Church of the Province of Melanesia 5634098 225125441 2008-07-12T00:29:51Z Johnpacklambert 2308770 /* External links */ {{Anglican Portal}} The '''Church of the Province of Melanesia''' is part of the [[Anglican Communion]], and includes 8 dioceses. The Primate of the Church is the [[Archbishop of Melanesia]]. The Most Rev. Sir [[Ellison L. Pogo]], KBE has served in this position since 1994. == Official name == ''The Church of the Province of Melanesia'' is the official name, but it is usually shortend to the ''Church of Melanesia'' or ''COM''. Within [[Solomon Islands]] and [[Vanuatu]] the Church is often called simply ''Anglican''. == History == [[Image:Bishoppatterson.jpg|thumb|220px|John Coleridge Patteson died a martyr's death in 1871.]] The Church was established by Bishop [[George Augustus Selwyn]] in [[1849]], and was initially headed by a [[bishop of Melanesia]]. One of the important features of the province's life over many years has been the work of a mission vessel in various incarnations known as the ''[[Southern Cross (ship)|Southern Cross]]''. First based in [[New Zealand]], the missionaries, mainly from [[Oxbridge]] and the [[public schools]], established their base on [[Norfolk Island]], bringing Melanesian scholars there to learn [[Christianity]] until the school was closed in [[1918]]. The many languages in Melanesia made evangelisation a challenge. The [[Melanesian Mission]] adopted the language of the island of [[Mota (language)|Mota]] in the Banks group of islands as the lingua franca. The Church of Melanesia is known for its pioneer martyrs, especially Bishop [[John Coleridge Patteson]], murdered in 1871, [[Charles Godden]], killed in [[1906]], among several others. == Membership == Today, there are at least 200,000 Anglicans out of an estimated population of 700,000 in two countries. == Structure == [[John Coleridge Patteson]] was the first bishop of Melanesia. The polity of the Church of Melanesia is Episcopalian church governance, which is the same as other Anglican churches. The church maintains a system of geographical parishes organized into dioceses. There are 8 of these, each headed by a bishop: The Diocese of Central Melanesia. The Bishop is the Most Rev. Sir Ellison Pogo.<br /> The Diocese of Central Solomons. The Bishop is the Rt. Rev. Charles Koete. <br /> The Diocese of Temotu. The Bishop is the Rt. Rev. David Vunagi.<br /> The Diocese of Malaita.The Bishop is the Rt. Rev. Dr. Terry Brown, assistant bishop the Rt. Rev. Alfred Hou.<br /> The Diocese of Ysabel. The Bishop is the Rt. Rev. Richard Naramana. <br /> The Diocese of Banks and Torres.The Bishop is the Rt. Rev. Nathan Tome.<br /> The Diocese of Vanuatu. The Bishop is the Rt. Rev. James Ligo.<br /> The Diocese of Hanuato'o. The Bishop is the Rt. Rev. Alfred Karibongi. Each diocese except for Central Melanesia (the [[Honiara]] area) is divided into regions, each headed by a senior priest. The regions are further subdivided into parishes or districts (the two words being interchangeable), headed by a parish priest, usually called a rector. Parishes may be subdivided into sub-parishes, headed by assistant priest. Catechists are lay people appointed by a local community and authorised by the bishop to take services and look after the spiritual life of a village. == Worship and liturgy == The Church of Melanesia embraces three orders of ministry: deacon, priest, and bishop. A local variant of the Book of Common Prayer is used, called ''A Melanesian English Prayer Book''.<ref>[http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Melanesia/Melanesia.htm A Melanesian English Prayer Book<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> == Doctrine and practice == See also: [[Anglicanism]] and [[Anglican doctrine]] The centre of the Church of Melanesia's teaching is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church are summed up in the [[Apostle's Creed]] and the [[Nicene Creed]]. The Church in its canons accepts and teaches the seven sacraments of the Church, Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. === Ecumenical relations === Like other Anglican churches, the Church of Melanesia is a member of the ecumenical World Council of Churches, and is a member of the [[Pacific Conference of Churches]], the [[Solomon Islands Christian Council]], and the [[Vanuatu Council of Churches.]] The [[Mothers' Union]] is quite active, as are the four religious communities active in the province, the [[Melanesian Brotherhood]], the [[Society of Saint Francis]], the [[Community of the Sisters of the Church]], and the [[Community of the Sisters of Melanesia]]. The province has its own liturgical customs and a [[Calendar of saints (Church of the Province of Melanesia)|Calendar of saints]]. == References == <references/> == Further reading == ''Anglicanism'', Neill, Stephen. Harmondsworth, 1965. == External links == *[http://melanesia.anglican.org Official provincial website] *[http://anglicanhistory.org/oceania/ A large group of documents on Anglican history in Oceania] {{Anglican Churches}} [[Category:Anglican churches|Melanesia]] [[Category:Anglicanism by region|Melanesia]] [[Category:Religious organizations established in 1849]] [[Category:Members of the World Council of Churches]] [[de:Church of the Province of Melanesia]]