The process towards a decision on how to introduce prayers of blessing for same-sex couples inched forwards this week when advocacy groups on both sides of the debate were briefed confidentially.

In a sign that the College and House of Bishops might be coming to a common mind about a way forward, both liberal and conservative campaigners were invited to confidential meetings this week with the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) team.

One pro-LGBT campaigner and General Synod member present, Professor Helen King, wrote in her blog afterwards that the conversations had mostly revolved around familiar concerns: “How best to move forwards, what are the implications of various canons that could be used, how are everyone’s consciences to be honoured, what — if any — compromises would be acceptable?”

But Professor King, who had also taken part in the Living With Difference facilitated conversations last month, suggested that the House of Bishops had yet to “make up its collective mind” and, instead, was still trying to take the temperature of the Church and establish what the response would be to various options.

Read it all.

The process towards a decision on how to introduce prayers of blessing for same-sex couples inched forwards this week when advocacy groups on both sides of the debate were briefed confidentially https://t.co/Q4Pz6NxQKI

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 3, 2023

Up to 19 churches in a town could close because of rising costs.

The plan has been put forward by the Diocese of Liverpool, which oversees churches in Wigan, Greater Manchester.

It has already outlined four churches that will be “released” with another 15 sites at risk of closure.

The diocese said they had to “face the reality that they cannot afford to invest” in all churches as it currently costs £1m per year to maintain church buildings in the borough.

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The Archbishop of Canterbury took part in a historic ecumenical prayer vigil, presided over by Pope Francis, in St Peter’s Square on Saturday 30 September. Along with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, church leaders from different denominations were invited to join the Pope in prayer, entrusting the work of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod to the Holy Spirit.

Before the vigil, the crowd shared in Taizé-style music, prayer and hymns. The Archbishop lead the Lord’s Prayer, and at the end of the vigil joined with all the Christian leaders present to collectively pray and bless the crowd.

The vigil was attended by thousands of people from across Christian denominations, including many young people.

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https://t.co/bqVLTtNeBs

— Christopher Lamb (@ctrlamb) October 2, 2023

Emma Thompson makes for an unlikely rebel. Her Christian faith was nurtured through Anglican choral music and the Book of Common Prayer. She teaches Sunday school and conducts a choir in her church.

“The local level, in my book, is where all the good happens — the love, the looking after your neighbour, the delivery plan for being a Christian,” says Thompson, a former City solicitor and now a company secretary and freelance journalist.

Her passion for local parish churches is fierce to the point that, she says proudly, the two most senior clerics in the Church of England have described her as a “rascally voice”.

Attendance in the Church has fallen by nearly 40 per cent since 1979, according to the British Religion in Numbers online data resources, and by more than 15 per cent alone since 2013.

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My piece in today's @thetimes https://t.co/er0y6xwgox

— abigail frymannrouch (@abigailfrymann) September 30, 2023

Rachel Homer, Val Houghton and Norman Jevons have joined seven other candidates in taking on the roles as part of a new training pathway aimed at those who see their vocation as being non-stipendiary (voluntary) ministers to churches in their local area.

Rachel Homer will serve in the Halas Team, covering churches in Halesowen, Val Houghton will serve in the benefice of Brierley Hill and Norman Jevons will be part of two areas, serving in the benefice of Darby End and Netherton and the benefice of Dudley Wood and Cradley Heath.

All those being ordained have already been involved in some kind of lay ministry within their parish and were nominated by their incumbents to be part of the two-year training scheme and are currently at the start of their second year of this.

They will continue training while also working in their parishes as a curate, with all three talking about their pride at taking on their new roles.

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'Rachel Homer, Val Houghton and Norman Jevons have joined seven other candidates in taking on the roles as part of a new training pathway aimed at those who see their vocation as being non-stipendiary (voluntary) ministers to churches in their local area' https://t.co/UQ1OiHSehS…

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) September 29, 2023

It was whilst Bishop Debbie was caring for her own young family that she felt a definite call to ministry which deepened over time, leading her to begin her ordination training in 2004. Whilst serving in parish ministry she also took on the additional role of Area Dean, something that gave her a wider perspective and introduced her to the workings of the Diocese. From these roles, she was appointed Bishop of Southampton, something she describes as ‘exciting and daunting at the same time’, but felt ‘a deep sense that this was what God wanted for me that only grew stronger and stronger’.

