Everything about The Church In Wales totally explained
The
Church in Wales is a member Church of the
Anglican Communion, consisting of six
dioceses in
Wales. Like all Anglican churches, it recognizes the primacy of the
Archbishop of Canterbury, who doesn't however have any formal authority in Wales (except for residual roles in the case of failure to elect a bishop and in a court set up to try an archbishop, as well as direct authority as metropolitan in a handful of border parishes remaining in the Church of England and exempt from disestablishment). The
Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the church's six
diocesan bishops; currently, the Most Rev Dr
Barry Morgan is both
Archbishop of Wales and
Bishop of Llandaff. Once the state Church,
disestablishment was effected in
1920. This means that, unlike
England, Wales no longer has a
state Church.
Official name
The Church in Wales adopted its name rather by accident. The
Welsh Church Act 1914 had referred throughout to "the Church in Wales", the phrase being used to indicate the part of the
Church of England in Wales. A Convention of the Welsh Church in 1920 considered what name to use, and tended to favour "the Church of Wales", but there were fears that adopting a name different from that given by the Act might cause serious legal problems. Given the situation, it didn't seem sensible to invite even more problems at that point, and so "the Church in Wales" was allowed to stand.
History
Christianity in Wales can be traced back to the
Romano-British period. Wales became a refuge for other
Brythons following the pagan
Anglo-Saxon invasion of what became
England, so much so that the Welsh refused to co-operate with
Augustine of Canterbury's mission to the Anglo-Saxons. However, a combination of
Celtic Christianity's reconciliation with Rome and
Medieval English conquest of Wales meant that from the
Middle Ages until 1920, the Welsh dioceses were part of the
Province of Canterbury -- in communion with the See of Rome until the
Reformation, and continuing afterwards as part of the Church of England. From the time of
Henry VIII, Wales had been absorbed into England as a legal entity and the
Established Church in Wales was the Church of England.
Disestablishment
During the
19th century nonconformist churches grew rapidly in Wales, so much so that, eventually, the majority of Welsh Christians were
nonconformist, although the Church of England remained the largest single religious denomination.
At the beginning of the
20th century, under the influence of nonconformist politicians such as
David Lloyd George, the
Welsh Church Act 1914 was passed by the
Liberal Government 1905–1915 to separate the Anglican Church in Wales from the Church of England. The bill was fiercely resisted by the Conservatives, and blocked in the
House of Lords, eventually being passed by the use of the
Parliament Act. Welsh disestablishment was also a way of asserting a national identity.
The opposition to disestablishment was led by the
Conservative Party politician
F.E. Smith, who characterized the effort as "a Bill which has shocked the conscience of every Christian community in Europe." In response to this overwrought description, the writer
G. K. Chesterton penned the vicious satirical poem,
Antichrist, or the Reunion of Christendom: An Ode.
The Act both
disestablished and
disendowed the "Church in Wales", the term used to define the part of the Church of England which was to be separated.
Disestablishment meant the end of the Church's special legal status and Welsh bishops were no longer entitled to sit in the
House of Lords as "
Lords Spiritual". Establishment had brought limitations as well as advantages. For example, priests of the Church of England were barred from sitting in the
House of Commons, but this no longer applied to priests in Wales. The Church in Wales became independent of the state.
Disendowment, which was even more controversial, meant that the endowments of the Church in Wales were partially confiscated and redistributed to the
University of Wales and
local authorities. Endowments before
1662 were to be confiscated; those of later date were to be left. This was justified on the theory that the pre-1662 endowments were to a true National Church of the whole population, and hence belonged to the people as a whole rather than to the Church in Wales. This reasoning was hotly contested. The date 1662 was that of the
Act of Uniformity following the
Restoration; a case could be made that this was the point at which the Church of England ceased, or began to cease, to be a truly comprehensive national church and nonconformity began to develop.
The coming into effect of the
Welsh Church Act 1914 was delayed by the outbreak of the First World War. The Church was split from the
Church of England in 1920.
Since 1920
Parishes overlapping the border were allocated either to the Church in Wales or to the Church of England, with the result that the line of disestablishment isn't exactly the same as the England—Wales border. A few districts in Monmouthshire and Radnorshire remain attached to parishes in the
diocese of Hereford and consequently established. The Oswestry deanery was detached from the St. Asaph diocese. Today, the Church in Wales is fully independent of both the state and the Church of England, and is an independent member of the
Anglican Communion like the
Church of Ireland or the
Scottish Episcopal Church.
The Church in Wales is currently undergoing numerous changes and debates, particularly in relation to the appointment of women to the episcopate, and the recognition by the province as a whole of the equality between Welsh and English in all parts of Church life.
Membership
Following disestablishment in 1920, the Church in Wales fared better than the nonconformist churches, which suffered decline in the twentieth century. There were 74,779 communicants on Easter Sunday, 2004.
Structure
The polity of the Church in Wales is
Episcopalian church governance, which is the same as other Anglican churches.
