Anglican leaders from Africa say the actions of American and Canadian churches in electing an openly gay bishop and blessing same-sex unions has led to them being "ridiculed" in their home countries.
They also say their modernising moves have led to "sexual licence" and warn they are diverting the Anglican Communion from its true purpose.
In addition, a draft document of the "reflections" of the 670 Anglican bishops gathered in Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference discloses that some American bishops have apologised for consecrating Gene Robinson as the Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.
The booklet states: "Apologies have been expressed in the Indaba [discussion] groups by some of the Episcopal Church who had no idea that their action in the consecration of the current Bishop of New Hampshire had caused such a negative impact in many parts of the Communion.
"While there is a desire to end the spiral of chaos around this issue, there appears to be no desire to be so decisive at this stage that anyone would want to walk away."
The bishops state that the ordination of Bishop Robinson took the divisive issue of homosexuality to a "higher plane" and there is an "inevitable anxiety" that another gay priest will become a bishop.
"In some places the church is ridiculed as the 'gay church'," the document goes on. "It is felt in some provinces as a betrayal of the teaching of the missionaries who brought the faith and it is experienced as a new form of colonisation."
In discussing the ways to deal with the crisis, one option described is "decisive action - if your eye cause offence pluck it out".
The bishops are now discussing a Covenant of guiding principles that bind the Communion together, which the Archbishop of Canterbury believes will help avert schism.
However, it has emerged that the process of approving or rejecting the Covenant may not take place in the critical province of America until 2015.
It is feared that by then the Anglican Communion may be greatly reduced from its current 80 million worshippers as orthodox provinces, represented by the Gafcon movement, form their own global network while more conservative American bishops desert their parent church.