During her time as Bishop of Southampton, Bishop Debbie has been involved in a variety of roles. As non-executive chair of Love Southampton, her passion for seeing social transformation through ecumenical outreach and community engagement was enhanced. She has also been an Ambassador of the Rose Road Association which provides direct care for children and young adults with complex physical and learning disabilities and support for their families.

The role of Diocesan Bishop is not completely new to Bishop Debbie who has been the acting Bishop of Winchester following the retirement of Bishop Tim Dakin in February 2022. In an unsettled environment, Bishop Debbie spent time listening and understanding the challenges that people were facing, whilst working towards building reconciliation and unity.

One of Bishop Debbie’s priorities has been to encourage parishes to thrive….

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Downing Street announced this morning that Bishop Debbie Sellin will be the next Bishop of Peterborough. Our diocese will deeply miss Debbie and our community will be praying for her as she begins this next stage of ministry. Congratulations Bishop Debbie! https://t.co/aF4NEVrJVl pic.twitter.com/IeqlAisCm4

— Diocese of Winchester (@CofEWinchester) September 28, 2023

The top translator and overseer of the KJV translation, Lancelot Andrewes was perhaps the most brilliant man of his age, and one of the most pious. A man of high ecclesiastical office during both Elizabeth’s and James’s reigns, bishop in three different cities under James, Andrewes is still highly enough regarded in the Church of England to merit his own minor feast on the church calendar.

Though Andrewes never wrote “literature,” modern writers as diverse as T. S. Eliot and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. have called him one of the great literary writers in English. His sermons feel too stiff and artificial and are clotted with too many Latin phrases to appeal to most today, but they are also filled with strikingly beautiful passages. Eliot, a great modern poet in his own right, took a section of an Andrewes sermon and started one of his own poems with it (“The Journey of the Magi”):

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year for a journey,
and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.

Andrewes served not only as the leader of the First Westminster Company of Translators, which translated Genesis – 2 Kings, but also as general editor of the whole project. He very likely, as Benson Bobrick suggests, drafted the final form of “such celebrated passages as the Creation and Fall; Abraham and Isaac; the Exodus; David’s laments for Saul, Jonathan, and Absalom; and Elijah’s encounter with the ‘still small voice.’”

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Today the Church of England celebrates Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, Spiritual Writer, 1626
He oversaw the King James Bible translation & is personally credited for his translation of the Pentateuch
Image: Window in St Giles-without-Cripplegate (Ndoduc, CC BY-SA 4.0) pic.twitter.com/jhZFkQw7Qt

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 25, 2023

Almighty God, who gavest thy servant Lancelot Andrewes the gift of thy holy Spirit and made him a man of prayer and a faithful pastor of thy people: Perfect in us what is lacking of thy gifts, of faith, to increase it, of hope, to establish it, of love, to kindle it, that we may live in the life of thy grace and glory; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

25 Sept 1626: d. Bishop Lancelot Andrewes #Southwark #otd translator, devotional writer, he is buried in #Southwark cathedral ( photo: @rhetorician) pic.twitter.com/ZQpks5S2XI

— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) September 25, 2023

Church of England education officials have welcomed the Government’s new Model Articles of Association, which sit alongside an updated national Memorandum of Understanding, as a recognition of the historic relationship between Church and State in education. They describe it as a move that offers “broad and expansive hope” for the development of church multi-academy trusts (MATs) “in a way that suits the local and regional context”.

But the new model documents, published on Monday, have also raised significant concerns. Writing in the Church Times this week, Howard Dellar, who is senior partner and head of the ecclesiastical and education department at Lee Bolton Monier-Williams, describes some of the changes as “exceedingly unwise”, and warned that the new model articles represent a sea change into “very choppy waters”.

One key change is the removal of Single Academy Trust Clauses to support the growth of MATs. Another is that there is now one consolidated model Article of Association, predicated on a majority governance structure, with flexibility to adapt governance provisions according to diocesan policy; previously, there were two separate models for majority and minority C of E governance, reflecting the difference in context between schools converting from voluntary aided and voluntary controlled status.

