Contact: Loralei Coyle 202-682-4131, 202-905-6852 cell, lcoyle@ird-renew.org; Radio Interviews: Jeff Walton, jwalton@ird-renew.org; both with The Institute on Religion and Democracy

WASHINGTON, May 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Saturday, May 5, Bishop Martyn Minns will be installed by Archbishop Peter Akinola of the Anglican Church of Nigeria as missionary bishop for the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). Bishop Minns served as the rector of Truro Church from 1991–2007. He was consecrated as a bishop in August 2006. CANA is a missionary arm of the Church of Nigeria for Nigerian Anglicans in the United States and other orthodox Anglicans who cannot in good conscience remain in the Episcopal Church.

IRD Director of Anglican Action Ralph Webb said,

"Bishop Minns has served faithfully as an Anglican rector in many different types of parishes. His strong leadership qualities, unwavering commitment to orthodox theology and social witness, pastoral heart, and great concern for the poor are but four of many traits that will serve him well in his CANA responsibilities.

"Bishop Minns now is leading a flock composed largely of orthodox Anglicans who have left the Episcopal Church and joined CANA to, from their point of view, best serve God and remain faithful Christians and Anglicans. Others have left the Episcopal Church either for other groups or for oversight under another province. Some orthodox Anglicans remain in the Episcopal Church out of a sense of God's calling. They are committed to maintaining and, by God's grace, expanding orthodox faith and social witness within a denomination that even past Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold once said was in conflict with its own Scriptures.

"We at the IRD strongly support orthodox Anglicans in all of their various structures and callings, whether they remain within the Episcopal Church or leave it. We join them in contending for a healed Anglican Communion marked by a strong, vibrant commitment to a Scripturally-sound, orthodox faith, practice, and social witness. Our prayers and support, then, are not only for CANA upon Bishop Minns' installation, but for all orthodox Anglicans—and, indeed, for the health of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Christian church worldwide."

The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches' social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.