Corby, why are you becoming an Anglican Priest?

There is no way I can satisfactorily answer that question in one blog post. So, thanks for stopping by! J/K. It's happening for good reasons. Many good reasons. Reasons that, if I could adequately explain, would otherwise convince all of my friends and family to join the tribe. Until that conversation can be had, here are some brief bullet-point comments. (Disclaimer: some of this is challenging to say without sounding very judgy. I'll do my best. If nothing else, I hope people at least reevaluate where they are and why they are there.)

Why did you become Anglican in the first place? When?

Around 2018 Jess and I hit a church wall. For many people, what draws them to and keeps them at a church is its style, its presentation. The vibe of the music, the charisma of the pastor/preacher, the quality of the facilities, niche ministries, basically if they do things the way we like. We couldn't have pointed it out at the time, but for the many years leading up to 2018, even when I was pastoring a church, these elements of style became flat and empty. What we didn't know we were missing was what we would call substance. (Many people hit this wall, they just might not know it. They church hop/shop thinking it's based on "not getting fed" or "they just don't do it right" but really, it comes down to some kind of absent substance. That sounds terribly judgy, but it's based on first-hand conversations with people.)

We had spent our whole Christian lives in churches that tended to focus on style because style equaled spiritual vitality. That's what we were taught. Since that seemed to be lacking, we decided to look outside of that box. That meant trying something of a more traditional or formal style. But I want to emphasize this; we weren't looking for a different style, we were just looking in places where we hadn't looked for substance before. That's how this started. Over a year or two of letting go of what we thought we knew, of stripping down to the basics, we found the substance we were looking for.

But isn't liturgical church just stiff, formal, even dead? Just rituals?

I dare you to go bak to Bible times and tell that to Jesus as He went to the temple for the feasts. God loves ritual. He loves symbolism because symbols and signs point to facts, reality, and truth. They don't exist for their own sake. At least they aren't supposed to.

Are there liturgical churches that are dead? Yup. Are there large churches with lights, sound systems, a great band, and dynamic speaker that have the appearance of life on the outside but are really just a weekly party with no real life or power? Yes, there are.

This is why I emphasize that it isn't about the church or the style of it. I was about to say it's about the heart of the person. But really, it's about the heart of Jesus.

Here is the first bit of substance that grabbed my heart, my spirit, at the tiny, funky, disheveled Anglican Church we went to. At the beginning of the service, everyone prays this prayer together out loud. It's called the Collect for Purity.

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify Your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Go back and read that again. Go beyond how nice of a prayer it is, or how spiritually cool it sounds even, and let it sink in. Pray it and mean it. Coming to Jesus, together, as one, with that one heart, that one intention, as we start our time together to minister to the Lord and one another. For me it is one of the most powerful moments we have every week.

This is ritual, this written prayer, this pre-scripted moment is how I found a level of substantial connection with Jesus that I had never experienced since I was 19.

What about the Bible? Aren't Anglicans ultra-liberal and think the Bible is just stories?

Come on, you know me better than that. This was the first thing I looked into. I had been told/educated that anything traditional, formal, liturgical, consisted of the "frozen chosen." People who just went to church out of routine. People who didn't read let alone study the Bible. And, again, this might be broadly true at least in the Europe and North America concerning Episcopal (in the US) and Anglican (Canada, elsewhere) churches. Did you know that these really only make up about 15% of all Anglicans?

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), the tribe I am a part of, is part of a bigger tribe of global Anglicans. In fact, this bigger tribe makes up 85% of all groups that fall under the umbrella "Anglican" (most of which live in the 10-40 window) and they take the Bible seriously. As a former Calvary Chapel pastor, I really felt right at home with them with regard to the Bible. Sure, there are some topics that CC hold near and dear that some Anglicans probably disagree on (but not all!). There are a few other areas where it made sense to me to adjust what I believe because it made Biblical sense. But the essentials are there. Scripture is the final authority for all things in life. Jesus is coming back. He died and rose again in accordance with the scriptures to redeem me and all creation. You know, the creeds.

