Bishops affiliated with the American Anglican Council (AAC) issued a statement Feb. 26, less than one week before the opening of the House of Bishops meeting in Texas. The statement outlined in part, the bishops' vision for the future of the Episcopal Church.

Grounded in the great commission, to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20), the bishops' vision, to be articulated in coming months, would bring far-reaching changes in church structure. "Form will follow function or dysfunction," the statement says, "and will reflect either choice." The changes the bishops envision, they say, will be "observable in specific realignments of structures not only in ECUSA but also throughout the Anglican Communion."

Citing the appeal to Third World bishops by the Association of Anglican Congregations on Mission (AACOM), which actively seeks support for an Anglican constituency in the U.S. [TLC, Feb. 28], the bishops say such petitions "represent the leading edge of an impending realignment in the Anglican Communion," as evidenced by comments negating Lambeth resolutions and "misrepresentation of bishops from other Provinces of the Communion."

The AAC bishops have asked the Most Rev. Frank Griswold, Presiding Bishop, to "promote the kind of community that resists the use of force." They asked him for alternative solutions in cases where serious disagreements exist between a bishop and the clergy or congregations in his or her diocese.