Independent Anglican Church Canada Synod
Encyclopedia
The Independent Anglican Church (Canada Synod) (IACCS) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition with churches in Canada
and the United States of America. It is not affiliated with the Anglican Communion
headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Most Rev. Peter Wayne Goodrich of Niagara Falls, Ontario, is its Primate. There are three suffragan bishops.
in 1934 under the leadership of William H. Daw, later created additional parishes, and adopted the present name in the 1980s.
The Order of the Oblates of St. John the Evangelist was formed within the church in September, 2003. The order is open to both clergy and lay persons.
In 2006, the Anglican Independent Communion in the Americas, led by the Rt. Rev. John W. Gains of Georgetown, Delaware, merged with the IACCS to become a newly-named "Anglican Church, Province of North America, Inc." The venture was dissolved in 2008, and the Canadian church resumed its earlier identity. Bishop Gains and his parish subsequently joined the IACCS as did Bishop Michael Fedechko, formerly Bishop Primus of the Reformed Episcopal Church
of Canada, along with his parish in New Liskeard, Ontario.
and lead lives compatible with Scripture. The church is committed to the male priesthood and episcopate.
The Independent Anglican Church (Canada Synod) has published two service books for use by its congregations. The Book of Common Prayer, 1991 Canada, and The Psalter, Psalms and Canticles Pointed and Set to Anglican Chants, were both published in 1991. A companion Holy Week and Other Services book was published by the church in the Fall of 2000. An Anglican Book of Occasional Services is a work in progress and is expected to be published early in 2012.
The discipline and public worship of the church ranges from Anglo-Catholic to (Low) Evangelical. Most congregations are described as being in between the two.
The Diocesan Library houses approximately 4,000 volumes. This collection features books and information about virtually every religion, having been collected over the past forty years by Archbishop Goodrich. The library is available for students of St. Matthew’s Cathedral College as well as other students of religion.
Unlike some other independent Anglican church jurisdictions, the policy of the Independent Anglican Church (Canada Synod) is not to encourage members, either clergy or lay, of the Anglican Church of Canada to desert the Anglican Communion. The intention of the Independent Anglican Church (Canada Synod) is to be available for those who, for whatever reasons, have already left the Anglican Church of Canada or any other Church within the Anglican Communion.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States of America. It is not affiliated with the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Most Rev. Peter Wayne Goodrich of Niagara Falls, Ontario, is its Primate. There are three suffragan bishops.
History
The IACCS descends from a single parish that separated from the Anglican Church of CanadaAnglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
in 1934 under the leadership of William H. Daw, later created additional parishes, and adopted the present name in the 1980s.
The Order of the Oblates of St. John the Evangelist was formed within the church in September, 2003. The order is open to both clergy and lay persons.
In 2006, the Anglican Independent Communion in the Americas, led by the Rt. Rev. John W. Gains of Georgetown, Delaware, merged with the IACCS to become a newly-named "Anglican Church, Province of North America, Inc." The venture was dissolved in 2008, and the Canadian church resumed its earlier identity. Bishop Gains and his parish subsequently joined the IACCS as did Bishop Michael Fedechko, formerly Bishop Primus of the Reformed Episcopal Church
Reformed Episcopal Church
The Reformed Episcopal Church is an Anglican church in the United States and Canada and a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America...
of Canada, along with his parish in New Liskeard, Ontario.
Doctrinal orientation
The Independent Anglican Church (Canada Synod) considers itself to be conservative, having retained the use of the historic Book of Common Prayer, the Book of Common Praise 1938, and Anglican Chant for the Psalms and Canticles. This conservatism is also apparent in its requirement that all clergy subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles of ReligionArticles of Religion
Articles of Religion may refer to:* The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of the Church of England* A modified version of these, the Articles of Religion of the American Methodist Church...
and lead lives compatible with Scripture. The church is committed to the male priesthood and episcopate.
The Independent Anglican Church (Canada Synod) has published two service books for use by its congregations. The Book of Common Prayer, 1991 Canada, and The Psalter, Psalms and Canticles Pointed and Set to Anglican Chants, were both published in 1991. A companion Holy Week and Other Services book was published by the church in the Fall of 2000. An Anglican Book of Occasional Services is a work in progress and is expected to be published early in 2012.
The discipline and public worship of the church ranges from Anglo-Catholic to (Low) Evangelical. Most congregations are described as being in between the two.
Institutions
The church has its own educational facility, St. Matthew’s Cathedral College, which prepares students for the ministry. The minimum requirement for admission to the college is a Bachelor of Arts degree from a recognized University, although special consideration is given to mature students of suitable background to study for certification in the sacred ministry. A new campus of the college has been authorized for Niagara Falls, New York and classes are scheduled to begin in early 2012. The course outlines will include both on campus and distance learning.The Diocesan Library houses approximately 4,000 volumes. This collection features books and information about virtually every religion, having been collected over the past forty years by Archbishop Goodrich. The library is available for students of St. Matthew’s Cathedral College as well as other students of religion.
Relations with other churches
The IACCS is not in formal communion with the Continuing Anglican Movement or with any other independent Anglicans, but considers itself to be unilaterally in communion with any Anglican jurisdiction that has "a valid Apostolic Succession and maintains the Anglican Tradition of Common Prayer worship."Unlike some other independent Anglican church jurisdictions, the policy of the Independent Anglican Church (Canada Synod) is not to encourage members, either clergy or lay, of the Anglican Church of Canada to desert the Anglican Communion. The intention of the Independent Anglican Church (Canada Synod) is to be available for those who, for whatever reasons, have already left the Anglican Church of Canada or any other Church within the Anglican Communion.