Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Charismatic Episcopal Church came into existence in 1992 and in those earlier years we experienced incredible growth. Some said it was one of the fastest growing churches in America.
While still a Canon in the Episcopal Church I was invited to conduct "convergence" seminars in some of the emerging CEChurches. I was greatly impressed by the leadership; men who worked at a vocation outside the church but ordained and giving themselves to hours of labor for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Today I am asked why are we not growing in America as we are in foriegn nations.
I believe our lack of growth is due to our thinking we had to be like other churches. In the earlier years men in other vocations who felt a call of God upon their lives were ordained, mentored by older priests, some who came from other denominations, and given the opportunity to start a church without formal seminary training. After a few years some who perhaps envied our growth began criticizing us because we had no formal seminary. St Michael's Seminary was instituted, still taught by older priests, but men were delayed in ordination and hindered in exercising the ministry to which they believed God was calling them.
Respectability became the order of the day. Conformity replaced the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And growth ceased. Perhaps the House of Bishops need to re-think their policy and be more concerned about what the Holy Spirit wants and not what other denominations think.
