In thinking about what might characterize a global Anglican women’s network which ‘really works’, I have identified three key concepts for us to consider. The faith basis of my thinking is simply to ask how best might we as a global collective of Anglican women further God’s mission and ministry in all we say and do as servant workers, lay and ordained?

I have three words, which I respectfully offer to us all for consideration  – relevant, radical and responsive! Relevant to God’s (as opposed to [‘man’s’]) mission and ministry, radical because that is how Jesus modeled ‘ministry’ to us and for us and responsive, specifically to the prior needs of those who suffer – to the needs of those who are, ‘the least among us’.

It is really important at this time (given the current preoccupation of our male leadership with ‘the [ir] issue’) for us as women to be at the forefront of initiating the changes needed to make the Women’s Network the best, most relevant, most radical and most responsive of all our Churches global networks!!

With our beloved Communion currently under such threat, now is the time to re-evaluate the effectiveness of many of our existing structures, especially those that operate at the most senior international levels, including all of the official networks. I say this with real urgency because from the privileged ‘insiders’ position of being a member of the Lambeth Commission, I consider it a sad fact that so much of the hysteria surrounding the events which precipitated the establishment of the Lambeth Commission did initially arise as a result of some quite serious structural ‘insufficiencies’ in the existing senior structures, specifically within the Instruments of Unity. Now is not the time to go into these in detail rather it ought to be possible for us to simply note these and commit ourselves to learning humbly from the unfortunate mistakes of others among us.

So how might we women begin to do our work of re-evaluation? Firstly, we must always, always give honour to what is and what has been. We do have a Network and for that we give thanks and praise and then, we need to ask ourselves, is our network as good as it can be? Is it, as we would want it to be for our times and for the future, which we are all responsible for laying a foundation for?

I want to acknowledge the very special efforts of Alice who has been urging us all over the past months as we prepared for this moment, to understand deeply the history of IAWN – she has made it her project to keep alive the historical memory of IAWN in order that we are all intimately acquainted with what it is we are now trying to restructure – or better still to transform into becoming a truly credible, dynamic forum for Anglican women’s ‘activism’!
Can I suggest that secondly we need to first survey those present here and now, as delegates from a very wide range of Provinces in order to gain some sense of how those of us currently responsible for representing Provinces are feeling about IAWN as it is and as we believe it should now become? This would initially be a very simple exercise – and I accept it will also of necessity be an ‘uneven’ sort of exercise – we have women here who are new to almost everything – the Anglican Church, to the global Communion, to IAWN, to ACCUNO, let alone to all of the complexities of ECUSA! so it is understandable that their responses will be informed and influenced by their ‘newness’ as opposed to the responses of those for whom IAWN is ‘old hat’! In both cases there are distinct advantages and disadvantages – newness can bring much needed ‘freshness’ and familiarity will protect the historic memory – together these perspectives can be debated and what emerges can and should be the new shared vision for the future. The future vision is the critical one – here we need to be courageous enough to allow the forward thinking, imaginative, bold, ideal, even idealistic musings that are within each of our hearts and minds come to the fore – we need to ask ourselves what we would do if we had the power and the resources, what structures would we create in order to ensure women’s voices are not only heard but are sure to be acted upon?

My global sisters there is such an urgency to this task – the issues pressing in on us as we have heard throughout this UNCSW and as many of us know only too painfully from our daily lived experience, are issues of life and death therefore we do not have the luxury of time – but what we do have is the potential – just look at the extent of talent, commitment, experience and energy here present in this room and so the question is how now do we best harness this collective and extensive God given women power and begin to mould and shape our collective treasures and gifts into being the female Christlike body we are destined to be? It seems to me that if we have in mind to create a body that is relevant to God’s mission, then it will not be one preoccupied with structural or administrative concerns. If we have in mind to create a body which enables our ministries to be radical expressions of God’s compassionate love then we will not be looking for institutional security and if we have in mind to create a body which is indeed responsive to the needs of those who suffer then it will be one utterly preoccupied with action and not with too many words.

Dr Jenny Plane Te Paa
Province of Aotearoa New Zealand & Polynesia.