Online copies of the papers for the July 2012 meeting of General Synod are starting to appear online; they are listed below, with links and a note of the day they are scheduled for debate. I will update the list as more papers become available.
Updated Tuesday 19 June to add link to GS 1878 (Business Committee report on diocesan synod voting on the Anglican Communion Covenant)
Updated Friday 22 June to add more papers
Update Wednesday 27 June A zip file of all papers is available. As well as papers listed below it includes the first five notice papers and a list of recent appointments.
The Report of the Business Committee (GS 1864) includes a forecast of future business, and I have copied this below the fold.
The Church of England’s own list of papers is presented in agenda order.
GS 1863 Full Agenda
GS 1864 Report by the Business Committee [Friday]
Women Bishops legislation
GS 1708C Draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure [Monday]
GS 1709C Draft Amending Canon No.30 [Monday]
GS 1709D Draft Petition for Her Majesty’s Royal Assent and Licence for Adoption [Monday]
GS 1708-1709ZZ Report from the House of Bishops on Article 7 reference
Other papers for debate
GS 1814B Draft Clergy Discipline (Amendment) Measure [Saturday]
GS 1814Z Report by the Steering Committee
GS 1822A Additional Eucharistic Prayers [Sunday]
GS 1822B Report by the House of Bishops
GS 1853A Draft Diocese in Europe Measure [Saturday]
GS 1859A and GA 1859B Private Member’s Motion: Manifestation of Faith in Public Life [Sunday]
GS 1862 Annual Report of the Archbishops’ Council [Sunday]
GS 1865 World Shaped Mission [Saturday]
GS 1866 Draft Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure [Saturday]
GS 1877 Draft Amending Canon No. 31 [Saturday]
GS 1866X/1877X Explanatory Memorandum
GS 1867 The Church of England Funded Pensions Scheme (Amendment) Rules 2012 [Saturday]
GS 1867X Explanatory Memorandum
GS 1868 The Legal Officers (Annual Fees) Order 2012
GS 1869 The Ecclesiastical Judges, Legal Officers and Others (Fees) Order 2012
GS 1868X/1869X Explanatory Memorandum
[items only to be debated if a synod member requests this]
GS 1870 Fresh Expressions and Church Growth: Report from the Mission and Public Affairs Council [Saturday]
GS 1871 Fresh Expressions in the Mission of the Church
GS 1872 The Archbishops’ Council’s Draft Budget and Proposals for Apportionment for 2013 [Sunday]
GS 1873 Testing the Bridges: Understanding the Role of the Church amidst Riots, Disturbances and Disorder [Sunday]
GS 1874A and GS 1874B Private Member’s Motion: Palestine and Israel [Tuesday]
GS 1875A and GS 1875B Diocesan Synod Motion: Vacancy in See Committees [Tuesday]
GS 1876A and GS 1876B Private Member’s Motion: Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 [Contingency Business]
GS 1878 Anglican Communion Covenant: Draft Act of Synod – Report by the Business Committee on the reference to the dioceses.
Church Commissioners’ annual report 2011 [Saturday]
The Church School of the Future Review [Monday]
Other Papers
GS Misc 1020 Membership of Boards, Councils and Committees
GS Misc 1023 Dioceses Commission Annual Report
GS Misc 1024 Activities of the Archbishops’ Council
GS Misc 1025 Pursuing the three Quinquennium Goals
GS Misc 1026 The Report of the Meissen Commission 2007-2011
GS Misc 1027 A response from the Church of England on the Government Consultation on Same-Sex Marriage
GS Misc 1028 Background Press Questions and Answers re: Women in the Episcopate
GS Misc 1029 Clergy Discipline Annual Report
GS Misc 1030 Analysis of Mission Funds and Appendix A and Appendix B
GS Misc 1031 Higher Education Validation Partnership
HB (12) M1 House of Bishops: Summary of Decisions
Forecast of future General Synod business
This forecast should not be read as more than a broad indication of business that may come to the Synod in 2013.
Legislative business
February 2013
July 2013
Liturgical business
Reports
Diocesan Synod Motions and Private Members’ Motions
One or more Diocesan Synod Motions and one or more Private Members’ Motions are customarily included in the Agenda for each group of sessions.
Do the Business Coomittee really think that if General Synod members consider the voting figures for afew months they will decide to have the Covenant back and vote for it after all? Considering all the pressure exerted by the Bishops it is a miracle that 26 Dioceses voted against and small wonder that a majority of lay people followed their Bishops and voted in favour.
I see that GS Misc 1027 is being provided to the members of General Synod – but I couldn’t see where in the Agenda members of Synod were going to have a chance to discuss it? Can Synod buffs enlighten me as to when this might happen (I think I want to be there to watch)? I do hope that some members of Synod will have the chance to tell the AbC and the AbY and the rest of the House of Bishops to their faces that on this occasion their “tireless efforts” are not really appreciated by the rest… Read more »
I too was frustrated, though not entirely surprised, by the business committee’s approach to the Covenant. “We want to change the rules about how the voting should have worked.” “It was only defeated by a small amount.”
The fact is that it’d did not gain the necessary approval to proceed. They cannot keep twisting the facts to try again and again.
I also note that the House of Bishops report covers the submission giving “the Church’s view” on marriage equality. I anticipate that will give rise to some questions!
“HB (12) M1 House of Bishops: Summary of Decisions”: “10. The House considered a draft response to the Government’s consultation document on Same-Sex Marriage, to be submitted before the close of the consultation period on 14 June 2012. The House endorsed the general shape of the response, considered a number of detailed suggestions regarding the content of the draft and invited the Archbishops to finalise the draft in the light of the discussion.” It would be useful to know if this endorsement was unanimous. Are any prepared to break ranks and denounce this travesty of truth and justice. Now that… Read more »
Oh dear! Although the FE paper isn’t available online, the synopsis doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. “Three cheers for FE, it’s brought limited numerical growth; now let’s invent an ecclesiology for it. Oh, and throw in the word ‘dynamic’ ‘cos it sounds good.”
Can these folk spell ‘theology’? Or are they all subsidised by Ronald McDonald? As a devout reader of ‘For the Parish’ and its devastating critique of (eg) the ‘Homogenous Unit Principle’, I am unenthused but sadly unsurprised.
“GS Misc 1028 Background Press Questions and Answers re: Women in the Episcopate” This is a very cleverly written piece of prose that affects to put at rest the minds of those people who think that Women Bishops ought to be given the same responsibilities in the Church as Male Bishops. In fact, in giving in to the requirements of the Anti-Women lobby, the house of Bishops is making it very clear that a Woman Bishop’s authority will not actually be involved in the granting of implicit permission to an ‘untainted’ Male Bishop to minister in her stead and in… Read more »