What Difference Will He Make?

In his first press statement after being confirmed as the Archbishop of Canterbury designate, one of the things Justin Welby recognised was that the members of local Anglican parishes are the real front line in the church's ministry. In a denomination that's distinguished by its hierarchical nature, it's really encouraging to hear leaders speak this way as it not only directs local churches to their on-the-ground mission, but it also helps to dispel any ideas that there's going to be an institutional salvation that will come down from above.

The fact of the matter is, no matter how liberal, catholic, evangelical or charismatic the AbC is, most parishes will continue going about their business in very much the same ways as they have been up until now. That is, outside his own diocese of Canterbury, the AbC does not make a great deal of difference to what most Anglicans do week to week. I don't say this to disparage the AbC in any way at all, just to recognise the reality - as Welby has - that the front-edge of the life and work of the church happens in local neighbourhoods.

Perhaps the place where the AbC's influence will be most widely felt is within high-level conversations about international Anglican relationships. As everyone knows, there are some huge issues affecting the worldwide Anglican Communion right now and Welby is likely to be an important voice in the years ahead as these are worked through. However, even in this we must remember that over the last decade, it's become crystal clear that some national churches and local bishops will not take their direction from the AbC, nor any of the other 'Instruments of Communion'. Therefore, it would be naive to think that any AbC could have the capacity to resew the torn fabric of the Communion and I think it would be pretty unfair to place that expectation on them. Again, the AbC may be able to have significant input, but ultimately, he only has the power of influence and cannot demand that the world's Anglicans do whatever he tells them, be it good or bad. He's not a pope!

So, as we welcome / assess / question / investigate / speculate about / pray for Welby, let's not kid ourselves into thinking that time and energy given over to those things are all that's necessary to build the Kingdom. We certainly ought to pray that he serves as a great and faithful leader and that he has a really positive influence in the Communion. But we must remember that the lion's share of the work in the Anglican Church will not be done by him.