Church of the Province of Melanesia
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{{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]]