This unique text poses serious questions about the way the Church of England is structured, how dioceses are run and the role of bishops through the lens of liturgical theology.
In The Bishop and the Baptized, Justin Pottinger argues that baptismal ecclesiology has had more influence on the ordinal of the Church of England than the Episcopal Church. As arguably the key document for understanding Anglican ecclesiology, the ordinal affirms the importance of the bishop ordaining in the context of a Eucharist, with the liturgical action indicating the ontology and praxis of the bishop's ministry in the daily life of the Church.
The liturgy, placing the bishop within the eucharistic congregation, defines the ontology and praxis of the bishop's ministry. Managerial modes and financial pressures have shaped recent debates, but the ordinal offers an alternative model of leadership in the shepherd metaphor. The diaconal nature of episcopal ministry, seen in the ordinal's innovation of foot washing and the giving of the pastoral staff, is applied to the discernment and training of candidates for episcopal ministry, and the culture and shape of the life of the Church. This is an original contribution to these wider discussions, grounding responses in Anglican ecclesiology and the nature of episcopal ministry.
