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2.4 Fourth: 1897
Presided over by: Frederick Temple (having been convened by Archbishop Benson) 194 bishops present out of 240 who received invitations

In the invitation issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury Edward Benson in August 1895, he stated that because 1897 was the thirteenth centenary year since the landing of St. Augustine of Canterbury in England in 597, he was summoning the Conference for 1897 (a year early) to mark the occasion. Because Benson died in October 1896, the Conference was presided over by his successor, Archbishop Frederick Temple.

The Conference began with a Devotional Day at Lambeth Palace on Wednesday, June 30, when addresses were given by Dr. Edward King (bishop of Lincoln). On July 1 the Bishops attended evensong in Westminster Abbey, when a sermon was preached by Dr. William Maclagan, the Archbishop of York. On Friday, July 2, many of the Bishops visited Ebbsfleet, Thanet and Richborough Castle, where Augustine and his missionaries landed and held their first interview with King Ethelbert of Kent. From Richborough the Bishops went to Canterbury, where the next day (Saturday, July 3) a Service of Welcome was held, as on previous conferences, in the Cathedral and an address was given by Archbishop Temple. There was also a special service in St. Martin's Church, Canterbury " the oldest church in England," and the Bishops were subsequently received at a luncheon in St. Augustine's Missionary College.

1897 conference sessions

The Bishops, having returned to London, after a celebration of the Holy Communion in Westminster Abbey began the Conference’s deliberation on Monday, July 5 in Lambeth Palace’s Guard-Room. The sessions continued until July 10, when twelve Committees were appointed to report upon the subjects upon which preliminary discussion had been held.

These subjects were as follows:
 * I. The Organisation of the Anglican Communion.
 * II. Religious Communities.
 * III. The Critical Study of Holy Scripture.
 * IV. Foreign Missions.
 * V. Reformation Movements on the Continent of Europe and elsewhere.
 * VI. Church Unity in its relation:
 * (a) To the Churches of the East.
 * (b) To the Latin Communion.
 * (c) To other Christian bodies.
 * VII. International Arbitration.
 * III. Industrial Problems.
 * X. The Book of Common Prayer.
 * a Additional Services.
 * Local Adaptation.

X. The Duties of the Church to the Colonies. XI. Degrees in Divinity. XII. To consider questions of difficulty which may be submitted to it by Bishops attending the Conference.

On Tuesday, July 13, the Bishops, after attending service in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, were received by Her Majesty Queen Victoria. From Thursday, July 22 until Saturday, July 31, the Conference as a whole met again to consider reports from the Committees. Within a few days. the Encyclical Letter with the Reports and Resolutions of the Conference.

All sixty-two Resolutions adopted by the Conference can be read in “1897 Lambeth Conference Resolutions”.

On Sunday, August 1, the Bishops attended a service in connection with the Boards of Missions of Canterbury and York in St. Paul's Cathedral. On Monday, a Service of Thanksgiving was held in the Cathedral, when the farewell sermon was preached by the Archbishop Temple. On Tuesday, August 3, the Bishops visited Glastonbury Abbey for a worship service on this site of early British Christianity. This brought the fourth Lambeth Conference to a close.

Of the 194 Bishops who took part in the 1897 Conference, 58 belonged to England and Wales, 10 to Ireland, 7 to Scotland, 49 to the United States of America, and 70 to Colonial and Missionary Dioceses throughout the world. These included 32 Diocesan Bishops, 19 Bishops Suffragan, and 7 ex-Colonial Bishops holding Commissions in England.