An Ancient Anglican Enthronement Unfolds In South Carolina

The doors are opened and Bishop Wood enters to the sound of timpani and trumpets.

Thus begins an ancient Anglican enthronement ceremony which could date back to St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

Once stepping inside Bishop Wood is welcomed by a young woman who inquires who he is.

“We greet you in the name of the Lord,” she notes. “Who are you and why do you request entry?”

“I am Stephen …,” he replies.

… “I am Foley,” Archbishop Foley Beach (II ACNA) answered in 2014

… “I am Justin,” the current Archbishop of Canterbury answered in 2013.

… “I am Robert,” Archbishop Robert Duncan (I ACNA) answered in 2009.

… “I am Rowan,” the current Lord Williams of Oystermouth answered in 2002.

“… I am Augustine,” St. Augustine of Canterbury may have answered in 597 AD.

“I am Stephen …,” the soon-to-be the third Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America answers in 2024.

“… a sinner saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and fellow pilgrim at the foot of the Cross,” he fleshes out.

“I am a husband, father, son, brother, deacon, priest, bishop, and a servant of the Most High God,” he continues laying out his personal pedigree.

“I come to seek forgiveness and repent of my sins through the mercy of God,” he says acknowledging his faults, failings and frailties.

“I have come to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him,” he proclaims.

“I have come to serve God in His Church following His Son Who has called me here,” he continues …

“I come as the Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, whom God has chosen to be a Shepherd and a Servant, desiring to be formally and publicly recognized and installed into the office to which I have been duly elected,” he says revealing to reason for his rapping on the closed church door seeking entrance.

Following a litany and prayers and the reading of the Mandate of the ACNA College of Bishops affirming the Carolinas Bishop Stephen Wood’s election as the next Archbishop and Primate, Chief Shepherd and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church in North America he approaches the Altar and lays his diocean crozier upon it stepping back from diocesean responsibilities to take up greater duties which span the entire Anglican Church in North America and extending out to the wider Anglican Communion through GAFCON.

Within the hour he will be formally elevated to an Archbishop and seated in the ANCA cathedra — bishop’s throne and given ACNA’s unique primatial staff.

Only three times since the 2009 foundation of the Anglican Church in North America has an archbishop been elected and enthroned — Robert Duncan (I ACNA) in 2009; Foley Beach (II ACNA) in 2014; and Stephen Wood (III ACNA) in 2024. All three archbishops were present at the South Carolina enthronement to show continuity and unbroken continuation in the ACNA line of succession.

ACNA is the child — the American daughter — of GAFCON. It was conceived at GAFCON I held in Jerusalem in 2008.

“In particular, we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognised by the Primates’ Council,” the 2008 Jerusalem Declaration declares.

Bishop Duncan, then VII Bishop of (TEC) Pittsburgh, took the bit and ran with it. After a gestation of one year, the Anglican Church in North America was birthed in Plano, Texas and Bishop Duncan was tapped as ACNA’s first Archbishop and Primate giving him a seat on GAFCON’s Primates’ Council.

When in 2014 ACNA’s primatial staff was handed to Archbishop Beach he not only had a seat at Primates’ Council he eventually became GAFCON’s IV Chairman in 2018, a post he had for five years.

Now GAFCON has high hopes for ACNA’s newest primate.

Archbishop Laurent Mbanda (V GAFCON) said that GAFCON representatives from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Egypt, Chile, the Indian Ocean, Pakistan, Brazil, Europe, and Australia were on hand to welcome Archbishop Wood and partner with him in his new primatial ministry.

“This is the global GAFCON family here today standing with you, Your Grace, and committing to partner with you, to be supportive and looking forward to your contribution to this great movement the Lord has brought to us,” the GAFCON chairman said. “You have already stepped in, and stepped in well. Thank you for your contribution.”