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"The embedding of the diocesan strategy in these core documents offers a broad and expansive hope for the development of Church of England MATs in a way that suits the local and regional context" https://t.co/vEanFj8C2t

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 22, 2023

Discussions then included sessions on public affairs – including proposals raised by the Archbishops’ Commissions on families and households, social care, housing and racial justice; the importance of making missionary disciples; generous ecclesiology and episcopal well-being.

The bishops devoted the remaining time to discussing the work to take forward the introduction of Prayers of Love and Faith for same-sex couples, the associated Pastoral Guidance and Pastoral Reassurance.

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The Government’s decision to row back on its green commitments is shameful and short-sighted, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, has said.

In a speech on Wednesday afternoon, the Prime Minister announced plans to delay Net Zero targets, although he said that he still wished to meet the deadline of 2050. Measures an­­nounced included delaying by five years a ban on new petrol and diesel cars and delaying phasing out gas boilers.

If the country continued to im­­pose existing targets, he said, “we risk losing the consent of the British people and the resulting backlash will not just be against specific pol­icies, but against the wider mission itself.”

Bishop Usher, the C of E’s lead bishop for the environment, posted on social media on Wednesday morning, after news had leaked that Mr Sunak intended to water down the targets: “It will be another shame­­ful day if [the Government] rows back on its Net Zero policies. Shortsighted, it will erode credibility at home & abroad. This isn’t the time to seek political advantage with games. Leadership and action are needed, not delay and procrastina­­tion.”

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“Whilst it is right that he has kept our international commitments, postponing changes leave necessary adaptations to the last minute, rather like last-minute exam cramming — a risky gamble" – @bishopnorwich https://t.co/JCbZB6N6AJ

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 21, 2023

What is new in The Times‘s “story”, however, is the particularly high level of pessimism among my colleagues. Declining numbers, churches closing, exhaustion at trying to hold things together… But I greet that “news” with something of a shrug. The tide comes in, the tide goes out. Because, if it is true that there is a God, then none of this really matters at all. Unpopularity doesn’t make the creeds false just as (another huge mistake) popularity doesn’t make them true.

But a nervous church leadership doesn’t like the ebb to happen on their watch. And so, spooked by these dismal stories of decline, they seek a very secular model of success. Borrowing their thinking from management consultants trying to revive ailing companies like Wilko and Pizza Hut, the leadership focuses on what the customer wants, sets sales targets, closes down underused outlets, and re-energises the sales team for greater, more frenetic activity. But the more we run around like headless chickens, the more desperate, and less attractive we look. Inevitably, the job becomes impossible and the workers in the vineyard become drained of motivation. As The Times reveals, a third of clergy have considered quitting in the past five years. This, then, is what’s new about the Church of England’s current death spiral. “All of the church’s problems stem from the clergy’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,” as Pascal almost wrote.

The latest, and most ridiculous of these corporate reinventions of the Church is the idea that the clergy no longer has to work on Sundays – because other people are busy on that day. One deanery in Cornwall will have 23 churches, and only two full-time clergy. One of these “will work primarily in the community, looking for exciting opportunities to grow churches for people who have never been to church,” the area dean bubbled enthusiastically. He went on: “I’ve heard it has come as a bit of a shock that she won’t be working regularly on Sunday mornings.” But this is just another example of the “exciting opportunities” that await us as the Church is dismantled from within by those who are supposed to be protecting it.

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When will our Church leaders stop behaving like deranged management consultants? | @giles_fraser https://t.co/Ria1E3znw2

— UnHerd (@unherd) August 31, 2023

Two years ago, Bishop Richard Frith started visiting the diocese of Winchester, shortly before his appointment as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Episcopal Commissary. The term that he uses to describe the people he met is “shell-shocked”.

In September 2021, the month of the first visits, just two months had passed since the resignation of the Bishop of Winchester, Dr Tim Dakin (News, 23 July 2021). He had “stepped back” in the previous May (News, 20 May 2021), after the threat of a vote of no confidence in the diocesan synod. The motion referred to “allegations of poor behaviour and mistreatment on his part of a number of individuals”, and described the governance and financial management of the diocese as “unfit for purpose”.

“It was pretty unknown for such a thing to have happened,” Bishop Frith recalls. “What on earth was going to happen next? There was a lot of uncertainty.”

These were, indeed, unprecedented events. More than 40 members of the diocesan synod had supported the motion, while one of Dr Dakin’s appointed suffragans, the Bishop of Basingstoke, the Rt Revd David Williams, had presented concerns to Lambeth Palace and the Bishop of London.

