Anglican Consultative Council

The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) is a representative international body within the Anglican Communion, the worldwide fellowship of autonomous Anglican and Episcopal churches. It is one of the Communion's four Instruments of Communion, alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference of bishops, and the Primates' Meeting. Unlike the primarily episcopal Lambeth Conference and Primates' Meeting, the ACC brings together bishops, other clergy, and lay representatives from the Anglican provinces, giving it a distinctive consultative and representative character. The council was established through a resolution of the 1968 Lambeth Conference. Its creation reflected the need for a continuing body that could share information among Anglican provinces, coordinate common work, advise on relationships between provinces and dioceses, and provide a regular forum for the participation of lay people and ordained representatives alongside bishops. The Archbishop of Canterbury serves as the council's ex officio president, while an elected chair and vice-chair help lead its work between meetings. Representation is apportioned according to the size of each Anglican province. The largest provinces generally appoint three representatives—a bishop, a priest, and a layperson. Medium-sized provinces appoint two representatives, normally one lay and one ordained, while smaller provinces appoint one representative, preferably a layperson. The council can also co-opt up to six additional members, including provisions for women and younger people. This structure is intended to balance geographic breadth, provincial equality, institutional continuity, and broader participation. The ACC normally meets every two or three years in different parts of the world. Its meetings have taken place across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. The council does not function as a central government for the Anglican Communion: member provinces remain autonomous, and ACC resolutions are generally consultative, persuasive, or coordinating rather than legally binding on provincial churches. Its importance lies in facilitating common reflection and action across a diverse communion. The council's formal responsibilities include exchanging information about developments in Anglican provinces; advising on provincial, diocesan, and inter-Anglican relationships; considering the creation or division of provinces and regional councils; encouraging cooperation in world mission; supporting collaboration with other Christian churches; guiding Anglican engagement in the ecumenical movement; advising on church-union discussions; improving communication; and identifying subjects requiring study or research. The ACC's work has periodically been shaped by major disagreements within Anglicanism. In the 2000s, disputes concerning same-sex relationships, the consecration of openly gay bishops, and the status of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada produced contentious debates at Communion-wide meetings. The council rejected a proposal in 2005 to expel those provinces from Communion bodies, while adopting a narrower resolution calling for their voluntary withdrawal from certain structures until the 2008 Lambeth Conference. In 2016, amid continued division and the boycott by many bishops of the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the council adopted language emphasizing the intention of the provinces and Primates to continue walking together. The ACC has a permanent administrative secretariat in London, the Anglican Communion Office. That office supports the council and helps organize meetings of the Communion's Instruments of Communion. The Secretary General acts as a senior representative and intermediary among the Anglican churches. Anthony Poggo has held that position since August 2022. The council's chair from February 2023 is Maggie Swinson, who succeeded Paul Kwong. Its continuing role is to provide structured consultation and practical cooperation while preserving the autonomy and diversity of the Anglican provinces.

The Anglican Consultative Council emerged from the postwar development of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Anglican provinces are autonomous churches with different legal systems, cultures, and local priorities, so the Communion required institutions capable of maintaining relationships without imposing a single centralized authority. The 1968 Lambeth Conference responded to this need by adopting a resolution that created the ACC as a continuing consultative body. The council was designed to broaden participation in Communion-wide discussions. Its membership includes bishops, other clergy, and lay people nominated by the Anglican provinces. Provincial representation is scaled according to population and institutional size, with larger provinces appointing more representatives than smaller provinces. The membership rules also allow the council to co-opt additional members, including women and younger people, supporting a wider range of perspectives in its deliberations. The ACC's remit is extensive. It shares information about developments in individual provinces, advises on relations between provinces and dioceses, and considers questions involving the creation, division, or reorganization of provinces and regional councils. It encourages common approaches to world mission and the sharing of personnel, financial resources, and experience. It also promotes cooperation with other Christian churches, supports Anglican participation in ecumenical organizations, and helps arrange conversations with Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and other churches. Communication, research, and the study of emerging issues are further parts of its mandate. The council meets periodically, usually every two or three years, in different regions of the world. Its meeting history demonstrates the geographic breadth of Anglicanism: gatherings have been held in Kenya, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, England, Nigeria, Singapore, Wales, South Africa, Panama, Scotland, Hong Kong, Jamaica, New Zealand, Zambia, and Ghana. These meetings provide opportunities for formal resolutions, consultation among provincial representatives, and discussion of practical challenges facing the Communion. The ACC became particularly prominent during disputes over human sexuality in the Anglican Communion. The consecration of an openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States and related developments in Canada contributed to disagreement among provinces and between different Communion instruments. At the council's 2005 meeting in Nottingham, a proposal to remove the American and Canadian provinces from all Communion bodies failed. A closely divided alternative resolution reaffirmed the standard of Christian teaching expressed in the 1998 Lambeth Resolution 1.10 and repeated a request that the two provinces voluntarily withdraw from certain council and finance structures until the 2008 Lambeth Conference. Those controversies continued to affect Communion life after the 2005 meeting. The 2008 Lambeth Conference was boycotted by many bishops, and the possibility of a lasting institutional split became a recurring concern. At its 2016 meeting in Lusaka, the ACC adopted a resolution affirming the commitment of the Primates to walk together and expressing an intention to seek appropriate ways for provinces, Primates, and the other Instruments of Communion to continue working together. The language reflected the council's characteristic role: it could articulate common commitments and encourage cooperation, but it could not erase the autonomy of the provinces or settle every theological dispute. The ACC is supported by a permanent secretariat, the Anglican Communion Office, based at Saint Andrew's House in London. The office organizes meetings of the Instruments of Communion and provides administrative and communications support. The senior administrative post developed from the earlier position of Executive Officer of the Anglican Communion. John Howe, who had been Executive Officer, became the first Secretary General in 1971. He was followed by Sam Van Culin, John L. Peterson, Kenneth Kearon, Josiah Idowu-Fearon, and, from August 2022, Anthony Poggo. The Archbishop of Canterbury remains the council's ex officio president, while Maggie Swinson has served as chair since February 2023. Today, the ACC remains a principal forum for representative consultation across the Anglican Communion. Its work combines governance advice, mission coordination, ecumenical engagement, communications, research, and relationship-building. Its institutional model seeks to hold together a global network of churches through consultation and common action while leaving substantial authority with the individual provinces.

