Mark Vasey-Saunders ViaMedia.News Theological Colleges: Being a Community in the Midst of Disagreement
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church
122 CommentsUpdated Wednesday
The Scottish Episcopal Church has announced today that the disciplinary proceedings against the Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney have been dropped. The Rt Revd Anne Dyer was suspended in August 2022 following complaints of bullying which she has always denied. This brings to an end the suspension of Bishop Dyer, who will resume duties in the Diocese in due course.
Update: The Church Times has a report here.
The full announcement is copied below.
Canon 54 process concludes after review by independent Procurator
October 8, 2024
During the Canon 54 process enacted following complaints made against the Rt Rev Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, the independent Procurator to the Scottish Episcopal Church has kept under continuous review his decision of May this year to take charges to the Clergy Disciplinary Tribunal.
Having maintained that review throughout discussions with involved parties over the past five months, the Procurator, Paul Reid KC, has now decided that it would no longer be in the public interest to pursue the charges, and the Clergy Discipline Tribunal has granted his application to dismiss the proceedings.
In his Note of Reasons explaining his decision not to lead evidence, Mr Reid says: “As with the initial decision to refer allegations to the Tribunal for trial, I have approached each allegation in two stages: (a) is there sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction in respect of the allegation; and (b) whether a prosecution, or the continuation of a prosecution, in respect of each charge is in the ‘public interest’.”
He continues: “I have approached ‘public interest’ in these circumstances by considering the wider Church community and general confidence in the Church.” (more…)
32 CommentsPress release from the Prime Minister’s Office
Appointment of Second Church Estates Commissioner: 7 October 2024
The King has approved the nomination of Marsha de Cordova, Member of Parliament for Battersea, to be appointed as Second Church Estates Commissioner.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 7 October 2024The King has approved the nomination of Marsha de Cordova, Member of Parliament for Battersea, to be appointed as Second Church Estates Commissioner
Marsha de Cordova is the Labour MP for Battersea, and has been an MP since 8 June 2017.
She was educated at London South Bank University studying Law and European Policy Studies. She was born with Nystagmus and is registered blind.
She has worked for numerous charities including Action for Blind People and Thomas Pocklington Trust before founding the charity South East London Vision (SELVis) in 2014. She was elected as a Labour Party councillor for the Larkhall ward on Lambeth Council in 2014.
Marsha has served in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities and Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions) (Disabled People). She also served on the Work and Pensions Select Committee and the Petitions Committee.
There is also a press release from the Church Commissoners.
The Second Church Estates Commissioner answers oral and written questions from MPs in the House of Commons about Church of England matters, is a member of Parliament’s Ecclesiastical Committee, and guides Church of England legislation through the House of Commons. She will be a member of the Church Commissioners’ Board of Governors and an ex-officio member of the General Synod.
26 CommentsBosco Peters Liturgy Male and Female?
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Looking for the Qualities of Leadership in our Bishops
Save The Parish Bishop of Chelmsford challenges the Church’s ‘Vision and Strategy’
This is a transcript of the Bishop’s Church Times Podcast that I linked to here.
Church Times Podcast: Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani: Encouraging the weary with a word
Trevor Thurston-Smith The Pensive Pilgrim Clothes Maketh the Man : Do Vestments Maketh the Priest?
Richard Peers Oikodomeo Why is it so hard to talk about Walsingham?
Stuart Haynes Seen & Unseen How the curious react to creativity in a cathedral
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Holy Spirit failure to update Church operating systems
Anon & Friends Surviving Church Weighing Church of England Safeguarding on the Scales of Justice 5
[the last in the series]
Martyn Percy Surviving Church continuing the series “Weighing Church of England Safeguarding on the Scales of Justice”
Chris Polhill ViaMedia.News 30 Years, 40 Years: And Not Equal Yet
29 CommentsTop 1000 funds Church Commissioners: Managing historic real assets for the future
Rosalind Rutherford ViaMedia.News What do Others Think of Us?
Neil Patterson ViaMedia.News Can the Church of England be Mature about Love?
Martyn Percy Meander Crisis, What Crisis?
Bosco Peters Liturgy Do Churches Really Want More People?
Martyn Percy Surviving Church Weighing Church of England Safeguarding on the Scales of Justice: No. 1: Who Pays?
52 CommentsUpdated Friday evening
As we reported earlier the Church of England’s House of Bishops met today to consider proposals to reform the CNC (Crown Nominations Commission) procedures for nominating diocesan bishops. The proposals are in paragraphs 12 to 14 of HB(24)30. They were accepted with one amendment (which did not alter the proposed change to the CNC procedures) by 27 votes to nine, with three abstentions.
The proposals and their background are summarised in a press release, which is copied below.
The House met in public and there is a report of their debate in the Church Times.
The CNC procedures are part of the standing orders of General Synod. The bishops’ proposed changes must be agreed by the Synod, which next meets in February 2025. Changes to standing orders can come into effect immediately.
Friday evening update
The Church Times has published a further article House of Bishops’ CNC debate rouses ire of central members.
Press release
Bishops back proposals to simplify nomination process for diocesan bishops
18/09/2024
House of Bishops supports proposals to simplify the Crown Nominations Commission process
The House of Bishops has given its support to proposed changes to the process of nominating future diocesan bishops to the Crown, to simplify the process and help enable a broad representation.
The House – which is made up of the diocesan bishops and other senior bishops in the Church of England – agreed to ask General Synod to consider changing the rules governing how Crown Nominations Commissions (CNCs), which nominate future diocesan bishops, operate.
It follows two cases in the last year in which CNCs were unable to reach agreement to fill vacancies for new bishops.
