Bishops in Conflict: The Godly Response 
 
The Rev. Canon Dr. Tony Baron 
www.virtueonline.org 
December 16, 2011 
 
Anglican Mission, Churches for the Sake of Others 
 
The recent events surrounding the Province of Rwanda and the Anglican 
Mission have provided much fodder for news pundits, social media outlets, 
parishes, and those in Holy Orders in the United States and abroad. Many 
assumptions have been made about the past, and rampant speculations about 
the future have been provided to anyone who desires to read or to listen. 
The resulting facts, rumors, and innuendos have created increased levels of 
anxiety, anger, and depression among many within the Anglican Mission. 
 
Even a few outside of the Mission have unfortunately expressed pleasure over 
the news. Most that fly lower in the ecclesiastical hierarchy have been 
bewildered by the news reports of pride, perceived authority issues, 
financial accusations, and the lack and misuse of communications between the 
two parties. All have been confused to a lesser or greater degree, about how 
can they and why should they trust their leadership, regardless of 
jurisdiction. Some believe that they have a full understanding of the back 
story surrounding the events, but the truth is only God knows the back story 
of motives, private conversations, past misunderstandings, personal agendas, 
and diverse cultural impacts. So how should we respond? 
 
First, we should respond in prayer. Our conversations with God will help us 
avoid the natural tendency to react to potential surprises and negative 
perceptions. When true communication takes place with the Almighty, our 
prayers will be a dialogue. Listening to His voice will provide the 
necessary Kingdom antidotes for anxiety, judgment, and acting out 
unbecomingly. It will remind us that the Church outward, to be effective, 
must start with our personal journey inward with Our Lord Jesus. These 
unfolding events are simply an opportunity for intercession and worship. (I 
Thess. 5:17-19; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6 ; I Timothy 2:1-3) 
 
Secondly, we should respond with a non-anxious presence. Emotions play havoc 
with our sensibilities and hinder our ability to discuss with grace the 
issues presented before us. A non-anxious presence will help us see with 
clarity those who seek to be destructive or desire to create emotional 
turmoil unnecessarily. A non-anxious presence provides opportunities for 
God's grace, peace, and love to filter to others and truly models servant 
leadership. (Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-34; Philippians 4:6; I Peter 
5:6-7). 
 
Thirdly, we should respond with anticipation. God always (yes, always) takes 
what seems dark and dismal for the child of God and turns it into 
opportunities for new ways to grow closer to Him. God's Church is still the 
Body of Christ, the People of God, and the Bride of Christ and His Son, 
Jesus Christ, will still build His church. We are simply blessed to be 
collaborators in His Kingdom. We wait, not without hope, but wait in 
anticipation of Emmanuel, "God-with-us," doing His mighty work. (Psalm 39:7; 
Romans 5:3-5; 8:28-39; 15:4-6; I Peter 5:10-11; Col. 1:27; Hebrews 6:19; 
11:1) 
 
Fourthly, we should respond with trust. Yes, of course, trust in God. But 
also, trust in our leaders. All leaders are imperfect, some more so than 
others. Wearing a bishop's purple does mean a higher standard as a shepherd, 
steward, and servant. Wearing purple never provides the spiritual antidote 
to hidden pride, misused power, and outward privileges. That is a journey 
all of us (lay, deacons, priests, and bishops) must make as we seek to live 
Godly. And to be Godly, one must develop habits of Godliness in order to 
make Godliness a habit. Trust is a habit that can be developed. Many of us 
have experienced the wounds of ungodly leadership in the past, but it has 
been my impression since I have been a priest, helped develop a new diocese, 
served as a founding delegate in the formation of the Anglican Church of 
North America, and now fully engaged in the Anglican Mission, that our 
leaders are trustworthy. Let's respond with trust that everyone is going to 
work this out saying their apologies, communicating their common heart, and 
forging ahead to what is truly important in Christ. (Titus 3:1-2; Romans 
13:2 I Peter 2:13-21; 5:5) 
 
Fifthly, we should respond with wisdom. Most people react to the perceived 
origin of the trouble instead of responding to the pre-existing troubles 
that caused all the ecclesiastical discomfort and the abundance of 
miscommunication in the blogs. After all, it is easier to blame the person 
who lit the match in a gas-filled room than to ask the question, "Why is 
there gas in the room?" So the blame, in this case, will often and usually 
incorrectly fall upon the Archbishop of Rwanda and/or the Primatial Vicar of 
the Anglican Mission. The Episcopal Church, and unfortunately, many within 
orthodox Anglicanism in the United States, often like to create a dividing 
line between "bad" and "good" people whereas most of the conflict is 
cultural in symbols, behaviors, and expectations. Just as no one is an 
"overnight success," this confusion of relationships didn't develop 
recently. Wisdom must form our feelings surrounding grief, anger, and 
disappointment or our feelings will deform our wisdom. (James 1:5; 2 Timothy 
3:15; Ephesians 5:15; Proverbs 1:7; 4:5; 24:3) 
 
Sixthly, we should respond with courage. Courage allows us to maintain the 
steady course that God has called our community to follow instead of being 
distracted with the many movements that are out of our control. The tendency 
for clergy, churches, or congregants to move out or move away are not steps 
of courage, but often are a self-destructive reaction that results in a 
failure of nerve. This failure of nerve leads to people creating greater 
resentment, separation, and habits that choose to get going when the going 
gets tough. (2 Timothy 1:7-8; 3:1-8; I Peter 4:11-14; 2 Corinthians 4:1, 
7-10) 
 
Finally, we should respond with love. The council of bishops with the 
Anglican Mission and the House of Bishops in Rwanda need our love. Nearly 
everyone hates conflict, and my guess is that many of the bishops wake up in 
the middle of the night regretting where this has taken us. The bishops have 
wives, children, and grandchildren. Some have even experienced the Rwandan 
genocide. Most have experienced, in both countries, verbal abuses that have 
come from their own colleagues within Holy Orders. Leadership is often a 
lonely business, even if it is God's business. We do not live in their 
shoes, and most of us would not even want to. It is time to love them and 
love our community more than ever before. (John 13:34-35; 15:12-13, 17; 2 
Timothy 2:22-26)Jude 19-21) 
 
Remember, Jesus said in His Great Commission, "I am with you always, even to 
the end of this age." The Apostle Paul writing to the Church at Philippi, 
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, put it this way, "Let your 
gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, 
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your 
requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all 
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, 
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are 
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if 
there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things." 
 
Adversity happens to all those who seek to serve the Lord. It is how we 
respond to it that informs us how much further we need to go in walking 
hand-in-hand with Jesus and transforms us on how we can be a Christ-embodied 
community for the sake of others. By the way, this is all going to work out. 
It simply needs time so be patient and it needs God, so be faithful my 
beloved and see the future unfold to the glory of His Holy Name 
 
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Fr. Tony Baron is the founding pastor of The Way Anglican Fellowship in 
Vista, California, Canon for Leadership Development under Bishop Todd 
Hunter, and serves as adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University Graduate 
School of Theology teaching homiletics, Anglican Studies, and pastoral 
ministry. He is the author of six books, including the recently published, 
The Cross and the Towel and The Art of Servant Leadership.