• 2023

  Maggie Swinson becomes chair

  [1]Anglican Consultative Councilen.wikipedia.org

  Maggie Swinson succeeded Paul Kwong as chair of the council.

• 2022

  Anthony Poggo becomes Secretary General

  [1]Anglican Consultative Councilen.wikipedia.org

  Anthony Poggo succeeded Josiah Idowu-Fearon in the senior administrative role.

• 2016

  Lusaka meeting endorses continued Communion unity

  [1]Anglican Consultative Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The ACC affirmed continued efforts by the provinces and Communion instruments to walk together despite serious disagreements.

• 2005

  Thirteenth ACC meeting addresses Communion divisions

  [1]Anglican Consultative Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The Nottingham meeting debated the status of the American and Canadian provinces amid disputes over sexuality and adopted a compromise resolution rather than expulsion.

• 1971

  First ACC meeting held in Limuru

  [1]Anglican Consultative Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The council held its inaugural listed meeting in Limuru, Kenya, and the Executive Officer position became the Secretary General role.

• 1968

  Anglican Consultative Council established

  [1]Anglican Consultative Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The Lambeth Conference adopted the resolution that created the ACC as a continuing representative and consultative body.

• 1960

  Executive Officer position established in predecessor form

  [1]Anglican Consultative Councilen.wikipedia.org

  Stephen F. Bayne Jr. began serving as Executive Officer of the Anglican Communion, a predecessor role to the later Secretary General position.

A representative, consultative, and coordinating institution for the worldwide Anglican Communion rather than a centralized governing authority.

• 2016

  Resolution supporting continued common lifeStrategy

  Background

  The council met after continuing disagreements over sexuality and the substantial boycott of the 2008 Lambeth Conference.

  Action taken

  The ACC affirmed the Primates' commitment to walk together and pledged to seek ways for provinces and the Communion instruments to continue doing so.

  Aftermath

  The resolution reinforced consultation and unity as institutional goals while leaving unresolved theological and jurisdictional disagreements in place.

  Source

• 2005

  Resolution on the participation of the American and Canadian provincesOther

  Background

  The meeting took place amid disputes over homosexuality, including the consecration of an openly gay bishop and disagreements involving the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada.

  Action taken

  The council rejected a proposal for expulsion and approved a narrowly divided resolution supporting the reaffirmation of the 1998 Lambeth teaching on human sexuality while requesting voluntary withdrawal from certain structures until 2008.

  Aftermath

  The decision did not resolve the wider Communion dispute, but avoided the immediate expulsion of the two provinces from all Communion bodies.

  Source

• 1968

  Creation of a continuing consultative councilStrategy

  Background

  The Anglican Communion needed a continuing representative mechanism linking autonomous provinces between meetings of the Lambeth Conference.

  Action taken

  The Lambeth Conference adopted a resolution establishing the Anglican Consultative Council.

  Aftermath

  The ACC became one of the four Instruments of Communion and developed a regular cycle of international meetings.

  Source

1. 1Anglican Consultative Councilen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Anglican Communion official websiteanglicancommunion.org