The Augustine Appeal: Holy Orders in the ACNA – A Public Appeal to the College of Bishops of the ACNA

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Holy Orders in the ACNA – A Public Appeal to the College of Bishops of the ACNA

Holy Orders in the ACNA

A Public Appeal to the College of Bishops of the ACNA

If you want to sign this appeal, please do so via this form.

*The list of signatories below is live and updated at regular intervals*

The Augustine Appeal

As the College of Bishops prepares to elect a new Archbishop, we celebrate with gratitude the 15th anniversary of the Anglican Church in North America, recognizing the Province’s steadfast commitment to orthodox Anglicanism and gospel mission.

While we are hopeful for the continued fruitfulness of orthodox Anglicanism in North America, we believe that the unresolved issue of women’s ordination to the priesthood imperils the mission of our Province. As ACNA clergy, we wish to restate the biblical and consensus position of the Great Tradition. We hope that this statement will unify clergy seeking to articulate the Faith once for all delivered, and chart the direction we pray our next Archbishop will lead us.

We affirm the College of Bishops’ 2017 Vancouver Statement that the ordination of women to the priesthood is a “recent innovation to Apostolic Tradition and Catholic Order,” and we affirm the theological conclusion that the practice has “insufficient scriptural warrant.”
We believe the teaching of Holy Scripture, as interpreted by the consensus of the Great Tradition, that only men may be ordained to the priesthood. With humility and filial affection, we pray that our Bishops will conform to this teaching and practice.
We receive from our own Church the method by which this conclusion is reached: The Bible must be obeyed “in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading” (Jerusalem Declaration, Art. 2). That is, Scripture should be interpreted according to the “Church’s historic interpretation” (To Be A Christian, Q. 33). This hermeneutical principle rightly prevented our Church from allowing same-sex marriage. This same principle likewise makes no allowance for the ordination of women to the priesthood.
We affirm the inherent dignity and equality of women, made in the image of God, and reject any ideology that devalues God’s good creation of both male and female. Any conception of ministry that renders sexual difference meaningless, or that values women only insofar as they conform to male norms, opposes God’s created order.
We advocate for the further development of a robust biblical anthropology, underwritten by the Great Tradition, that elucidates the significance of sexual difference, especially as it pertains to both Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders.
We assert that a flourishing Church welcomes and values the spiritual gifts of her daughters as well as her sons, as evidenced by the men and women honored in our Calendar of Commemorations (BCP 2019). We reject clericalism which holds forth ordained ministry as a superior form of serving Christ. We desire to see a renewal of lay ministries of men and women equipped for the work of ministry and building up of the body of Christ.
We pray for the unity of Christ’s one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We long for the reunion of a divided Christendom. We believe, however, that such unity never comes at the expense of Apostolic Tradition, Catholic Order, and scriptural warrant; rather, it is through these that the Church will realize the full and fruitful unity for which our Lord prayed.
We interpret the legal stipulations of our provincial constitution to be non-constraining of our Bishops in their stewardship and teaching of the Catholic Faith (ACNA Constitution, Art. X.1). Therefore, we are hopeful that the College of Bishops, led by the Holy Spirit and exercising their God-given authority, can find a creative solution to restore orthodoxy to Holy Orders prior to any constitutional amendment.

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

The Feast of St. Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury, 2024

The Rev. Blake Johnson
The Rev. Ben Jefferies
The Rev. Jay Thomas

[Initial Signatories]