Read it all.

Two years on from Bishop Tim Dakin’s resignation & with a new Bishop appointed I’ve got a long read in todays paper about the diocese of Winchester. As one person put it, there are many stories to be told https://t.co/ZSspWN8XGh

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) September 8, 2023

The Chapter of Chichester Cathedral has decided to change the name of one of its properties back to George Bell House, after a years-long campaign by defenders of the reputation of the late bishop after whom it was named….

In 2016, the Chapter announced a decision to call George Bell House — named in memory of the Bishop of Chichester from 1929 till 1958, the late Dr George Bell — 4 Canon Lane, a year after he had been named in a legal civil claim of sexual abuse…. The complaint concerned the abuse of a young girl in the late 1940s and early 1950s, later known as Carol.

In 2017, an independent review of the case carried out by Lord Carlile said that Church of England officials had “rushed to judgement” when they had concluded that Bishop Bell was the alleged sexual abuser….

Sussex Police closed their latest investigation concerning Bishop Bell in 2018 (News, 27 April 2018). In 2019, the Archbishop of Canterbury apologised for “mistakes” made in the handling of the allegation (News, 1 February 2019). Archbishop Welby had said in 2017 that, after the Carlile review, “a significant cloud” was left over the name of Bishop Bell. He later said that “nothing of substance” had been added to previous allegations and that “[Bishop Bell’s] legacy is undoubted and must be upheld.”

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Chichester Cathedral property to be renamed George Bell House again https://t.co/UzBaouugIx

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) August 1, 2023

Last week, Keir Starmer confirmed that a Labour Government would continue the current Government’s policy of the two-child benefit cap. This policy limits the payments that families in receipt of Universal Credit receive to only their first two children and was introduced in 2014 to ensure that ‘people on benefits face the same choices as those in work’.

The reasoning behind the policy does not stand true, as 58 percent of families affected by the limit are in fact households with at least working adult. The cap has instead had a detrimental impact on the lives of families across the country, and the Child Poverty Action Group estimates that the policy is pushing approximately one million children into poverty for prolonged periods.

Child poverty increases the likelihood of lower educational outcomes, as well as poorer mental and physical health. Those who experience it are also more likely to require support from public services later in life, negating any short-term benefits to the country’s finances that continuing to implement the cap would have. Removing the two-child limit would be the most cost-effective way of reducing the number of children living in poverty and would immediately lift an estimated 250,000 children out of poverty.

Read it all.

'My hope is that this Bill will bring an end to this cruel policy'@BishopPaulB urges the Labour and Conservative parties to back his Private Members’ Bill on abolishing the two-child benefit caphttps://t.co/H1FUnetFDb

— Politics.co.uk (@Politics_co_uk) July 24, 2023

Following on from the broo-ha-ha about Stephen Cottrell’s comments on the problems of calling God ‘Father‘, the latest episode in the debate about God’s sex and pronouns comes from Hereford Cathedral. Last Sunday, their main Communion service began with an Introit which re-writes Psalm 23 with God identified using female pronouns.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need, She makes me lie down in green meadows, Beside the still waters, She will lead.

She restores my soul, She rights my wrongs, She leads me in a path of good things, And fills my heart with songs.

Even though I walk, through a dark and dreary land, There is nothing that can shake me, She has said She won’t forsake me, I’m in her hand.

She sets a table before me, in the presence of my foes, She anoints my head with oil, And my cup overflows.

Surely, surely goodness and kindness will follow me, All the days of my life, And I will live in her house, Forever, forever and ever.

Glory be to our Mother, and Daughter, And to the Holy of Holies, As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, World without end. Amen.

There are several things to note about this piece, and its use in the Cathedral. (You can watch its performance at the Cathedral’s livestream on YouTube, but these are deleted after about a week, so I have captured it and posted it on my own channel, and the link is at the end of this piece.)

As I will explore below, it is a central conviction of Christian theology that God does not have a sex—because God is not bodily. To believe that God is sexed is a serious error, and that is why some people argue that we should avoid using the male pronoun for God. The difficulty here is that, because all the human people we know are either male or female, few languages have a commonly used personal pronoun that is not sexed, and that includes the Hebrew (and Aramaic) and Greek that the Bible is written in. Perhaps because of dominance of men in public roles in most pre-modern cultures, until very recently the default choice of generic pronoun has been male, so if the sex of someone was unspecified, then ‘he’ was taken to be inclusive of all. Thus we have used male pronouns for the personal but not sexed God of Christian faith.

