Updated Tuesday 27 January and Thursday 29 January
Most papers for next month’s meeting of General Synod are now online. Links will be added to the list below as the remainder become available.
Agenda
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Special Agenda I – Legislative Business
Papers for debates
The scheduled day for debate is appended.
GS 1642B Draft Amending Canon No. 28 [Tuesday]
GS 1642C Petition for Her Majesty’s Royal Assent and Licence [Tuesday]
GS 1642Z Report by the House of Bishops
GS 1683B Draft Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure [Tuesday]
GS 1683Z and Report by the Steering Committee
GS 1692A Draft Vacancies in Suffragan Sees and Other Ecclesiastical Offices Measure [Thursday]
GS 1693A Draft Crown Benefices (Parish Representatives) Measure [Thursday]
GS 1692-3Y Report by the Revision Committee
GS 1699 Revised Forty-Third Report of the Standing Orders Committee [Wednesday]
First Notice Paper
GS 1707 Women in the Episcopate [Wednesday]
GS 1708 Draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure [Wednesday]
GS 1709 Draft Amending Canon No. 30 [Wednesday]
GS 1710 Illustrative Code of Practice
GS 1708-10X Explanatory Memorandum
GS 1712 Report by the Business Committee [Monday]
GS 1713 Church as Communion [Monday]
GS 1714 Review of Constitutions [Tuesday]
GS 1715 Ecclesiastical Fees (Amendment) Measure [Tuesday]
GS 1715X Explanatory Memorandum
GS 1716 Anglican Covenant [Thursday]
GS 1717 Church of England Funded Pensions Scheme (Debt Apportionment) (Amendment) Rules 2008 [Thursday]
GS 1717X Explanatory Memorandum
GS 1718 Church of England Funded Pensions Scheme (Exclusion of ineligible Persons) (Amendment) Rules 2008 [Thursday]
GS 1718X Explanatory Memorandum
GS 1719 Implications of the Financial Crisis and the Recession [Thursday]
GS 1720 Inter Faith: Presence and Engagement [Thursday]
GS Misc 898 revised and GS Misc 898A Revised Diocesan Synod Motion: Voice of the Church in Public Life [Tuesday]
GS Misc 903A and GS Misc 903B Private Member’s Motion: Membership of Organisations which Contradict the Duty to Promote Race Equality [Tuesday]
GS Misc 904A and GS Misc 904B Private Member’s Motion: Church Water Bills [Wednesday]
GS Misc 905A and GS Misc 905B Uniqueness of Christ in Multi-Faith Britain [Wednesday]
GS Misc 906A and GS Misc 906B Diocesan Synod Motion: Human Trafficking [Wednesday]
GS Misc 907A and GS Misc 907B Diocesan Synod Motion: The Future of Church of England Retreat Houses [Thursday]
GS Misc 908A and GS Misc 908B Diocesan Synod Motion: Justice and Asylum Seekers [Friday]
GS Misc 909A and GS Misc 909B Diocesan Synod Motion: Climate Change and the Church’s property [Friday]
GS Misc 911A and GS Misc 911B Eucharistic Worship for Young People [contingency business]
Other papers circulated to members of the General Synod
GS Misc 900 The 36th Report of the Central Stipends Authority 2008
GS Misc 902 Update on Forecast Archbishops’ Council Expenditure 2008
GS Misc 910 The Governance of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion
GS Misc 912 Moral, But No Compass A Report to the C of E from the Von Hugel Institute Background paper from the Rt Revd Stephen Lowe, Bishop for Urban Life and Faith
GS Misc 913 Financial Prospects for the Church of England
GS Misc 914 Activities of the Archbishops’ Council
GS Misc 915 Reflections on how Decisions are Made
A Church of England Approach to the Unique Significance of Jesus Christ A paper prepared by Dr Martin Davie for the Theological Group of the House of Bishops
Fellow Episcopalians take note: Colin Podmore’s paper (GS MISC 910) on Church of England ecclesiology takes a very high view of the office of a bishop and the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Though the authority of a bishop is not to be exercised except synodically, and not without consulting priests and laypeople, Podmore’s analysis maintains that priests and laypeople do not have authority equal to that of the bishops. (My own attempt to understand this: It’s a little as if the British form of governing authority, always understood as King-in-Parliament, mapped to a reality in which the monarch… Read more »
cf: GS 1707 – Report on ‘Women in the Episcopate – “33. From our different perspectives within the Group – which, of course, include continuing differences over the decision reached in July and the mandate it set for the final phase of our work – we are united in regarding the holding together of as many people as possible within the family of the Church of England as the goal towards which everyone should strive. We earnestly pray this will be possible when women as well as men are consecrated to the episcopate.” From this paragraph of the Report by… Read more »
Charlotte
I am about to publish a separate article on this specific topic. Please would readers make any further comments about the CofE and the Covenant on that thread and not on this one.
4.25 The Primates Meeting and the A.C.C. “A statement made by the Primates’ Meeting is a statement by a meeting whose members have an inherent authority by virtue of their episcopal ordination and of the offices that they hold in their individual churches. It thus carries significant weight, but not the same weight as a resolution of the episcopate of the Communion as a whole.” – Colin Podmore’s Paper G.S.Misc. 9.10 – This an interesting revelation by Colin Podmore – that the Primates’ Council, though important as representing the Heads of the various Provincial Churches of the Anglican Communion, is… Read more »
“This view of Anglican ecclesiology has (actually) no direct relation to the current controversies in the Communion….the broad majority of Episcopalians think of bishops primarily as administrators or executives, carrying out policies decided by democratic processes.” And this is a huge problem. The Church is not a democracy. It is not the Republic of God, and God is not a president. That our selection of our leaders, and our process of doctrinal definition, has the appearance of democracy is immaterial. For instance, when we choose a bishop, we are, ideally, seeking and asking for discernment of the will of God.… Read more »
Ford
“And this is a huge problem. The Church is not a democracy.”
So what if, in some churches, the Spirit works through democratic processes?
All it means is that the discernment process is structured differently. That does not necessarily mean that a democratic discernment process is “us” focused rather than God-focused or God-inspired.
“That does not necessarily mean that a democratic discernment process is “us” focused rather than God-focused or God-inspired” Not necessarily, of course. But it can easily get to be about us if we don’t keep clear about how it is we are making decisions. That’s why, like I said elsewhere, I have misgivings about some of TEC’s decisions rather than condemn them outright like conaservatives do. I am not willing to judge that everyone in TEC is out to get votes for their positions. But it DOES look that way on times, conservatives certainly see it, and I think it… Read more »
Ford
I don’t think there is any system of church governance involving human beings that is free from possible corruption, power games or even simply misunderstanding what God is telling us.
I have at least as many difficulties with the Magisterium or the CoE method of appointing bishops as I do with TEC’s more democratic approach.
All principles have pros and cons, all will result in some good discernment and in some errors.
So I could not say that one system presented more of a problem than another.