Becoming Anglican

August 13, 2012

 

Dear friends,

 

For many years, Becky and I have been on a long, much blessed journey.  It all began in 1984 when we and our boys moved to England where I studied with John Stott, and we had our first experience with the Church of England.  Week after week and month after month, we had tremendous joy in our worship, our fellowship, our study, and our service with Anglicans.  What we did not realize was that we were at the beginning of a winding and sometimes uphill road that would at last take us into the Anglican Church. 

 

About ten years ago, Becky and I became aware of a new conservative, evangelical movement among Anglicans in the United States.  Because of the extreme liberalism that had become pervasive in the Episcopal Church of the U.S.A., many Bible-believing Episcopalians were assembling themselves in a new expression of American Anglicanism.  These conservative Episcopalians were placing themselves under the oversight of conservative archbishops in Africa and Asia as a number of these groups were being established all over America.  As soon as Becky and I became aware of this unprecedented situation in Anglicanism, we began our quest.  We wanted to know if God was calling us to be a part of this movement.  Over the past decade, Becky and I have attended large conferences as well as small meetings of Anglicans, and we have spent many, many hours in counsel with Anglican leaders who have been very helpful and strongly encouraging toward us.  And now at last we have reached our destination. 

 

I know that you will have a number of questions.  I will try to briefly answer the most important ones.

 

1.  Nothing will change in our ministry with The Mission Foundation.  Becky and I will continue to do all of the work we have been doing in the past.   I will continue to serve at the Louisiana State Capitol, with The Gathering of Men, and in Developing World countries.  Becky will be going forward with her ministry to women both in the U.S. and abroad.  As in the past, our ministry will always be trans-denominational. 

2.  Becky and I will continue to be dependent upon friends like you for the financial support of our ministry with The Mission Foundation.  We want to say again that any monthly support of The Mission Foundation is greatly appreciated.  We need your involvement.  Even the smallest monthly gift is a great blessing to us.  If you are not presently involved, would you please consider becoming a monthly supporter?

3.  I have met with our presbytery (Southeast LA Presbytery of the PCA) and have explained to them why I am becoming an Anglican.   I assured them of my love for them and of my anticipation of good co-laborship with them in the Lord’s harvest here in LA.  I am in good standing with my presbytery.  I have no conflicts with any of my brothers in the PCA.  A letter that affirms my good standing has been sent from Rev. Scott Lindsay, clerk of our presbytery, to the Western Gulf Coast Diocese of the Anglican Church.

4.  Becky and I are joining the Anglican Church in North America.  I am NOT joining The Episcopal Church whose leaders have departed from Biblical theology and have begun ordaining homosexuals.

5.  There are about 78 million Anglicans in the world today.  As is the case with many denominations, the Anglican Church is growing most rapidly in the Global South where Anglican preachers are proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus with great zeal.  It has been my privilege to serve among many of them in Africa. 

 

I am very happy to say that Becky and I are taking this step with the blessing of our board of directors.  Also, we are deeply grateful for letters of recommendation that have been sent to the Anglican Church by those with whom we have been associated in ministry for many years.

 

In closing, we are very thankful to have friends like you.  In just a little while, we will all be before our King.  We must remember the words of Jesus to His disciples, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)  Let’s get on with the work until He comes, or until we go to Him! 

Meet you at the finish line!

 

Rod and Bec