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There is no central governance of the Anglican
Church. Each of the member churches or provinces of the Anglican Communion
is governed independently. The rules under which a church is governed
are called canon law.
The structure of canon law is not altogether unlike that of modern
civil law. A parish has rules or bylaws, which must conform to the
rules or canons of the diocese of which it is a member; that diocese
in turn must stay within the canons of its province or national church.
The provinces and national churches, by choice, have inherited the
canons of the Christian church dating back to its earliest days. This
accumulation of canons over the centuries and throughout the world
is collectively referred to as Anglican Canon Law.
Some of the member churches of the Anglican Communion have placed
their constitutions and canons online; so have many dioceses and
even a parish or two. You can find these by using a search engine
and the key words 'Anglican' 'Canon' Law' and whatever other modifier
you like.
Every 10 years there is a Lambeth
Conference at which all of the bishops of the Anglican Communion
gather to debate issues of doctrine. Doctrine can indirectly affect
church governance, but resolutions passed at the Lambeth Conference
are not binding on any member churches unless they choose to modify
their own canons to be bound by them. However, a church that rejects
too much of the doctrine of the Anglican Communion may find itself
unwelcome to be or remain part of that Communion. |