When a see becomes vacant a CNC gathers to consider possible candidates and put forward a name to the King through the Prime Minister. Once the nomination has been approved by the King, the new bishop is announced by Downing Street. (Note: a ‘see’ is the area of a bishop’s authority and jurisdiction.)
In each case the CNC is made up of a combination of representatives from the local diocese and a group of “central members”, elected from the General Synod to represent the national Church.
Following the two recent cases in which the CNC was unable to appoint (for new Bishops of Carlisle and Ely), the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, who chairs the Advisory Group for Appointments and Vocations, suggested a series of changes including to the voting threshold required to make an appointment.
Under the current Standing Orders, at least two thirds of the members of a CNC must support a nomination before it goes forward. That includes any who decide to abstain.
However, as Bishop Sarah explains in a paper to the House, currently, with 14 members on a CNC, this means 10 members must agree, meaning the threshold is in fact above 71 per cent.
Bishop Sarah proposed:
Speaking at the bishops’ meeting in Oxford today, she said: “There is a lack of diversity on the CNC, including gender, race, and theology, which has led to a loss of trust in the process.
“Restoring trust will require the process to be competent, consistent, full of integrity, and compassionate. Ultimately, we need to restore confidence in this discernment process under God.”
The House approved a motion welcoming the recommendations by 27 votes to nine, with three abstentions.
Notes to editors
The motion agreed by the House was:
‘That this House, regretting the difficulties in the recent CNC processes as set out in HB(24)30 welcome the recommendations as set out in paragraphs 12 to 14 of that paper and request that work be undertaken to bring the proposals to Synod.’
51 CommentsThe Church of England has mapped the 2021 Census figures against parishes.
These dashboards provide a 1-page parish summary of national census and deprivation data, mapped onto Church of England parish boundaries (boundaries as of October 2023).
19 Comments‘Graham’ ViaMedia.News Is the Failure to Act on a Safeguarding Disclosure a Disciplinary Offence or Not?
Kelvin Holdsworth What’s in Kelvin’s Head The Beatitudes of Livestreaming
70 CommentsGavin Drake Church Abuse Finally – a glimpse of some good news for Church of England safeguarding (Nazir Afzal)
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love The church’s problem with sex according to Diarmaid
Eric Vanden Eykel Religion News Service What is the Shroud of Turin and why is there so much controversy around it?
10 CommentsThe Bishop of Crediton, the Rt Revd Jackie Searle, has announced that she plans to retire at the end of January 2025.
4 CommentsPippa Bailey The New Statesman The race for Lambeth Palace
“Can the next archbishop of Canterbury unite a divided Church?”
The Church Mouse Why do priests in the Church of England wear robes?
Chantal Noppen ViaMedia.News Rounding up Sheep or Assembling Cats? Governance in the United Reformed Church and the Church of England
Martyn Percy Surviving Church Joining the Dots Christianity – Assessing Alpha
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love The past, the present and the future Church of England
86 CommentsThe Church of England has released its Cathedral Statistics 2023, along with a press release, which is copied below.
Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023
05/09/2024
Coronation Celebrations, cultural initiatives, and sustainability efforts highlight year of positive change.
The Church of England’s latest cathedral attendance statistics reveal continued recovery in 2023, with a five per cent increase in weekly service attendance. Attendance at Christmas services was up 20% year on year and the rise was also reflected in easter services, where attendance was up by 10%.
Cathedrals also experienced a resurgence in visitor numbers, with 9.35 million people visiting in 2023, a 17 per cent increase from 2022. This marks a significant recovery, although overall numbers remain slightly below pre-pandemic levels.
The year was marked by celebrations of King Charles III’s coronation, with cathedrals hosting special services and community events. In addition to worship and national events, cathedrals made notable strides in cultural and sustainability efforts, with exhibitions, civic events and significant energy-saving initiatives and biodiversity projects across the country.
The report, released today, shows a weekly total of 30,300 individuals attended cathedral services each week, reflecting a continued return to in-person worship. (more…)
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Martyn Percy Surviving Church Alpha-Mater
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Doing some theology – a sermon about the boy Jesus in the temple
Sam Rylands The Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication Is church tradition an obstacle to growing young disciples?
47 CommentsMadeleine Davies The New Statesman The rise of cultural Christianity
George Pitcher A Word to the Wise Justin Welby: A case for his defence
‘Graham’ ViaMedia.News Safeguarding: Who is in Charge?
Lucy Winkett Church Times Inclusive Christians must not be silent
[This is a long extract from the sermon that I linked to two weeks ago.]
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Turning conservative evangelical dogma and doctrine in today’s C of E upside down
Gerry Lynch Church Times Star-gazing brings a new perspective
56 CommentsHelen King Independent Is the Church of England safe for children and young people?
The Church Mouse What is the Church’s of England’s doctrine?
Susan Hunt Surviving Church Blackburn and Kenneth -Safeguarding Failures in the Church
Steve Reeves ISB 11 I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do.
108 CommentsMadeleine Davies Church Times
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Mapping the primary activities of today’s Church of England
Giles Fraser UnHerd Why can’t the Church say ‘church’?
135 CommentsAnon ViaMedia.News Clergy Summer Quiz: the Answers!
The Church Mouse How should we pick our bishops
Theo Hobson The Spectator What the Church of England should say to its conservative rebels
77 CommentsColin Coward Unadulterated Love Being a “Nice” Priest or a “Nice” Church
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Thinking about those Involved in the Commissioning Event at Bishopsgate July 2024
Philip Jones Ecclesiastical law The Church Commissioners: England’s Ministry of Religion
David Goodhew The Living Church The Collapse of the Anglican Church of Canada
Lucy Winkett Faith in her future: Empowering women and girls to lead
121 Comments