Convocation of Anglicans in North America


The Convocation of Anglicans in North America is a missionary body of the Church of Nigeria. It is in a ministry partnership with the Anglican Church in North America but no longer affiliated with it in any way. Founded in 2005, it is composed primarily of churches that have disaffiliated from the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. CANA was initially a missionary initiative of the Anglican Church of Nigeria for Nigerians living in the United States. It joined several other church bodies in the formation of the Anglican Church in North America in 2009. In 2012, it launched his first offshoot diocese in the United States, the Missionary Diocese of the Trinity, a dual jurisdiction of the Church of Nigeria and ACNA. Today CANA is made up of two Dioceses: the Anglican Diocese of the West led by Bishop Felix Orji and the Anglican Diocese of the Trinity led by Bishop Amos Fagbamiye. In May 2019, this dual jurisdiction arrangement was terminated, though the two organizations are still in an informal ministry partnership. The Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh appointed Bishop Felix Orji as the Missionary Bishop of CANA in May 2019.

Leadership

In June 2006, Martyn Minns, then the rector of Truro Church in Fairfax, Virginia, was elected by the Anglican Church of Nigeria as the missionary bishop for CANA. Minns was consecrated in Abuja, Nigeria, in August 2006 and installed as missionary bishop in May 2007. He retired in January 2014 and was succeeded as missionary bishop by Julian Dobbs, who is also the diocesan bishop of the Missionary Diocese of CANA East.
As of March 2015, CANA has an additional six bishops serving in various sub-jurisdictions or other ministries:
CANA was formed in reaction to the departure of the Episcopal Church USA from orthodox Christian faith and Anglican praxis, particularly by the Episcopal Church USA's non-conformity to the international Anglican Communion resolutions at the Lambeth Conference 1998, the Windsor Report, Dromantine, and at Dar es Salaam — including the ordination of non-celibate homosexual clergy, which it opposes as deviant and sinful.

Present

CANA reports that it has grown since its founding in 2005. It currently reports 69 congregations, maintains a presence in 21 states and in the District of Columbia, and has an ethnically diverse membership. In 2012, CANA launched the Missionary Diocese of the Trinity as a dual diocese of the ACNA and the Church of Nigeria. CANA originated three new dioceses: East, West and Armed Forces and Chaplaincy.

Ecumenical relations

In October 2009, CANA's leadership reacted to the Catholic Church's proposed creation of personal ordinariates for disaffected traditionalist Anglicans by saying that this provision would probably not have a great impact on the majority of its largely Low Church laity and clergy, who are satisfied with the Anglican realignment movement.