unique resources available in the Holy Land.