In September 2003 the Bishop of New Westminster, the Rt. Rev. Michael Ingham, fired the elected leadership of the parish after the vestry (membership) voted to seek an alternative bishop to lead them. The Bishop acted under Canon 15, an obscure church law that gives the local bishop extraordinary powers over the parish.

The bishop subsequently appointed parish leaders loyal to him, who immediately fired the church’s youth pastor, scuttled the parish website, and removed volunteers from key positions in the church.

But in a lawsuit launched March 1, 2004, parishioners argued that the removal of two of the trustees was in violation of B.C. corporate law.

But according to parishioner Ronald Edward, while the court action would have given hope that the two trustees could be reinstated, it would not have completely restored democracy at the church.

“But we look forward to a time when democratic processes are restored at St. Martin’s and we can return to worship there,” he said. “In the meantime, we’re getting on with ministry.”

Conservative St. Martin’s parishioners now worship each Sunday in rented premises and are seeking to hire a new youth pastor. Since January 2004, the group has grown by more than 30%.

St. Martin’s is one of two congregations in which diocesan authorities have intervened in the past year. In December 2003, the diocese terminated Holy Cross, a mission congregation in Abbotsford, when it voted to join the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW). Members of Holy Cross also continue to worship each Sunday in rented premises.

The Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW) is a coalition of eleven congregations representing almost a quarter of the Diocese’s attending population. The coalition formed in June 2002 following the Diocese of New Westminster’s decision to move away from the teachings of mainstream Anglicanism.

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