Signed by

The Rev. Dr. Hans Boersma
The Rev. Dr. Ben Sharpe
The Rev. Dr. Gerald McDermott
The Rev. Brandon LeTourneau
The Rev. David McElrea
The Rev. Kyle Clark
The Rev. Benjamin Davis
The Very Rev. Austin Lee Goggans
The Rev. Joshua Shane Kramer
The Rev. J. Kelman
The Rev. Kelly O’Sullivan
The Rev. Dr. J. S. S. Patterson
The Rev. Matthew Maule
The Rev. Nicholas E. Ziegenhagen
The Rev. Ricky McCarl
The Rev. Barton J. Gingerich
The Rev. Charles A. Collins, Jr.
The Rev. Hunter Van Wagenen
The Rev. Dr. Eric Jorgensen
The Rev. Dcn. Kevin Murphy
The Rev. Can. Stephen Linkous
The Rev. Jacob A. Rogers
The Rev. Joshua Spencer
The Rev. Dr. Kelly L. O’Lear
The Rev. Dr. Eric Parker
The Rev. Shay Gregorie Jr.
The Rev. Dr. James Andrew Gibson III
The Rev. Jeremy Johnson
The Rev. Enrique Melchor
The Rev. Michael J. Carr, Sr.
The Rev. Tait Deems
The Rev. Philip D. Lyman
The Ven. Lee R Stafki
The Rev. Jonathan M. Kell
The Rev. Can. J Scott Houser
The Rev. R.Keith Boettner
The Rev. Dr. Jon C. Shuler
The Rev. Spencer Amaral
The Rev. Benjamin Pearce
The Rev. Dr. Paul C. Edgerton
The Rev. Philip Hanner
The Rev. Dr. Jady Koch
The Rev. Michael Blitz
The Ven. Dr. Jon W Abboud
The Rev. Dcn. Carl F. Wegner
The Rev. David George
The Rev. Derek Roberts
The Rev. Dr. Seth Snyder
The Rev. Denys A. Scully
The Rev. Shawn Riley
The Rev. Jerry K. Shriver, Jr.
The Rev. Mitchell Keppler
The Rev. Dr. Charles Erlandson
The Rev. Warwick Fuller
The Rev. Daniel Claire
The Rev. Andrew Evans
The Rev. Richard Tarsitano
The Rev. Sulmane Maigadi
The Ven. Ryan Davis
The Rev. Kenneth D. Mills
The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Trostle
The Rev. Jarrod Hill
The Rev. Jesse Barkalow
The Rev. Elmer S. Miguel
The Rev. Andrew Powell
The Rev. Donald Hughes
The Rev. Jeff Stubbs, SSC
The Very Rev. John Jordan, SSC
The Rev. Andrew J. Thebeau
The Very Rev. Alan Horton
The Rev. Richard R. Daly
The Rev. Joseph Francis SSC
The Rev. William T. Estes
The Rev. Dr. Charles Thebeau
The Rev. Edward A Fitzhugh, SSC
The Rev. Spencer Stubblefield
The Rev. Can. Dwight D. Duncan
The Very Rev. Donald R. Sackett
The Rev. Andrew Petta
The Rev. Travis Province
The Rev. Timothy Taylor
The Rev. Dr. Jeffery Logan
The Rev. Can. Robert Tomlinson SSC
The Very Rev. William A. Crary, Jr.
The Rev. Sergio Leal
The Rev. John Heffron
The Rev. Terence Jordan
The Very Rev. Cooper W. Morelock
The Rev. John Phelps
The Very Rev. Michael James Novotny
The Rev. Lawrence Adams
The Rev. Richard W. Workowski
The Rev. Alan Heatherington
The Very Rev. Can. Eric T. Raskopf
The Rev. Can. Dr. Robert W. Bosworth, Jr., SSC
The Very Rev. Chris Findley
The Rev. Can. John Munson
The Rev. Stuart B. Smith
The Rev. Brandon J. Hughes
The Rev. Zack Clemmons
The Ven. Isaac J. Rehberg
The Rev. Joseph P Calandra, Jr., BCC CPES-E
The Rev. Michael Brooks
The Rev. Nicholas C. Athanaelos, SSC
The Rev. Dr. Greg Peters
The Rev. Can. Steven Saul
The Rev. Dr. John M. Linebarger
The Rev. Terry W. Gatwood
The Rev. David Pennylegion
The Rev. Cliff Gobin
