All over the world, bishops of the Anglican Communion are preparing for the Lambeth Conference of bishops, which will be held in Canterbury, England, from July 16Aug. 4. The conference is held every 10 years at the invitation of the archbishop of Canterbury. International media are focusing on the disputes among Anglicans rising from New Hampshire's gay bishop and different and often colliding theological emphases.

This conference will be the third such conference that I have attended, along with my wife, Kristy. The first Lambeth Conference was held in 1867, when the bishops of the Church of England in Canada asked the archbishop of Canterbury to gather bishops from around the world to emphasize their unity and their discipline. Having the conference at all was a matter of controversy. When the first conference was held at Lambeth Palace, the archbishop's London residence, the dean of Westminster Abbey refused the use of the abbey for the closing service of the conference. He believed that the conference itself was a potential threat to the legal status of the Church of England.

Nonetheless, the bishops found the conference useful, and it has been held more or less every 10 years since, with the exception of the years immediately around the two world wars. Succeeding archbishops have emphasized that the Lambeth Conference is just that: a conference, not a governing body.

EACH OF THE 38 churches of the Anglican Communion is autonomous and independent, but they are joined together by what have been called "bonds of affection" with one another and considerable collaboration in mission.

Many Anglican churches across the globe protested after the election and consecration of the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, since they viewed the presence of a gay, partnered bishop in office as unacceptable. The primates (chief bishops) of the churches of the Anglican Communion met for an emergency meeting in London and the archbishop of Canterbury appointed a special commission to explore relationships among the different churches.

When that commission issued its findings (called the Windsor Report), one of its recommendations was that the communion develop a covenant that would specify with greater clarity the common parameters identifying an Anglican church and how those parameters might be enforced. Several drafts of a covenant have been propagated, and the Lambeth Conference will discuss a possible covenant and the Windsor Report.

Respecting the autonomy of the independent churches of the Anglican Communion, the Lambeth Conference will try to minimize the number of legislative sessions so that resolutions adopted will not appear to have legal force.

In the two Lambeth conferences I have attended, bishops have spoken very warmly of the small Bible study groups that are daily events at the conference.

The conference will also include what are called "indaba groups," a Zulu word that means "groups of persons of equal status discussing thoughtfully matters of common concern." These groups of about 40 bishops will enable thoughtful reflection not possible in a plenary session of 600-800 bishops.

The conference will have daily liturgies in the languages of the various churches and occasional special themes on living in a multi-faith world: listening to Scripture, church unity, and matters of social justice. The conference is held on the campus of the University of Kent, and several events will be held in historic Canterbury Cathedral.

IN A LETTER last month to all the bishops of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams expressed his hope "that over the two weeks we spend together, [we] will build a level of trust that will help break down the walls that we have so often built against each other in the communion."

This week a group of conservative Anglican bishops, led by the archbishop of Sydney, Australia, Peter Jensen, and the archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, have called the Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON) with sessions in Amman, Jordan and in Jerusalem. Some observers see GAFCON as an alternative to the Lambeth Conference, since both Jensen and Akinola have announced they will not attend the Lambeth Conference because of the presence of American bishops.

Whether the presence of GAFCON represents an institutional split in the Anglican Communion remains to be seen. The Anglican Communion relies on what it calls four instruments of unity to maintain relations among its 38 churches: the Lambeth Conference itself; the archbishop of Canterbury; the meeting of the primates; and the only elected body, the Anglican Consultative Council, which includes clergy in addition to bishops and lay persons.

The Anglican Communion, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said, is "messy." The events of this summer will demonstrate whether its historic diversity in unity can be maintained in the mess.
The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee is bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Contact him at (804) 643-8451 or pjlee@thediocese.net.