Some of the international heavy hitters in the Anglican world who attended Archbishop Wood’s enthronement included: Archbishop Peter Akinola (GAFCON-Nigeria); Archbishop Azad Marshall (GAFCON-Pakistan); Archbishop Tito Zavsla (GAFCON-Chile); Archbishop Laurent Mbanda (GAFCON-Rwanda); Archbishop Miguel Uchôa (GAFCON-Brazil); Archbishop Samy Faezy Shehata (GAFCON-Egypt); Archbishop Siegfried Ngubane (REACH-South Africa); Archbishop Blessing Enyinda (Nigeria); Archbishop Kanishka Raffle (Australia); Bishop Andy Lines (ANiE-United Kingdom); Bishop Amos Magezi (Uganda); Bishop Yasser Eric (Germany); Bishop Augustine Ubuigbe (Nigeria); Bishop Joaquim Bondo (Angola); Bishop Charles Ong’injo (Kenya); and Olukayode Adebogun (CANA-Nigeria).

In addition to a global Anglican and GAFCON presence at the ACNA enthronement there was also a wider ecumenical representation including the Charleston Baptist Association; First Baptist Church-Charleston; Seacoast Church-Mount Pleasant; the North American Lutheran Church (NALC); the Continuing Evangelical Episcopal Communion (CEEC); the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA); the Global Methodist Church (GMC); the Orthodox Church in America (OCA); the Evangelical Methodist Church (EMC); the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC); and the New Day Kingdom Assembly of Churches (NDKAC).

However, Archbishop Wood has a special place in his heart for Seacoast Church which held Wednesday’s enthronement ceremony.

In 2018 an electrical fire leveled St. Andrew’s Ministry Center and primary worship space leaving the 3,800 member congregation churchless. The father (founding pastor Greg Surratt) and son (lead pastor Josh Surratt) ministry team at Seacoast Church immediately reached out and offered Bishop Wood use of their massive worship center.

“Many of you may not know this about Seacoast, but their hospitality is extraordinary,” the new archbishop prefaced at the start of his sermon. “On a very personal note, when we burned down one of the very first phone calls, I got was from Pastor Josh followed shortly by a call from Pastor Greg at which time they opened the Seacoast to St. Andrew’s.”

The non-denominational evangelical megachurch was large enough to accommodate the needs of St. Andrew’s growing but displaced congregation.

So in June when Bishop Wood was elected ACNA’s newest archbishop the call was again made by Seacoast offering its primary Mount Pleasant location as the enthronement venue. It has a seating capacity of 2,500. Bishop Wood and his congregation were already very familiar and comfortable with Seacoast’s worship space and how it can be adapted for meaningful Anglican worship.

Bishop Wood was elected ACNA’s III Archbishop in June and at that time he started taking up the role. However, Wednesday evening’s enthronement or installation ceremony was the formal acceptance of his new position and a public recognition of his new rank within the wider Anglican world.

When he grasped ACNA’s primatial staff the full weight of leadership fell from Archbishop Beach’s shoulders and shifted to Archbishop Wood.

At the age of 61 — after 33 years as a priest, 24 years as St. Andrew’s rector, and 12 years as a bishop — Stephen D. Wood embarks upon a new path as the new ACNA Archbishop, Primate, Chief Shepherd and Metropolitan where he inherits a church consisting of 1,013 congregations spread across 29 dioceses peopled by 128,114 believers of whom 84,794 show up for the average weekly principal worship service resulting in a high 66.2% attendance rate. He also assumes a $2,284,550 operations budget.

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline

AN ANCIENT ANGLICAN ENTHRONEMENT UNFOLDS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
The ritual dates to Augustine of Canterbury

By Mary Ann Mueller
VOL Special Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
November 1, 2024

MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA — Three sharp raps echo through the quiet cavernous church which is electric with anticipation.

“Open unto me the gates of righteousness, that I may go into them, and give thanks unto the Lord,” requests ACNA’s founding Carolinas Bishop Stephen Wood standing before the closed Seacoast Church doors, his Diocese of the Carolinas crozier in hand.

“He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep,” comes the reply from within. “To him the gatekeeper opens.”