Bishop Todd Hunter answers some question regarding the move to ACNA. [VIEW VIDEO]

May 4, 2012

Over the past many months there has been much talk, publicly and privately, about who each of us will dance with in terms of Anglican connections. I have been slow in this process, like an awkward junior-high kid at his first dance, struggling to discern direction from God. I realized in the past day or so that I was asking the wrong question, that jurisdictional issues were not on the top of God’s mind for me.

Apparently I needed to seek God regarding more fundamental issues, matters of first cause. In so doing I realized that I am to “dance with who ‘brung’ me”— Unity and Mission. I brought Mission with me to this dance. We have been “friends from childhood”. When I walked across the dance floor and was introduced to Anglicanism three years ago I was told repeatedly that we were all working toward one, unified, missional, kingdom-oriented, Spirit-enabled Anglican church in North America. I took that vision into my heart and have pondered it since.

Today I am pleased to announce that I have brought unity and mission back together through the up-coming re-launch of Churches For the Sake of Others.
This morning I had warm and collegial conversations with Archbishop Bob Duncan,  Bishop Chuck Murphy and  Bishop Terrell Glenn. I articulated for each of them my vision of C4SO becoming a servant to all the various Anglican entities within North America. C4SO will happily plant churches in partnership with PEARUSA, TheAm and the ACNA.

I will carry out this work under the canons of the ACNA as a special bishop given a specific task under Archbishop Duncan.

Attached is my best attempt today at some anticipated questions. I will soon go to Pittsburgh to clarify as many small details as possible. But before we get to that, I’ve got a couple of related issues I would like to make public.

First, I have written Archbishop Rwaje asking his forgiveness for my part in actions, attitudes or communications that were hurtful to him or to my brother bishops in Rwanda. His Grace responded with a most gracious letter, forgiving me, stating his love for me, blessing me and releasing me to ++Duncan.

Second, a word about Chuck Murphy. In spite of our recent disagreements, I have respect for the positive aspects of Chuck’s leadership over the years. I refuse to be dismissive of anyone, to allow “dissing” in my heart at all. As my friend, Dallas Willard, has taught me over the past twenty years, “Our projects are not God’s projects. We are God’s project. The only thing God and we get out of this life is the kinds of persons we become as we execute our various tasks of ministry.” I am grateful to Chuck for his acceptance of me into the Anglican world, his investment in C4SO and his willingness to have a cooperative organization-to-organization relationship between theAM and C4SO.