The Anglican Church of Kenya remains in a state of "impaired communion" with The Episcopal Church of the United States. Kenya's Anglicans believe this is the way they must continue for the sake of mission, and are calling for the US province to be disciplined by "exclusion" from all activities in the Anglican Communion.
The synod of the Kenya province, one of the most conservative of the 38 provinces worldwide, passed the resolution as part of the continuing row over same-sex ordination and relationships that has brought the communion close to schism. The Kenyans said they remain disappointed with the decision by the June 2015 meeting of The Episcopal Church's General Convention to authorise rites for the blessing of same sex marriages.
The resolution was passed in the light of "the due prominence attached to mission" in a statement of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
The Kanyan Anglicans said they continue to "disassociate with the Episcopal Church of America". They noted that TEC has now officially sanctioned a liturgy for same sex marriages.
"The Anglican Church of Kenya supports the Global South and the arms of the Anglican Communion to exclude TEC from all activities in the communion as a measure of discipline."
Twelve years ago the Anglican Church of Kenya issued a statement declaring that the province "will not recognise the ministry" of the openly-gay bishop Gene Robinson. It also said it supported those bishops and clergy in the US who "continue to uphold the historic faith and order of the Church" and said those who backed Bishop Robinson had entered into a state of "impaired communion".
George Conger of Anglican Ink wrote that September's statement maintains the stance of the church adopted by the province in 2003.
The primate of Kenya, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, is chairman of Gafcon, the Global Anglican Futures Conference, which has become the focus of leadership for Global South churches opposed to homosexual equality. He has however indicated that he is on board to attend the meeting of all the Anglican Communion primates called by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in the UK next month. A looser, more federal model of ties between the warring provinces is expected to be debated in an attempt to prevent outright schism.