There are four Anglican dioceses in Wales which were part of the
Province of Canterbury, prior to the creation of the Church in Wales, and each led by its own
bishop:
Two further dioceses have been created since the creation of the Church in Wales:
The Diocese of Monmouth in 1921.
The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon in 1923.
Monmouth was created from the eastern part of Llandaff diocese, largely corresponding to the ancient county of Monmouthshire. Swansea and Brecon was created from the eastern part of the St David's diocese, largely corresponding to what is now the City & County of Swansea and the traditional counties of Breconshire and Radnorshire.
Diocesan bishops
Unlike bishops in the Church of England, each bishop of the Church in Wales is elected by an 'Electoral College' which consists of representatives of the diocese seeking a new bishop, representatives of the other five dioceses in Wales and all the other Bishops of the Church in Wales. Currently the Church in Wales doesn't consecrate women as bishops, and this was reconfirmed by a close vote in 2008. The Archbishop of Wales, the head of the Church in Wales, is elected by and from the six diocesan bishops and continues as a diocesan bishop after his election.
The Most Revd Dr Barry Morgan - Bishop of Llandaff and Archbishop of Wales
The Right Reverend John Davies - Bishop of St Asaph
The Right Reverend Dr Dominic Walker - Bishop of Monmouth
The Right Reverend Anthony Crockett - Bishop of Bangor
The Right Reverend John Davies - Bishop of Swansea and Brecon
Following the resignation of The Right Reverend Carl Cooper, the See of St Davids is vacent until the Electoral College meet to choose a successor. Episcopal acts (such as Ordination, Confirmation etc.) are being carried out by the Archbishop or a Bishop deputised by him.
The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams is the first Welsh-born Archbishop of Canterbury. He was consecrated and enthroned as Bishop of Monmouth in 1992, and Archbishop of Wales in 1999. He was appointed by the Queen (having been proposed by the Crown Appointments Commission) to be Archbishop of Canterbury in July 2002. He was succeeded as Bishop of Monmouth by the former Bishop of Reading, the Right Revd Dr Dominic Walker, and was succeeded as Archbishop of Wales by the Bishop of Llandaff, the Right Revd Dr Barry Morgan.
Assistant bishops
In addition to the six Diocesan Bishops, there are currently two Assistant Bishops within the Church. In 1996, the Church in Wales approved the ordination of women, and the Provincial Assistant Bishop was appointed to provide pastoral care for those who couldn't in good conscience accept the ordination of women. As in the Church of England, there are now many female priests and deacons in active ministry in the Church.
The Right Revd David Thomas - Provincial Assistant Bishop
Bishop David retires during the Summer of 2008, however the Bench of Bishops have not yet decided whether that'll replace him.
It has become customary for the Archbishop to appoint an Assistant Bishop to help within the Archbishop's diocese. On becoming Archbishop, Dr. Barry Morgan appointed The Venerable David Yeoman as his Assistant Bishop.
The Right Revd David Yeoman - Assistant Bishop of Llandaff
Representative Body
The Representative Body is responsible for the care of the Church's property and funding many of the activities of the Church, including support for priests' stipends (like salaries) and pensions. The Governing Body functions as a kind of parliament (similar to the Church of England General Synod) for the Church.
Worship and liturgy
It has been suggested that the Church in Wales as a whole tends to be predominantly High Church, that's to say that many of the traditions inherited from the Oxford Movement, in more rural dioceses such as St David's and Bangor and the industrial parishes of Llandaff and Monmouth. However, even though the province in terms of theology and liturgy is more liberal and Anglo-Catholic in leaning, there's a tradition of evangelicalism within it, especially in the southern parts of Wales, and the university town of Aberystwyth. Since the 1960s there has been a revival of evangelicalism within the Church in Wales and the Evangelical Fellowship of the Church in Wales exists to support evangelicals.
The Book of Common Prayer
The publication of the 2004 Holy Eucharist and 2006 Rites of Christian Initiation are the largest reforms in liturgy in nearly forty years. It is hoped that by the end of the decade that the 2004 Eucharist rite will be the sole celebrated rite within the province, leading it to become more a eucharist-centered church than before. At the moment, the Standing Liturgical Commission are preparing resources for Morning, Evening and Daily Prayer.
Doctrine and practice
The center of teachings of the Church in Wales is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church, or catechism, includes:
Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit". The Apocrypha are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine.
The two great and necessary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist
Other sacramental rites are confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction.
Belief in heaven, hell, and Jesus's return in glory.
The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way.
This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is traced to the work of Richard Hooker, a sixteenth century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.
Social issues
In the previous 30 years, the Church in Wales has taken a stand on various issues including economic justice, ordination of women, and inclusion. In some areas, such as human sexuality, the church has faced a struggle.
Ecumenical relations
Like many other Anglican churches, the Church in Wales has entered into full communion with the Old Catholics. The Church in Wales is also a member of the Porvoo Communion.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Church In Wales'.
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