~Our Denomination~

The Anglican Mission in America

  AMiA seeks to glorify God by building an alliance of congregations in America committed to gathering, planting, and serving churches which worship in the Anglican tradition of scripture, song, corporate prayer, Gospel preaching, and the Holy Eucharist.

  United in the essentials of the Christian faith—obedient to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, AMiA affirms that in our Lord Jesus, by His love, and through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, all people may find the Way to the Father.

  The congregations of AMiA desire to reach the world in Jesus’ name through evangelism, discipleship, and service.

  The Anglican Mission provides a way for congregations and clergy to be fully Anglican—connected to the worldwide Anglican Communion through the leadership in Rwanda and South East Asia—while, at the same time, being free of the crises of faith, leadership and mission in the Episcopal Church USA.

  Specifically, AMiA is now focusing on planting new Anglican congregations from coast to coast throughout the United States.

--www.theamia.org--

More on AMiA

For more information please visit www.theamia.org,
or call us at 843-237-0318

What is the Anglican Mission in America?

The Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) is a vibrant and creative missionary outreach of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda, which is a full and active member of the Anglican Communion. The Mission enjoys the oversight of two Primates of the Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and the Most Rev. Yong Ping Chung of South East Asia. In addition, more Primates from the "Global South" have recently endorsed our mission, encouraging us to continue in this vital work of reaching out to the 130 million un-churched Americans around us as a direct outreach of the vitality and growth of the Global South church here in the United States.

Is it fully Anglican?

Absolutely. The Anglican Mission in America, as its name implies, is fully Anglican. The Anglican Mission is a direct outreach of the Anglican Province of Rwanda which is a full and active member of the global network of churches known as the Anglican Communion. Both the House of Bishops and the Provincial Synod of Rwanda have endorsed this endeavor. The Anglican Mission bishops are seated in the Rwandan House of Bishops, and their consecrations have been conducted according to the Constitution and Canons of the Province of Rwanda, with AMiA clergy received and ordained under its authority. In addition, the Provincial Synod of South East Asia has enabled their Primate, the Most. Rev. Yong Ping Chung, to give his covering to this movement. So AMiA's sponsorship by the Anglican Province of Rwanda and its relationship to Archbishops Kolini and Yong is clear. Lately, additional Primates have supported and encouraged the Anglican Mission to continue its work of evangelism and ! church planting in the United States. A number of international Anglican and national Episcopal leaders have also declared openly that the AMiA is fully Anglican, and has "saved many who would have left Anglicanism altogether."

What about the Archbishop of Canterbury? Has he specifically recognized this work?

The Archbishop of Canterbury does not provide specific notice, documentation, or "recognition" of bishops throughout the Anglican Communion or within specific Anglican Provinces. Although some individuals have opposed the creation and work of the AMiA because it has crossed the geographical boundaries of the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA), there is a long history of overlapping jurisdictions within the Anglican Communion. The current Archbishop of Canterbury has recently stated that if he is in communion with an Anglican Province, as he is with Rwanda, then it should also mean that all those within that Anglican Province are therefore in communion with him. It should be noted that a number of other Anglican provinces have now followed this lead in providing new ministry in this country.

Was the Anglican Mission in America established prematurely?

The Anglican Mission in America was birthed at a critical time. The Episcopal Church had lost a third of its membership over the preceding thirty years, had drifted into revisionist doctrines and had wasted opportunities in leadership and mission. Valiant and sustained efforts to renew ECUSA from within had, unfortunately, not provided enough impact to slow the church's dramatic slide deeper into false teachings and practices. In 1999 in Kampala at a meeting hosted by the First Promise movement, ECUSA bishops of the American Anglican Council along with First Promise made a direct appeal for intervention from nine archbishops and/or their representatives—a number, by the way, that did not include the Archbishop of Canterbury. These American leaders publicly admitted that the Episcopal Church, USA was in a deplorable state theologically, that it was incapable of self-correction, and that it needed an "intervention." While no clear consensus emerged among the Primates as to ! what, specifically, to do, the Primates of Rwanda and S.E. Asia thought that the time was right for action—and that action came two months later in Singapore with the consecrations of Chuck Murphy and John Rodgers to serve as missionary bishops to the United States from Rwanda and S.E. Asia . Developments in the Episcopal Church since that time, which were already in motion then, serve to underscore the reality that the timing for this intervention was right, and opportune to provide an orthodox Anglican alternative in the United States. Many now see the actions in establishing the Anglican Mission as a courageous forerunner to address the current situation in America and ECUSA.

What About Mission?

The Anglican Mission in America is focused on reaching out to the 130 million un-churched that are around us. This is our vision and the thing that engages most of our resources in the Mission. The Anglican Mission in America exists to glorify God and to serve, grow and multiply local churches that love Jesus Christ and reach the world He died to save. Our desire is to glorify God by building an alliance of congregations in America which are committed to gathering, planting and serving dynamic churches in the Anglican tradition. The AMiA is united in the essentials of the Christian Faith -- obedient to Jesus Christ as the unique Son of God Who through His sacrificial death and resurrection provides the only way to the Father. The Anglican Mission is diversified in the expression of the Faith -- evangelical, catholic and charismatic -- as three streams flowing as one river in Jesus Christ -- to reach the wor! ld in Jesus' Name through evangelism, discipleship and service.

A look at AMiA's roster of churches reveals that a full 60% of our congregations did not emerge from the Episcopal Church, but are new works—planted with the goal of evangelizing people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To consider our new churches in just the last 18 months reveals an even higher percentage of new church starts. We're grateful to God for this increase, and know that this is our true calling. This does not mean we only receive and affiliate new church starts, but it does mean that every church coming into the Anglican Mission must have a 'missional' orientation and passion. As we move forward, our eyes are on the call to evangelize those that God is calling, and to be about the business of building the 'one, holy, catholic and apostolic church' in our time.