During the Sunday gathering, every week, there are readings by church members from the front of the room, from the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, and a clergy member (usually) reads from one of the Gospels. Every church is reading from the same passages every week. A good priests/pastor preaches from one or all of the passages that were read.

In the middle of the service, we literally say that we are moving from our time in the Word to our time at the table, as we go from Bible reading and teaching to celebrating communion, which is itself a time that is chock full of scripture.

What about the clothing and the weird decorations? Do you really wear the collar?

Yup. I wear the collar and the weird clothing. Why? Because it means something. It isn't a sign of pride, of trying to make myself look special, "Oh look, it's a priest, Mr. Holy Man." Nope. It's more humility/humiliating. You look at me and you know who I am and what I do. It isn't glamorous. I'm not cool or hip. I'm not trying to blend in nor am I trying to stand out. It's a uniform that, like any other, shows what I aspire to be.

A for the robe and stoles and sashes and ropes and frilly frocks, believe it or not, those all started as things that were practical from the 1st century through the Industrial Revolution. Over time they took on symbolic meaning, all pointing to Jesus, and we hung on to them for that purpose. It isn't old fashioned, it's teaching material. It is all a part of the substance that I have been looking for that happens to carry a style that, while it may seem old fashioned, is very Jesus-oriented and gospel-centered.

For me, in my experience, the Anglican Church is probably the most Jesus-centric environment I've been in. Sure, some people born in it become used to it, even numb to it, but that doesn't change its substance nor substantial-ness. And it's not like that doesn't happen at modern churches.

So, why a priest?

"Haven't you been ordained before?" Yes I have. In more than one church. Those were not meaningless experiences. But in this context, there is more of an intentionality behind it. There is a continuity to it. There is more of a "change of the person" than a granting of a title, position, or authority as was the case in the past.

As a non-clergy (non Deacon or Priest) I can preach in a church if/when invited. I can lead a ministry. I can serve in various capacities ranging from setting up chairs to representing the Diocese or possibly even the Province at a national or global conference.

But as a priest, I have a much more Jesus-like role. I wrote that just now and had to ponder it. Every Christian is supposed to be Jesus-like. That's one way to define the word "Christian." But in the Bible, the New Testament specifically (with Old Testament parallels), we see the 12 Apostles laying hands on people and commisioning them, endowing them, propelling them to be Jesus to others. We see this with bishops and elders (priests) as well.

With much more meaning than I ever knew before, much more intentionality than I ever had before, more weight, more joy, more privilege, I get to symbolically stand and serve in the role/place of Jesus. I don't know how else to say it other than it just got real for me. Like really real. Not dour. Not frownie serious. Not sad nor only-somber. It's the somber reality that I am a sinner and I am why Jesus died on the cross, mixed with the joyful reality that I am forgiven, and Jesus rose from the grave! This is the gospel and it's shared, celebrated, served, and consumed every week in word and table by the priest and the church in a way that is unique to the calling of a priest.

Plus, and I didn't say this very often in the past, it's fun! As a Deacon I got to lead services for about 8 months while a church looked for a new priest. I got to do most of what a priest does on Sundays. It was a joy, an honor, a pleasure, a significant and substantive experience, and I want more of it.

What's next?

No, I'm not quitting my day job as an IT Director at a private Christian school. Me and my family need to eat. I'm not being assigned to a church as its pastor/priest. But I will be assisting at a local parish, and Jess and I hope to be a resource to all of the church in the Diocese (churches in one region organized together). I want to fill on on Sundays and give guys a break. We want to minister to ministry couples. Yes, even priests and their wives need someone to talk to. Jess and I have about 30 years of marriage and ministry behind us, and we want to put it to good use.

I'm scheduled to be ordained on Sunday, January 28th, 2024. I am very much looking forward to it. I will be writing another post on the ordination ceremony itself so that and friends or family who can come have some idea of what's going on and why. :-)