New Bishop for Complementarian Churches Consecrated
The Revd Rob Munro was consecrated as Bishop of Ebbsfleet on Thursday 2 February in a service at Canterbury Cathedral.
In keeping with the complementarian understanding of ministry, Bishop Munro was consecrated to his office by male bishops, Bishop Mark Tanner of Chester, Bishop of Rochester, and Archbishop Justin Welby.
His letter to the parishes under his pastoral ministry demonstrates his grasp of the problems the Church of England faces.
Describing the service of consecration Bishop Munro wrote to the parishes under his pastoral care, “The words of the service itself were a reminder that an obedient biblical faith and practice is what it means to be truly Anglican. One of the promises I was called by the church to make was particularly poignant: Will you teach the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it, will you refute error, and will you hand on entire the faith that is entrusted to you? By the help of God, I will!
“What a time to be called to serve as a bishop in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church! This week’s Church of England General Synod debate could threaten to break our Unity on the doctrine of marriage, redefine our Sanctity with respect to holiness and sexual activity, undermine our Catholicity having little obvious regard for the wider Anglican Communion or beyond, and jeopardising our Apostolicity with respect to the clear teaching of Scripture. It is that serious! But our response should not be to fear or despair. Jesus is still on the throne; God’s Word hasn’t changed; the gospel still saves, and God’s gift of marriage is a glorious gift from him, not something of our own construction. And the promise of God is to complete in us the good work he has started, as we do that prayerfully together.”
For the immediate future, Bishop Munro will remain in Chester while details of where he will reside and staffing are sorted out.
As a Provincial Episcopal Visitor, Munro will have no jurisdiction over the parishes for which he is pastorally responsible. He episcopal functionality will be determined by the diocesan bishops in which complementarian parishes reside.
