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Christian Resources Library
Reflection on the appointment of Rowan Williams as the 104th Archbishop
of Canterbury - July 2002
Will a new Archbishop make any difference
to us? Expanding our horizons
The end of speculation
The announcement on Tuesday 23rd July 2002 at 11am from 10 Downing Street
that Rowan Williams is to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury has gladly
put an end to months of idle speculation. I've collected cuttings and
articles over these months about who should succeed George Carey and
shall be pleased to clear this inch and a half of paper into the recycle
bin! I have to say most of the words written about leadership and ministry
in the 21st century have lacked insight and wisdom.
Welcoming Archbishop Williams
I welcome the appointment of Rowan Williams to be the 104th Archbishop
of Canterbury. There are some real challenges facing him and us. When
people look at the Church of England, they don't see an altogether healthy
institution. There is an odd lack of confidence about who we are and
what our role is and, at times, we have seemed capable of talking (rather
badly) about almost anything else but the reality of God and the meaning
of life. Of course there are plenty of intelligent, wise and holy people
in the Church of England - but taken together, they too often seem irresolute
and lacking confidence in their ability to say anything interesting
to others.
What kind of Archbishop might he be?
Rowan Williams is a theologian of great distinction. He is a man of
deep spirituality and a gifted communicator. I believe people will find
in him a person of integrity. He is resolutely un-spun, a refreshing
attribute in this age of spin. Under his leadership I am confident that
we can all work together to capture the imagination of people and to
help others to make sense of the gift of God. We do need to recover
a proper confidence in the leadership of the Church as a model of listening
and witnessing to the truth of God's love.
What will this mean for us in Temple Balsall?
While Archbishops and Bishops must continue to exercise their leadership
over the Church, there is a sense in which most individuals experience
the Church not through them at diocesan or national level, but through
us here at local level. In September this year I shall have completed
4 years here in Temple Balsall. They have been fascinating and challenging
and demanding years. I am looking forward to a little bit of time in
August to step back and explore the future phase of our life together
here. We need to work together to build on our firm foundations and
to strengthen our Christian witness and ministry. The message entrusted
to us as a Church is one, which we are called not only to proclaim,
but also to live. And so that large and spacious place into which we
are redeemed must have implications for our personal and communal life.
We are to a Church which both proclaims the true freedom of God's open
space of salvation and which knows it in its own life.
Who are we and what are our hallmarks?
We need, therefore, to continue to build a Church whose hallmarks are
the marks of Christ - the marks of grace and truth and sacrificial love;
one whose spirit is one of tolerance and generosity because it is ready
to receive what others have to give. I hope we can continue to build
St Mary's as a Church with soft edges that can always welcome others
into the broad space of God's love. And there is plenty of space both
within our hearts and building to welcome many more into this way of
living and journeying. We need to constantly be open to new people and
search for ways of bringing new people in. This openness to others is
not easy and demands much of us.
A growing Church and a healthy Church is one which is aware of the
coloured grace of God, and which delights in being called into God's
spacious room, where welcome and nurture is given to all ages, and all
sorts and conditions of women and men.
Living in God's space
This summons to live in God's large and generous space can be challenging
especially at those points where we differ or disagree. On this we need
to be all willing and able to make room - indeed, more than that to
provide an honoured space for those with whom we disagree. To take the
analogy further - to what extent do we actually wish to be within that
large - catholic - room of God's Church, or to what extent would we
really prefer to opt for a semi-detached house next door?!
The Rose Window and our journey
The rose window above the west door of our Church is a very important
reminder of the goal of our journey: the church is to be one, multi-coloured
and large roomed, not primarily for its own sake, but for God's sake.
This is what it means, I believe, when we say that we are catholic Anglicans
- embracing of diversity and the rich possibilities of our tradition.
The meaning of catholic is universal; at its heart is a sense of the
church as a large and God-shaped room, and not a small, sanitised, private
closet.
Catholic and Evangelical
And if building the Church in this place is to be catholic, then it
is also to be evangelical, knowing that the Church to be part of the
Gospel needs to proclaim and live out what we believe to be true about
God and his redeeming love shown to us in Christ.
Looking Backwards and looking Forwards
After my induction and institution at St Mary's in September 1998, I
stood rather precariously on a chair in the School hall at the reception
following the service. After the polite thanks for the refreshments,
I told the assembled group how much I was looking forward to my work
in Temple Balsall. And I ended with these words 'expect anything'. They
were greeted with a roar of laughter, but I meant it, both then and
now. We should raise our expectations. We should build our confidence
in the Church and what God has to offer to us through our faithful worship
and service. This is our mission and our calling. I hope that we can
continue to build expectations and to be ready to do what we must to
proclaim the Kingdom in this place. Of course, at one level, a new Archbishop
makes a difference in this, but in the end we must be ready to play
our part and take responsibility as Christians in building, comforting,
challenging and witnessing.
The Revd Dr James Woodward
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