Anglicans and Methodists Together Again?

The article presents the latest proposal by the Church of England and Methodist Church Faith and Order bodies to restore Anglican–Methodist unity in Great Britain. If mutually adopted, the document titled Mission and Ministry in Covenant would enable the introduction of episcopacy in the British Methodist Church, the presbyteral ordination of Methodist ministers by a bishop, and—as a result—the mutual recognition and interchangeability of presbyteral ministry in both Churches. The proposal concerning the introduction of episcopal ordination in the Methodist Church recommends ordination to the episcopacy of each elected President of Methodist Conference. Thus ordained, the President-bishop would then ordain Methodist presbyters. As regards the Methodist presbyters who were not episcopally ordained, the document proposes the recognition of their ministry by the Church of England in the terms of “bearable anomaly.” Yet, such a solution poses many questions and gives rise to theological doubts.