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Miniblog #102: ACNA = Home

by Carson T. Clark on March 8, 2012

*Preface:1

In the summer of ’09 I went on something of a spiritual pilgrimage. After having unknowingly been on the Canterbury Trail since high school, I’d spent the whole year exploring the Anglican tradition.1.Given the present upheaval within North American Anglicanism, it’s important that I preface this post by stating that I’m not offering an argument for or against affiliation with any particular Anglican body. This is a personal reflection on my own experiences. Nothing more and nothing less. Moreover, I believe that our incomprehensibly complex God is probably calling different individuals and churches to take different paths forward. Oh, and here’s a translation guide for those unfamiliar with the alphabet soup: ACNA: Anglican Church in North America; AMiA: Anglican Mission in the Americas; PEARUSA: Outreach of Rwandan Province It had come time for a decision one way or the other. Since the historical connection was the #1 thing drawing me, it stood to reason that one of the oldest churches on this side of the pond, Christ Church Savannah, was a good place to determine whether this was life’s next path. The choice proved to be clear. I’m not a very mystical guy but there I experienced this profound joy and kinship with my Anglican brothers and sisters in Christ.22.Christ Church is part of the Anglican Church in North America. The congregation has since lost the building and is now in the unique place of being the oldest Anglican church in Georgia yet are without a building. That same sense of the Spirit’s assurance returned for the first time these past few days at the ACNA’s church planting summit at Christ Church Plano.3 Many of you know that I recently left AMiA to join ACNA via PEARUSA. What I can tell you is that I experienced a truly unsettling degree of unease at Winter Conference in January.3.Perhaps in large part because of the shared name, the whole experience felt strangely parallel. It was overwhelmingly obvious that this was not where the Lord wanted me. Yet at Anglican 1000 I felt the same degree of emotional energy only now it was this indescribable peace.4 For the second time in my life I felt at home in ACNA.4.Lest anyone presume otherwise, I have no axe to grind with AMiA. I wish them the best, hope they rejoin ACNA, and am thankful for the year I spent there. It no more felt like home, however, than did Chicago because I attended college there for a year.

P.S. Thank you, Daniel Adkinson+, for gently harassing me into going.

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  • Gill

    Please explain the acronyms, Carson – I’m afraid I am not very up on the whole Episcopalian/Anglican thing in North America although I do read the ‘trade papers’. I am so glad for you that you’ve had such a great experience. It does help so much when we are searching for guidance.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=163800401 Carson T. Clark

      Did you see the first sidenote? If so, are you looking for a further explanation?

    • Gill

      oh thanks – duh!

  • Richard Sutter

    I’ve always found relying on emotions very untrustworthy. It doesn’t strike me as the sort of thing any Christian ought to be doing, especially when we see how easily our emotions can be manipulated, both by others and by ourselves.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=163800401 Carson T. Clark

      Richard, I appreciate the comment. I gotta tell ya, though, that within the larger context of this blog I find the concern almost comical. On a rather frequent basis I’m dismissed as a cold, hard intellectual who doesn’t grant enough of a role for emotions (or the Spirit) within faith.

    • Hallockocc

      I guess God can’t use our emotions, huh? Richard if you actually read most of Carson’s stuff the last thing anyone could accuse him of is emotionalism. Your commments are not encouraging to a candidate for Holy Orders, who thankfully, God keeps in our church despite the confusion and negative comments he often recieves. Peace is felt through our emotions. I am glad you felt that peace at ANGLICAN 1000 Carson.

  • Chris Zoephel

    Great to hear Carson. Praise God.

  • Kim Larsen

    Carson, thanks. This made me smile because it recalls my experience at the A1000 conference two years ago when I was stinging from leaving TEC and trying to walk steadily forward in the ACNA. Bless you. I hope that you will continue to draw peace and inspiration from this association, as I have.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=163800401 Carson T. Clark

      Thank you, Kim!

  • Eric K.

    Carson,
    I welcome you to the Anglican Church in North America. Our ACNA congregation is one of those in Virginia that recently was ordered to turn over our deeds to TEC by the courts. We don’t have an official move date yet, but it could be any time.

    Can you explain in a little more detail what it means that you left AMiA and joined ACNA? Do you mean you started attending an ACNA church and left an AMiA church or that when you’re ordained you’ll serve in an ACNA church?

    Also, in your fourth note, you say you hope that AMiA rejoins ACNA. It’s my understanding that ACNA is only a few years old (if that) and the AMiA has been around much longer. When was AMiA a part of ACNA?

    Forgive my questions, I don’t know a lot about the denominational aspects of all this.

    Great job on the blog, by the way.

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