THE Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has given his blessing to an extraordinary scheme for an African archbishop to consecrate a leading evangelical clergymen as a bishop to work as a missionary in Britain.

The Most Rev Henry Orombi, Archbishop and Primate of Uganda, is to consecrate the Rev Sandy Millar, former Rector of Holy Trinity Brompton, as a Bishop in Uganda.

Mr Millar, who helped to pioneer the Alpha course that has revived evangelical Christianity in Britain and worldwide, will serve in Uganda and London, where he will be titled Bishop in Mission.

An announcement is expected from Lambeth Palace later this week.

The scheme is understood to have been worked out by Dr Williams and the Bishop of London, the Right Rev Richard Chartres.

It will reward Mr Millar and appease evangelicals who are furious about the advancement of the liberal agenda throughout the Church of England. Evangelical churches that disagree with their diocesan bishops on gays and were thinking of importing conservative African or Asian bishops for confirmations and other services will now be able to call on Mr Millar, one of the international evangelical movement’s most respected figures.

The appointment — disclosed, on the Virtuosity evangelical website — comes on the eve of the meeting in Windsor of the Lambeth Commission set up by Dr Williams to resolve the gay crisis.

Dr Williams is desperate to keep the Church united and is expected to go as far as possible in appeasing evangelicals in order to prevent their departure. The Episcopal Church of America is expected to be penalised for its consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire.

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