Malone alum to start Anglican church in Stark
Malone University alumnus the Rev. Brian Chase (left), has been assigned to plant a new Anglican Church of North America in Stark County. The church, which embraces a conservative theology, was formed in 2008 following a split with the more-liberal Episcopal Church USA. With Chase is Bishop William Ilgenfritz, head of the Missionary Diocese of All Saints.
The Rev. Brian Chase grew up a Quaker, but he has found his calling in a different church. Chase is a priest of the Anglican Church of North America, a new branch of a very old faith.
The 28-year-old has been assigned the task of planting a new Anglican congregation in Stark County.
He will conduct a series of informational meetings April 1, 6 and 9.
A native of St. Clairsville, Chase graduated from Malone University in 2005 where he majored in Bible and theology. He also earned a master of divinity degree in 2010 from the Gordon-Cornwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass.
“I grew up in the Friends church, but I never really (embraced) the theology of a Quaker,” Chase said. “I was more Calvinistic in high school. In college, I began reading the early church fathers and very much agreed with what I read.”
Chase said he found his spiritual destiny when he read the Anglican Common Book of Prayer. Compiled in 1549 by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, the central purpose of the Book Of Common Prayer is the “Daily Office,” a liturgy of prayers and Scriptures.
Chase likens praying the Daily Office to running a spiritual marathon.
“It’s a well-worth path that’s at the heart of Anglicanism,” he said. “What really brought me to Anglicanism was a prayer life grounded in the ancient prayer life of the church.”
Chase is assistant pastor at Holy Cross Church in Kent under the Missionary Diocese of All Saints, which has churches in Akron and Hudson.
MOTHER CHURCH
Anglicanism’s roots are found in the Church of England, founded in 1534 by King Henry VIII after the Catholic church refused to grant him permission to divorce.
Its largest North American body is the Episcopal Church USA. In 2008, traditionalists split from the more-liberal Episcopal Church USA to form the Anglican Church of North America, which has 700 parishes and 100,000 members.
Chase said that while he was interested in Orthodoxy “for long time,” he chose Anglicanism, the metropolitical Church of England, because of its emphasis on Scripture and tradition.
“The traditions for me were a form of Orthodoxy,” he said. “The Anglican Church in North America has a a healthy relationship with the Orthodox Church. What the Orthodox Church seeks to preserve is what Anglicanism aspires to. They share a kernel of truth.”
Chase said Anglicanism also appeals to him as a clergyman because it offers scriptural-based authority and an Episcopal governance often lacking in other churches.
SELLING CHURCH
Chase said churches don’t understand that these are qualities that attract and keep young people like himself.
“They (churches) try to ‘sell’ church to them,” Chase said. “But young people don’t go church just to go or to have fun. The way to keep and attract people is to introduce them to Jesus Christ, to encourage them to develop a daily relationship with him.”
While Episcopalians and some Anglican dioceses permit women clergy, Chase’s does not. But it is not, he stressed, because Anglicans are anti-female.
“It’s an issue that’s easily confused,” he said. “It comes down to an understanding of the priesthood. People are thinking of it in terms of ‘rights,’ but the church is not a political entity. We think in terms of ordination and in terms of the Sacraments. It’s more a matter of ‘rites,’ not rights.”
Some observers have said the last straw for the traditionalists was the recognition of gay clergy by the Episcopal Church USA, particularly the elevation of Gene Robinson, its first gay bishop, in 2003. Robinson retired in 2010.
But gay rights wasn’t the only issue, said Chase, who was never an Episcopalian. He said the Anglican Church tends to be more evangelical and places a greater emphasis on Scripture and tradition.
“The Anglican Church in North America abhors and detests any form of violence against homosexuals; there’s no toleration of that,” he said. “People want to treat the division like a political issue, but it’s more biblical, theological and sacramental. We wish there to be no ill feelings. We hope to have peace with all people. That’s our goal.”
For information, visit www.cantonanglicans.com
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