THE Community of St Anselm (CoSA), a flagship initiative of Archbishop Welby, is “in a period of discernment” about its future, a Palace spokesperson has said.

The Community of St Anselm was launched in 2015, and sought to encourage Christians between the ages of 20 and 35 to experience a “radical Jesus-centred community” of prayer and service (News, 25 September 2015). Each year since then, a group of community members have lived in Lambeth Palace, taking part in prayer and worship, and serving in the wider community. A larger group of non-resident members have been part of the Community while working in their daily jobs.

A spokesperson for Lambeth Palace said this week that the CoSA had been “in a period of discernment” since last September, before Archbishop Welby announced his resignation. The Community had been considering “questions such as where we will be based, how we are structured, how people become members of the Community, and much more.

“So, while we are not taking on new applicants at this point, it is not to do with the vacancy. CoSA continues as a Community of Prayer with over 200 members around the world, praying and serving within the Anglican Communion and across the Global Church.”

A group of current and former members of the CoSA expressed their “profound gratitude” to Archbishop Welby in a statement this week.

“The impact of the Community of St Anselm on its members is profound and enduring,” it said. “Many of us discovered a clearer sense of purpose, grew in spiritual maturity, and were deeply shaped by values of humility, service, and self-giving. In our work, families, and communities, we seek to live out these values, inspired by the foundation laid during our time with the Community.”

It went on to say that Archbishop Welby’s “willingness to take personal responsibility for institutional failings . . . reflect the courage, and integrity, that are desperately needed for the Church to become a place of true justice and compassion”.