The Very Rev. B. Townsend Waddill, III
The Rev. Luke Childs
The Rev. Gerry Grossman
The Rev. Dcn. Conley Runions
The Rev. Jerry Cimijotti
The Rev. Can. Robert Aldridge
The Rev. Timothy Scott Rutherford
The Rev. Joseph Odell
The Rev. Keith Hartsell
The Rev. Dcn. Erin Giles
The Rev. Bradley Page
The Rev. Lee M. Nelson, SSC
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan M. Back
The Rev. Jim Hagan
The Ven. Andrew Brashier
The Rev. Clay W. Thompson
The Rev. Chad Rigney
The Rev. Michael R. Colley
The Rev. Dcn. Amos Martel
The Rev. Jake Austin
The Rev. Steve Macias
The Rev. Cody Dotson
The Rev. Kenneth R. Cook
The Rev. David France
The Rev. Timothy E. Felch
The Rev. Dr. Sudduth Rea Cummings
The Rev. Can. Lawrence Bausch
The Rev. Sam Wilgus
The Rev. Wesley Owens
The Rev. Dcn. Jared Lovell
The Rev. Kenneth C. Lopez
The Rev. Ronald Moore
The Rev. Dcn. Steven E. Watson
The Rev. Michael S. Mobley
The Rev. Aaron T. Cappucci
The Rev. Jason M. Constantine
The Very Rev. Michael Fry
The Rev. Dr. James Sweeney
The Rev. Rob Belton
The Rev. Can. Joel E. Hampton, SSC
The Rev. Andrew Voelkel
The Rev. Daniel Steiner
The Rev. Dominic D. Taranto
The Rev. William Harrison
The Rev. Michael D. Vinson
The Rev. Salvador A. Ordonez-Fino, SSC
The Rev. Creighton Friedrich
The Rev. Timothy M. Matkin
The Rev. Alexander Wilgus
The Rev. John Kincaid
The Rev. Kevin Seaver
The Rev. Dr. Matthew R. Miller
The Rev. Charles F. Sutton, Jr
The Rev. R. Wesley Brown
The Rev. Dcn. Kerwin Wade
The Ven. Thomas Hightower
The Rev. Michael T. Shaw
The Rev. Can. Zachary L. Nash
The Rev. Travis Abercrombie
The Rev. William Jenkins, Jr.
The Rev. Cedric R. Benner
The Ven. Daniel W. Hardin
The Rev. Dr. Nathan Weaver
The Rev. Can. J. Scott Wilson
The Rev. Philip L. Tjoelker
The Rev. Michael K. Templin
The Rev. Dr. John C. Clark
The Rev. Brian Campbell
The Very Rev. Lawrence H. Hill
The Rev. Matthew Rogers, SSC
The Rev. Dcn. K. Timothy Kline
The Rev. Can. Jason Grote
The Rev. Dr. John Mabus
The Rev. Paul S. Howden
The Rev. Andrew Brummett
The Rev. Dcn. Ronald Jutrzy
The Rev. Dr. Robert Bowman
The Rev. William Henry Shontz
The Rev. Dr. Benjamin E. Bernier
The Rev. David N. Beckmann
The Rev. Henry L. Pendergrass
The Rev. Matt Traylor
The Rev. Shaun LaDuc, SSC
The Rev. Jim Curry
The Rev. Dale White
The Rev. Dcn. Steven Edwards
The Very Rev. T. Denman Isgett
The Rev. Jon M. Lipka
The Rev. Christopher John Parrish
The Rev. Christopher J. Bodiford
The Rev. Tony Faint
The Rev. Dcn. Carl Loeb
The Rev. Jason Hill
The Rev. Russell Reed
The Rev. Rogers Huck Meredith
The Rev. Rickey Brown, MSJ
The Rev. Matt Kennedy
The Rev. Peter Levasseur
The Ven. Michael J. McKinnon
The Rev. Dr. James Hutchison
The Very Rev. Geoffrey A. Boland, SSC
The Rev. Nicholas Moon
The Rev. Michael Flowers
The Rev. Gregory K. Myers
The Rev. Adewale Giwa-Alaka, OSC
The Rev. David F. Klein
The Rev. Dr. Francisco L. Muñiz
The Rev. John Allen
The Rev. James Sullivan
The Rev. Can. J. A. Kramer
The Rev. Timothy Doubblestein
The Rev. David D. Reed