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What are the theological, pastoral, and institutional issues around the use of 'she' for God at Hereford Cathedral's service? Does the leadership of the Church of England have the courage to resist the tide of gender ideology? https://t.co/ImhRpuOJze

— Dr Ian Paul (@Psephizo) July 21, 2023

My dear friends, it can be very easy, when controversies are raging and relationships are strained, when headlines are negative and finances are light, when clergy numbers and congregational numbers are not what, within living memory, they once were, it can be easy to lose sight of the point of it all. And the Apostle Paul calls us back to that point — which is this: The living God who created all things has had a plan, a mystery hidden for ages — to make known the wisdom of God in its rich variety, through the church, as we bring to the communities we serve the news of the boundless riches of Christ. It is the good will and pleasure of God our Father to reveal this plan through the Church.

Now, it’s true that Paul does not say, ‘through the Church of England’. But my dear friends, you would not be here if you did not believe there was at least some overlap, some correspondence between the church of God and the Church of England. And I do believe Paul to be right. The Epistle to the Ephesians has a very high view of the Church, and so do I. I really do believe that every local congregation in the Diocese of Sheffield, as part of the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, has the extraordinary privilege of being part of the plan of the living God, who created all things, to make know his wisdom its rich variety, as we bring to the communities we serve the news of the boundless riches of Christ.

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LATEST. The inequalities in historic endowment of the Church of England’s dioceses — ranging from £1.76 per capita to £89 — cannot be right, the Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Pete Wilcox, has said this weekhttps://t.co/dQLWcuuPw2

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) May 27, 2021

Bishop Paul said: “It has been a huge privilege and honour to serve all the people of Durham Diocese for nearly 10 years. Being called here was an unexpected, and challenging, step. Rosemary and I have loved the variety, beauty and challenges of this diverse Diocese. It is my hope and prayer that my ministry has helped God’s church truly be a blessing to our communities for the transformation of all from the Tyne to the Tees and the Dales to the Sea.

“When we move away at the end of February next year we will miss the people and the places deeply. Yet we know the Diocese will be in good hands and that God will uphold and guide for all that lies ahead.”

Bishop Paul was installed and enthroned as Bishop of Durham on 22 February 2014, succeeding Justin Welby, now Archbishop of Canterbury. He was previously Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, 2010-14 and had also been Suffragan Bishop of Southampton in the Diocese of Winchester from 2004 – 2010.

Read it all.

“It has been a huge privilege and honour to serve all the people of Durham Diocese for nearly ten years.” @BishopPaulB has today announced that he plans to retire from the role of Bishop of Durham at the end of February next year. Read more 👉 https://t.co/nLLRp2J8AP pic.twitter.com/7RkjjapOBe

— Diocese of Durham (@DioceseofDurham) July 14, 2023

Meg Munn criticises the Council, not for pulling the plug on the ISB, but for not doing it soon enough. She singles out Justin Welby as the one who has undermined her role and not been robust enough with the other two members—something confirmed by Justin’s extraordinary distancing himself from the Council’s decision during Questions, giving the clear impression that he was throwing the rest of the Council under the bus in the face of negative publicity. Her comments about Steve and Jas are damning:

Read it all.

What has contributed to the lost of trust across the Church of England? How was that evidenced in last week's meeting of General Synod? What can be done to restore the trust we need to work together?https://t.co/dL5ruZuVfM

— Dr Ian Paul (@Psephizo) July 14, 2023

The key questions raised by this majority view are as follows.

First, on what issues are they proposing that it should be possible for those in the Church of England to disagree? Does this, as the context suggests, include the matters that are currently under dispute in the Church of England, namely, the nature of marriage, the proper context for sexual activity, and what patterns of personal life should be expected of the clergy?

If it does include these matters, on what basis do the majority of the bishops hold that it is legitimate for Christians to disagree about them? To use the traditional theological terminology, on what grounds can these matters be said to be adiaphora?

Secondly, what would a ‘generous theological, ecclesial and pastoral space’ mean in practice?

