The commitment of the Anglican Communion to mission and evangelism was affirmed during the meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), Sept. 14-25, in Dundee, Scotland.

The commitment was made following the presentation of a report titled "Anglicans in Mission: A Transforming Journey," by members of MISSIO, the Mission Commission of the Anglican Communion. Much of the discussion which followed the report centered on the soon-to-conclude Decade of Evangelism. Some persons were enthusiastic about the decade while others felt there was not enough leadership and commitment to it.

The Rt. Rev. Datuk Yong Ping Chung, Bishop of Sabah, Malaysia, is the chair of MISSIO, which was established by the ACC in 1993. The group has met four times since then, each time in a different location. Maureen Sithole of South Africa said meeting in different places meant members were able to experience the life and witness of local churches and thereby be informed of mission and evangelistic initiatives across the Communion.

The MISSIO report contained several proposals, including a review of leadership training and clergy formation, a review of lessons learned during the Decade of Evangelism, and the appointment of a mission and evangelism officer.

In another session, the ACC, which includes representatives from each of the 38 churches which comprise the Anglican Communion, discussed the document The Gift of Authority, the report of the Anglican and Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) [TLC, May 30].

"Authority has been in the church since the days of the apostles," said the Rt. Rev. Mark Santer, Bishop of Birmingham, England. "It is not a new issue. The apostles had to struggle to maintain unity in the church, and their authority was at stake in the struggle ... Questions of authority and obedience will be at issue in the church until the end of time."

Bishop Santer said Anglicans tended to focus on the question of the authority of the pope, but he said this "is a cop-out," for the pope's authority is only one of a number of questions, including the authority of bishops." He suggested another major question is "who speaks for the people as a whole, and by what authority?"

The ACC also:

• heard the presidential address of the Most Rev. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, who chided both the Most Rev. Richard Holloway, Primus of Scotland, and the Most Rev. Moses Tay, Archbishop of Singapore [TLC, Sept. 19];
• discussed the Virginia Report, presented by the Rt. Rev. Mark Dyer, former Bishop of Bethlehem, who was presented with the distinguished Silver Cross of St. Augustine in recognition "outstanding contributions to the Anglican Communion."
• spent two sessions on the interpretation of scripture and one on international debt;
• considered a report on the future of the Anglican observer at the United Nations; and
• heard the testimony and witness of a group of gay and lesbian Christians;
• discussed the use of technology by the church; and
• spent a day in Edinburgh, including a Solemn Eucharist at St. Mary's Cathedral.

Anglican Communion News Service contributed to this article.