Rector’s Reflections
Thursday 12th June 2025
Why is it taking so long to appoint the Archbishop of Canterbury?
I began yesterday’s reflections by saying that I would give three different answers to this question. I have given one of the answers: the Church of England feels it is important to take a slow and careful approach to making appointments in the Church, especially to senior appointments. Once a clergy person is appointed to a post, the Church is usually stuck with them until they retire or move on; in some cases this can be a great blessing, but in other situations it can be profoundly problematic. So it is vital to try and make sure that the right person is appointed to the right role. If this means that it takes a long time to make an appointment, so be it. It also ensures that there is time to consult the relevant stake-holders, and people like to be consulted. Consultation – real consultation- is a good thing.
But there is another reason why it is taking so long to appoint the new Archbishop. The Archbishop will have many roles, but the most important role will probably be to act as a figurehead and spokesperson for the Anglican Church. I use the phrase “Anglican Church” rather than “Church of England” because the Archbishop of Canterbury is currently expected to speak not only for Anglicans within England (“the Church of England”), but also Anglicans within the worldwide Anglican Communion. This dual role is hard, if not impossible, and it might well be that in the future, the Archbishop of Canterbury will cease to be the de facto Head of the Anglican Communion. However, at present the Archbishop of Canterbury will still be expected to speak for Anglicans not only in England but also around the world.
In case you are unfamiliar with the Anglican Communion, it is a worldwide network or family of 47 independent Anglican churches around the world. 42 of these 47 independent churches are Provinces, headed by their own Archbishops; the remaining 5 are Extra Provincial churches. The work of the Anglican Communion is supported and enabled by a secretariat, called the Anglican Communion Office, which has an excellent and very informative website. Do give it a look. The role of the Archbishop of Canterbury is to act as a figurehead and guide for the Communion as a whole, but in fact the Archbishop has little real power, and what power he (or she) has is shared with others. While it is accepted that the 42 Provinces will be “guided” by the recommendations of the Archbishop of Canterbury, it is also understood that they will be “guided” by the Lambeth Conference, the Primates’ Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council. So in practice the Archbishop’s voice is simply one among many, although those who value Anglican traditions will listen to what the Archbishop has to say with care and deep respect.
So the new Archbishop of Canterbury will be expected to act as a figurehead and spokesperson for the Church of England itself, but also for the worldwide Anglican Communion. But how can anyone speak for either the Church of England or the Anglican Communion? There are profound differences of opinion among Anglicans in this country and around the world.
As far as England is concerned, I would say that the Church of England is also facing a significant crisis of identity. What sort of Church is it? Most Englishmen and women don’t go to church, and among those who do, many go to non-Anglican churches. Traditionally, the Church of England prided itself on its commitment to parish ministry, but this is increasingly under threat as Church leaders show little more than nominal enthusiasm for the idea of the local parish. And again, historically the Church of England rejoiced in a somewhat curious but interesting mix of High, Middle and Low Church traditions – this diversity was valued and felt to be part of what it meant to be the Church of England. This diversity of church traditions is now out of favour, and basically everyone is expected to be Evangelical, but seasoned with a smattering of Anglican peculiarities – sufficient to enable a discerning worshipper to tell that they have walked into a church service which is Anglican rather than Baptist or some other denomination.
So it is all very well to expect the new Archbishop of Canterbury to speak on behalf of the Church of England, but what is the current Church of England? Where are we going? What sort of Church do we want to be, and who should make this decision?
No wonder it is taking time to appoint a new Archbishop. It is hard to appoint a leader for the Church of England when the Church itself isn’t quite sure where it’s going.