Is this code for saying that the teaching of the Church of England should be altered to officially encompass the view that same-sex marriages and same-sex sexual relationships are in accordance with the will of God, that the Church should provide recognition and liturgical affirmation for same-sex relationships (including same-sex marriages) and that clergy should be allowed to be in same-sex relationships?

Read it all.

We may subjectively dislike what God has said, but true Christian humility lies in accepting what God has said and acting upon it anyway' Martin Davie https://t.co/EUCULJ0Bk1 #anglican #marriage #theology #sexualethics #anthropology #scripture #religion #uk pic.twitter.com/WyjgnobT0k

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) February 10, 2023

The Church of England’s General Synod has called for renewed action from the Church and Government to tackle the impact and causes of climate change.

A motion brought by the Diocese of Oxford calls on all parts of the Church to review policies and procedures in order to give due priority to creation care, and asks the Government to review planning regulations to aid the installation of renewable technology on church buildings that are listed or in conservation areas, was passed by a substantial majority of Synod members.

It also commends the National Investment Bodies for their decisions to divest from fossil fuels, calls for regular prayer, and encourages the opportunity for confirmation candidates to make commitments to safeguard the integrity of creation.

Ahead of the vote, Synod members were briefed on the aspects of the motion which have made positive progress since the motion was passed by Oxford Diocesan Synod in March 2020: including the Church of England’s Routemap to Net Zero by 2030 and announcements by the National Investing Bodies to disinvest from fossil fuels.

Read it all.

Church of England General Synod calls on Church and Government to move faster on Climate Change
Powerful speech by Bishop @LiviJGraham @oxforddiocese @CofEEnvironment @UNEPFaith4Earth @fftcnetwork https://t.co/Z5sTB7rOc0

— Green Anglicans (@Greenanglicans) July 12, 2023

Jane Chevous, a representative of survivors of church abuse, opened the proceedings with a damning description of the events leading up to the decision to sack the board, the incompetent way it was handled and the devastating impact it has had on already vulnerable people.

“For as we learned this weekend,” she explained, “Getting the papers prepared for Synod was more important than the lives of survivors. At 12.17 that day Jasvinder phoned me to share the devastating news – I felt like my whole world had crumbled around me. I had trusted the ISB. I had hope. And now that hope had been snatched from me and trampled underfoot.” [at 5.14 on video]

Despite their claims to the contrary, the response of the Council representatives, particularly the Archbishop of York, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, was defensive and self-asserting. In his introductory remarks he said,

“I want you to know Synod, though I can’t make you believe me, but I want you to know, that the decisions we took were some of the most painful decisions I have ever had to be part of in my life and work, but we took them believing them to be the were the right decisions for the safeguarding of the church? Could we have communicated them better? Could things have been different in the past? They are things we can discuss and they are certainly things we can learn from – I do want you to know that my concern has always been for the safeguarding of the church.” [at 18.50 on video]

Read it all.

As a trustee of Anglican Futures I'm biased but this is really good on how the Church of England is just repeating its safeguarding errors during Synod in York.https://t.co/EIRD6KKKu3

— Dan Leafe (@DanLeafe1) July 10, 2023

Many—including a number of leaders of various networks in a letter, subsequently supported by 22 bishops—are arguing the only proper route, given the subject matter, is the usual process of Synodical scrutiny and approval under canon B2. This would require two-thirds support in each of Synod’s three Houses in order to determine the prayers had consensus and were not indicative of a departure from doctrine. This seemingly technical procedural matter raises important questions as to the sort of church we want to be—the update opens by talking about “inclusive participation” (para 1)—and whether any route other than B2 exceeds the powers of non-Synodical bodies on such a contentious matter and is unconstitutional. I have explored these questions in some detail here (with a summary here).

Third, it originally appeared the prayers might be offered for a wide range of non-marital committed relationships. This is now less prominent (although the still undefined and novel category of “covenant friendship” continues to be highlighted) with more focus on same-sex relationships and an emphasis on these being “demonstrably faithful, exclusive, and permanent” (para 12). How a relationship could prove it meets these three criteria remains unclear. Making a legal status act as the gateway is problematic because the service would then appear to be affirming that status and civil partnerships do not require vows. The most contentious matters here are whether they can be used for sexual relationships other than marriage and/or for those in a civil same-sex marriage.

