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1.
Introduction |
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11.
Vestments |
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2.
Work |
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12.
Continued formation |
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3.
Being part of the One Church |
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13.
Holy Orders |
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4.
Working in the community |
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14.
Membership of the Order |
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5.
Liturgy |
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15.
Overseas Provinces |
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6.
Prayer |
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16.
Resignation from the Order |
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7.
The Bible |
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17. |
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8.
The place of ‘the traditions of the church’. |
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18. |
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9.
Language usage |
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19. |
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10.
Authority within the Order |
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20. |
Authority
within the Order.
1)
In all things, God is the ultimate authority. It is to God that we
as both individuals and a community are obedient and serve.
2)
The Order is an independent organisation within the universal or
world wide church but it is not ‘a church’.
3)
The Order is a community of people who share the On Call vision of
Godly service and are prepared to break out of the denominational
limitations that most organisations within the universal church are
restricted by.
4)
The Order is a catholic (meaning ‘universal – for
all’) community without denominational attachment and the
importance of this cannot be underestimated.
5)
The Order is a family and within the family everyone has their own
place, function and ministry. These are not fixed and flexibility is
one of the requirements of being a member of the Order.
6)
As each person grows in faith and spirituality, they leave their
childhood behind them and grow towards maturity. With knowledge comes
understanding and they both, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
lead to Godly wisdom. It is right and good that we follow the will of
God and allow Him to direct our ministries and use our God given
gifts and talents as and when He desires.
7)
Just as all are equal before God, all members are given equal
recognition within the Order, particularly regarding their spiritual
gifting. St Paul states that ‘to each person has been a gift
granted, one this gift and another that’ (1 Corinthians 7v7) and
each person within the Order has the right to fully exercise their
God given ministry once recognised or discerned. All ministry is
important. Any that is lost, ignored, denied or discouraged
impoverishes the body of Christ.
8)
Within the Order, members therefore fulfil roles according to
spiritual gifting and discernment and not by title, right, education
or qualification.
9)
To give some one an official title is to set them apart from others
and can lead to petty jealousies, envy and pride. These are not
things the Order wishes to encourage and they are certainly not
fruits of the Spirit. Therefore, all roles within the Order carry no
official titles other than that of the Executive Bishop.
10)
In practical terms, it also means that structural changes can be
made quite quickly within the Order when the need arises. It enables
easy transitions to be made if needs are discerned or if events or
situations become quite fluid and need responding to quickly.
11)
If members do have ranks or titles by virtue of their sponsoring
denomination, it is certainly not a requirement that these are used
within the Order as they carry no weight or authority within the Order.
12)
To give someone a title is to give them some kind of supposed
authority but it also limits what they can do in terms of ministry by
default. This limiting of ministry is not something that is generally
encouraged within the Order. However, all members may be respectfully
addressed as Reverend, Father, Pastor, Brother, Sister or some other
allowed at the discretion of the Executive Bishop.
13)
The Order needs a simple management structure as an organisation and
ultimately one person as head of the Order has to accept overall
responsibility to ensure that the Order functions as a caring,
prayerful and discerning community and is able to carry out its
varied and God given ministries faithfully.
14)
Therefore, the Executive Bishop is the acknowledged authority within
the Order and is the Order’s official representative in both
private and public matters.
15)
The Executive Bishop is responsible for the good running of the
Order based on the Order’s Principles and Guidelines and has
complete authority over all matters regarding the Order.
16)
The Executive Bishop ultimately must give account before God for all
decisions and actions. This is a great and challenging responsibility
and one that needs the continuous prayerful support of all members
lest they fail to meet their obligations before God.
17)
The Executive Bishop may appoint assistant bishops (of which there
may be no more than two) to help in the work of the running of the
Order. This will also ensure that there is continuity of an
independent line of apostolic succession held within the Order.
18)
Unlike diocesan bishops, assistant bishops are not independent
authorities and do not have a titular see or additional privileges
– their role is simply to serve both the Executive Bishop and
the Order.
19)
The assistant bishop/bishops shall deputise for the Executive Bishop
when required and will remain under his/her direct authority.
20)
In the event of the Executive Bishop unexpectedly being unable to
carry out their duties, an assistant bishop (the longest serving if
there is more than one) will act on the Executive Bishop’s and
Order’s behalf.
21)
All members (including the assistant bishops) are subject to the
authority of the Executive Bishop in all matters relating to the Order.
22)
Whilst the Executive Bishop is the acknowledged head of the Order,
he or she must act with all humility and take pastoral and spiritual
responsibility for all members. The Executive Bishop shall be like a
father to his children and teach, encourage, support, discipline and
lead as each needs towards spiritual maturity.
23)
Should it be necessary and if sufficient cause is proved, a member
who brings either the faith or the Order into disrepute, or is the
source of frequent dissent or murmuring, shall without the right of
appeal be released from the Order by the Executive Bishop.
24)
As a matter of clarification regarding existing and accepted
practice, it is considered inappropriate that members of the Order
are involved in the celebration and blessing of same sex partnerships.
Notes:
with reference to paragraph 24, the following has been observed as
the biblically based key text on which this decision in based. Jesus
clearly gave his approval of the institution of marriage and as being
between a man and a woman. The Order supports this position only and
no other.
Matthew
19 v 4-8 (NIV)
4"Haven't
you read," he (Jesus) replied, "that at the beginning the
Creator 'made them male and female,'(a) 5and said, 'For this reason a
man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and
the two will become one flesh'(b)? 6So they are no longer two, but
one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
Footnotes:
(a)
Gen. 1:27
(b)
Gen. 2:24
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