The Rev. Dr. Attillio J. Zarrella
The Rev. Dcn. David Michael Smith
The Rev. Can. J. Todd Renner
The Very Rev. Keith J. Roberson
The Rev. Dr. Rodney Wood
The Rev. Jeremy Swaggerty
The Rev. Keith J. Acker, SSC
The Rev. Jeffrey Smith
The Very Rev. Mark Royster
The Rev. Dcn. Brian C. Sears
The Rev. Gregory Chase
The Rev. Ronald E. Drummond, Jr., SSC
The Rev. Chris Borah
The Rev. Terrence A. Welty IV
The Very Rev. Dr. Alan L. Andraeas, ObSB
The Rev. Aaron White
The Rev. Can. Richard Bates, OMS, BCC
The Rev. Marc Omar
The Very Rev. Mark E. Rudolph
The Rev. Jeremy Phelps
The Rev. Matthew Brench
The Rev. Dr. Shane Copeland
The Rev. Jared Driscoll
The Rev. John Price
The Rev. Can. Jon Beadle
The Rev. Drew Knowles
The Rev. Andrew Gray
The Rev. Jon Hall
The Rev. Steven C. Abbott
The Rev. Eric Cosentino
The Rev. David Watts
The Rev. Tim J. Smith
The Very Rev. Robert D. Lemmon, MSJ
The Rev. Howard R. Giles III
The Rev. John Mack
The Rev. Dcn. Matthew D. Visk
The Rev. Kent Bartel
The Very Rev. Can. John H. Park, SSC
The Very Rev. Terry G. Moore
The Rev. Dcn. Nathan Dunlap
The Very Rev. Can. Michael Penfield
The Rev. Dcn. Ben Moore
The Rev. Dr. David Mathus, SSC
The Rev. John A Porter
The Very Rev. Charles T. Carlberg, Jr.
The Rev. Călin Popa
The Rev. Dcn. Timothy Andrew Gehrke
The Rev. Charles J. Arturo
The Rev. Steven M. McCarthy, SSC
The Rev. Reid Nelson Wightman
The Rev. Richard L. Jones
The Very Rev. Dr. Steven R. Rutt
The Rev. Michael Moorehead, MSJ
The Ven. Richard A. Lepage II
The Rev. Kevin Whitfield
The Rev. Dr. Bryan A. Stewart
The Rev. D. Frank Bowler
The Ven. Lawrence McElrath
The Rev. Wayne McNamara
The Rev. Gary Blaylock
The Rev. Steven Balog
The Rev. Mark Shields
The Rev. Can. Mark A. Quay
The Rev. Michael Jarrett
The Rev. Peter R. Vaughn
The Rev. J. Shawn Rainey
The Rev. Charles Humphrey
The Rev. Scott Brewer
The Rev. David H. Miller
The Rev. Dcn. Michael Williams
The Rev. Christopher Walker
The Rev. Dcn. Dawson Vorderbruegge
The Rev. Thomas B. Johnson
The Rev. Steven Buchanan
The Rev. James R. Spence
The Rev. Denzil Roland
The Rev. Eric Codding
The Rev. Ife Ojetayo
The Rev. James TJ Murphy
The Rev. Dcn. Cindy Telisak
The Rev. James L. Sallie III
The Rev. Kurt Hein
The Rev. Burton A. Shadow, SSC
The Very Rev. Mark Polley
The Rev. Dcn. Warren Musselman
The Rev. Dcn. Joshua DeVries
The Rev. Lorenzo DiSano
The Rev. Mitchell Baker
The Ven. Benjamin T. Edstrom
The Rev. David A. Peterson III
The Rev. Andrew O. Ainley
The Rev. Derek Thomason
The Rev. Mark Stephen Story
The Rev. Olaoluwa Atokileso
The Very Rev. James M. Guill
The Rev. Harold L. Trott
The Rev. Robert L. Goodman, Sr.
The Rev. Ron Ryan
The Rt. Rev. Philip C. Zampino
The Very Rev. Gordon M. Kamai
The Ven. Alan Rexford Crippen II

We are thankful for the support communicated to us via laymen and women throughout the province. If you are not eligible to sign but desire to lend your support to this statement – we encourage you to reach out directly to your Diocesan Bishop or encourage your own parish’s clergy to sign.