It would appear the bishops originally thought that the prayers, as they are silent in relation to sexual intimacy or the legal status of the couple, had gained sufficient consensus but this now looks less secure. This is in part because while the prayers may be silent and hence ambiguous, to enable their use in such contexts would require a change in teaching relating to sex and marriage. This is something which cannot be so easily camouflaged, which many are unwilling to embrace, and for which there has not yet been sufficient legal and theological justification. The focus of attention has therefore moved from the prayers to the second area of work which was totally undeveloped back in February but where the bishops perhaps should have begun their discernment…’

Read it all (my emphasis).

As part of @churchofengland LLF, Rev Andrew Goddard @goddardaj and our assistant curate Rev Georgina @TechieGeorgina have been having conversations about identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. View their latest conversation (link below) #LivingInLoveAndFaith pic.twitter.com/Ig3RCrzWON

— St John's Hyde Park (@StJohnsHP) January 31, 2023

The Church Times has seen a letter sent on Wednesday by a group of 22 bishops — including nine diocesans — who have written to their colleagues to welcome the letter from the “alliance of network leaders” and to support its call for the Prayers of Love and Faith to be returned to the Synod under Canon B2.

It is understood, however, that a larger group of bishops, believed to number more than 40, have warned against subjecting the prayers to a long, uncertain, and, they argue, unnecessary synodical process. Instead, they call for the prayers to be approved by the Archbishops under Canon B4.2.

(Canon B4.2 states: “The archbishops may approve forms of service for use . . . on occasions for which no provision is made in The Book of Common Prayer or by the General Synod under Canon B2 or by the Convocations under this Canon, being forms of service which in both words and order are in their opinion reverent and seemly and are neither contrary to nor indicative of any departure from the doctrine of the Church of England in any essential matter.”)

The larger group is also thought to suggest that, if a route is taken that delays the use of blessings, some diocesan bishops might break ranks and commend the prayers for immediate use.

Read it all (registration or subscription).

The Church Times has seen a letter sent on Wednesday by a group of 22 bishops — including nine diocesans — who have written to their colleagues to support calls for the Prayers of Love and Faith to be returned to the Synod under Canon B2https://t.co/A5CRZlViBI

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 7, 2023

Christians care about justice. The Bible sets before us a vision of a Kingdom in which the hungry are fed, the sick are healed, and all live in harmony with one another and the created world. We know that it is our duty and joy to build that future Kingdom now, which is why we are so quick to condemn inequality and speak out against poverty.

But, if we are to condemn injustice and inequality when we see it elsewhere, we must also be willing to address it in our own structures. And one area where we stubbornly refuse to do this is finance.

The new Bishop of Liverpool, Dr John Perumbalath, wrote to colleagues recently to outline the severity of his diocese’s financial situation — one that has resulted in urgent engagement with the national Church and a partnership with an independent reviewer to help them identify financial solutions.

This is not because of mistakes on the part of Liverpool diocese; indeed, that diocese has for years benefited from some of the finest financial managers in the Church, and has shown courage and agility in naming and addressing underlying issues. The problem is that it has no inherited assets, whereas the average level of endowment in dioceses nationally is £40 million.

Read it all (registration or subscription).

.@bpblackburn: “If we are one Church, why should not every diocese benefit from that average endowment figure of £40 million? [It] would both wipe out our structural deficit and give us a surplus to invest in mission, without touching the capital sum.”https://t.co/fb7pMrzXPC

— Adrian Hilton💎 (@Adrian_Hilton) July 7, 2023

“Jeremiah 6:16 says to you, “Stand, and see, and ask.” I take these words to be a call to thought and consideration. They are as though the prophet said, “Stop and think. Stand still, pause, and reflect. Look within, behind, and before. Do nothing rashly. What are you doing? Where are you going? What will be the end and consequence of your present line of action? Stop and think.” Now to set men thinking is one great object which every teacher of religion should always keep before him. Serious thought, in short, is one of the first steps toward heaven. “I thought on my ways,” says the Psalmist, “and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies” (Ps 119:59). The prodigal son in the parable “came to himself” before he came to his father. He began to consider quietly the folly and uselessness of his conduct, and then, and not till then, he returned home, saying, “Father, I have sinned” (Luke 15:18). Want of thought is, in truth, the simple cause why many make shipwreck for ever. There are but few, I suspect, who deliberately and calmly choose evil, refuse good, turn their back on God, and resolve to serve sin as sin. The most part are what they are because they began their present course without thought. They would not take the trouble to look forward and consider the consequence of their conduct. By thoughtless actions they created habits which have become second nature to them. They have got into a groove now, and nothing but a special miracle of grace will stop them. That is a solemn charge which Isaiah brings against Israel: “My people doth not consider” (Isa. 1:3). “I never gave it a thought,” is the sad excuse which I have heard many a man or woman in the lower classes make for sin. The words of Hosea are strictly true of thousands: “They consider not in their hearts” (Hos. 7:2).”

