But as a general principle, if a minister has already been serving a local church for some time and his church family is with him in wanting to join AMiE, should not the process be made as straightforward as possible? Surely long interviews and lengthy deliberations are going to put local churches off and drive them to look elsewhere for their wider accountability?

In which case, what is the point of AMiE?

The other issue is around the sense that St Helen's Bishopsgate (http://www.st-helens.org.uk/) in the City of London, which has one former and one existing staff member on the eight-strong AMiE executive, is too prominent in the selection process. St Helen's is an outstanding Bible-teaching, gospel-proclaiming, people-loving church. That should not be in dispute among Christian people.

But St Helen's does not own a monopoly of Christian maturity and its ministers do not think it does. Would it not be sensible for AMiE to recruit godly regional selectors nearer a particular church wanting to join it and delegate to people with local knowledge, with a national selector involved, the decision over accrediting a new church and its minister?

Because of the nature of our fallen humanity, a ministry that managed to surmount the high bars set by AMiE could still go toxic later on. Would it not further our Lord Jesus Christ's biblical cause here in England to lower the bars a bit, take some risks, and make it easier for local churches to get on board the new liner?

Julian Mann is vicar of the Parish Church of the Ascension, Oughtibridge, South Yorkshire, UK -www.oughtibridgechurch.org.uk