–The Upper Room

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— J.C. Ryle (@JCRyle) June 25, 2023

Bishop Philip will serve as the 98th Bishop of the Winchester Diocese, which covers 255 parishes across most of Hampshire and part of Dorset. He will be welcomed at a service of installation in Winchester Cathedral later this year.

Today (6 July), Bishop Philip will be introduced to representatives from across the Diocese of Winchester, first meeting students and staff at St Mark’s Church of England School in Southampton, before visiting the port chaplain at the Mission to Seafarers at Southampton Docks and being introduced to the crew on board a container ship. Bishop Philip will then spend time with representatives from the rural Benefice of Bright Waters, before concluding the day attending a service of Evensong at Winchester Cathedral.

The appointment marks a return to the diocese for Bishop Philip who was born in Hampshire and who studied English Literature at the University of Southampton where he came to Christian faith.

Read it all.

The new Bishop of Winchester, the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen, will be spending some time in his new diocese today – pictures to follow!

Read more about Bishop Philip here: https://t.co/zP6tPhB5fG pic.twitter.com/1eNdLQUXHy

— Diocese of Winchester (@CofEWinchester) July 6, 2023

A General Synod member and survivor advocate, Gavin Drake, has tabled a following motion to ensure that the recent débâcle surrounding the sacking of the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) is up for debate in York.

His motion asks for an independent inquiry into the Church’s safeguarding bodies, policies, and practice — conducted by a senior lawyer, to report within a year, and the report to be debated by the Synod at that time.

It is his second attempt to bring the ISB onto the agenda. His first attempt was ruled out of order because the presentation on the ISB to which it was attached was deemed “free-standing” and not linked to a report.

His new motion, which he confirmed on Tuesday had been accepted, includes a preamble which links his motion directly to the Archbishops’ Council’s annual report, due to be debated on Monday.

Read it all.

https://t.co/WqeuY9qup6

— James Booth (@jamesbooth100) July 4, 2023

The Church of England has launched a new publication outlining its hopes for students, teachers and educators to flourish across the schools system.

Underpinned by the Church’s 2016 Vision for Education, the new document, entitled ‘Our Hope for a Flourishing Schools System’ makes recommendations including a once-in-a-generation re-imagination of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) funding, provision, training and development, wise and compassionate accountability systems for school inspections and performance measures and steps to ensure teaching is again regarded as a vocation in which adults can truly flourish and commit long-term.

The document sets out the importance of collaboration in different local contexts, particularly between schools in smaller rural areas, to ensure every child in every community receives an effective provision.

It concludes with recommendations for four leadership levels: Schools, School Trusts, Dioceses and Government, and invites dialogue and engagement across the sector to develop flourishing partnerships.

Read it all.

Thrilled to launch our new publication – ‘Our Hope for a Flourishing Schools System’ today 🙌

Full story and document download here 👇👇👇👇https://t.co/uq0SAbFSd9

— CofE Education (@CofE_Education) June 30, 2023

The Church of England could rent out parish churches instead of selling them under proposals to deal with dwindling congregations.

At present, churches struggling to fill pews are often merged with other parishes and their buildings sold off.

However, under plans being considered by the General Synod, the Church’s legislative body, buildings would be allowed to lie “fallow” with the option to reopen them in the future.

This could mean renting them out at times and also offering them to other institutions, such as local authorities or even other Christian denominations, under a shared ownership deal.

Read it all.

The Church of England could rent out parish churches instead of selling them under proposals to deal with the crisis of dwindling congregation numbers. Plans emerged in papers ahead of #synod later this week.https://t.co/MG3xaIK0Pk

— Gabriella Swerling (@GabriellaSwerl) July 1, 2023