Assistant Bishop of Bangor announced
One of the first women to become a priest in the Church in Wales will be consecrated as a bishop next month.
Mary Stallard, who has served as Archdeacon of Bangor for the past four years, has been nominated as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Bangor. She will share the leadership of the diocese while the Bishop of Bangor, Andrew John, serves as Archbishop of Wales.
Mary will be consecrated as a bishop at Bangor Cathedral on February 26. The new Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, John Lomas, will also be consecrated at that service…
15 CommentsClare Hayns Consider the Lilies Naomi: bittersweet
Ric Thorpe Premier Christianity Reports of the Church of England’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Here’s where it is thriving
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Wymondham Abbey – Stalemate?
Tim Wyatt Religion Media Centre Factsheet: Sexuality timeline in the Church of England
72 CommentsFollowing last week’s release of the papers for next month’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod there have been a number of press reports and online comments.
Church Times
General Synod to focus on race, trafficking, and persecution
Archbishops’ Council reckons up progress made/not made on racial equality
Angry response to parish reorganisation gives Commissioners pause
Faculty-system reform blows cold air on old-style boilers
Law & Religion UK Their latest round-up includes a summary of the proposed changes to the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules – scroll down to “Net zero” and the faculty jurisdiction.
Daily Mail Church of England will encourage priests to install more carpets and cushions to help buildings retain heat in bid to reach ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions
The Telegraph Church of England set to take ‘softly, softly’ approach by relaxing rules on cushions
Martin Sewell Archbishop Cranmer Is the Church of England about to ban prophets from Synod?
These items are not explicitly on the agenda, but may well come up in Questions.
Ian Paul Psephizo On the appointment of senior leaders in the Church
Church Times – letters from Rebecca Chapman and John Brydon (scroll down)
Trevor Cooper Law & Religion UK Contested heritage – A review of the Church of England guidance
Richard Burridge Church Times Is a Zoom rite a valid form of communion?
“The pandemic has led to eucharistic experiments online. But where is the Bishops’ guidance”
Jeremy Morris Ad fontes Whither Church reform? 1: Problems of the de-centralization agenda
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The Winchester College Review about John Smyth
There is a link to the Review here.
Papers for next month’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod are now available online. There is a list (with links and a note of the day scheduled for their debate) in numerical order below the fold.
GS 2240 Agenda February 2022
14 CommentsHelen King sharedconversations Bake a cake for Living in Love and Faith: how to make your response count
Paul Devonshire Surviving Church “The Patronising Predisposition of Unaccountable Power”. The Cost of Questioning Church Authority
1 CommentThe Bishop of Plymouth, the Right Reverend Nicholas McKinnel, is to retire in August 2022. Plymouth is a suffragan see in the Diocese of Exeter.
13 CommentsThe Guardian view on same-sex weddings in church: the zeitgeist is moving
“The Church of England should follow the example of Anglicans in Wales and Scotland, and give its blessing to gay and lesbian relationships”
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Changing Attitude England’s campaign for equality
Martyn Percy Modern Church A Progressive Union for a Precarious Church
David Power Church Times Time’s up for stipendiary ministry
“The C of E should follow St Paul’s example, not secular trends”
Surviving Church Gangsterism and the Church of England
“Gilo takes a hard critical look at the Safeguarding Culture and the Administration of the Church of England”
Meg Munn Chair of the National Safeguarding Panel Past Cases Review 2 project
51 CommentsPress release from the Church of England
Consultation launched on membership of the Crown Nominations Commission for future Archbishops of Canterbury
14/01/2022
The Archbishops’ Council has launched a consultation on a proposal to change the make-up of the body which nominates future Archbishops of Canterbury.
The proposal would give the worldwide Anglican Communion a greater voice on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for the See of Canterbury.
At present the entire Communion outside of England is represented by just one of the current 16 voting members, compared to six from the Diocese of Canterbury alone.
The proposal would increase the Anglican Communion representatives to five while reducing the number of members from the Diocese to three. As at present, there would also be nine other members from the Church of England, including six elected by General Synod.
The idea originated from the Diocese of Canterbury itself where the Diocesan Synod agreed a motion asking the Archbishops’ Council to consider decrease the representation of the Diocese of Canterbury on future CNCs for the See of Canterbury.
The consultation, which will include key partners from across the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, will run until March 31.
Responses will be collated in the spring with an expectation of a final proposal being put to the General Synod for a vote in July. If approved it would change the Synod’s standing orders, which govern CNCs.
The General Synod, as part of the consultation, will also debate the proposal within the consultation document at its next meeting next month.
Responding to the consultation
The Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Revd Rod Thomas, has announced his intention to retire on 2 October 2022 – see here (scroll down).
75 CommentsPress release from the Prime Minister’s Office – there is more on the Diocese of Salisbury’s website.
Appointment of Bishop of Salisbury: 13 January 2022
The Queen has approved the nomination of The Very Reverend Stephen Lake, Dean of Gloucester, for election as Bishop of Salisbury.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 13 January 2022
The Queen has approved the nomination of The Very Reverend Stephen Lake, Dean of Gloucester, for election as Bishop of Salisbury, in succession to The Right Reverend Nicholas Holtam following his retirement.
Background
Stephen trained for ministry at Chichester Theological College. He served his title at Sherborne Abbey with Castleton and Lillington in the Diocese of Salisbury and was ordained Priest in 1989.
He became Vicar of Branksome St Aldhelm from 1992 and was additionally appointed Rural Dean of Poole in 2000. In 2001, Stephen was appointed Sub Dean of St Albans, and took up his current role as Dean of Gloucester in 2011.
Stephen is a Church Commissioner and Lead Dean for Safeguarding. He is married to Carol and they have three adult children.
48 CommentsStephen Parsons Surviving Church Tutufication of the Church: A Path for the Future?
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Sorting out the disagreements about homosexuality
Harry Williams – Life Abundant or Life Resisting?
Peter Collier Ecclesiastical Law Society 50 Years of Safeguarding – 950 Years of Clergy Discipline: Where do we go from here?
There are links to a YouTube video of a lecture given in December 2021 and to an extended version of the text of the lecture.
There is a summary of the lecture in the Church Times.
News from the Church of England
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced the appointment of the Rev’d Canon Dr Flora Winfield as Third Church Estates Commissioner
11/01/2022
Canon Winfield was ordained deacon in 1989 and priest in 1994. She has worked in parish and cathedral ministry, university and military chaplaincy, ecumenical and Anglican Communion relations, and humanitarian diplomacy, representing the Anglican Communion at the United Nations. Canon Winfield is currently the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Advisor on Reconciliation.
As Third Church Estates Commissioner, Canon Winfield will join the Church Commissioners for England’s Board of Governors and will chair the Mission, Pastoral and Church Property Committee and the Bishoprics and Cathedrals Committee.
Welcoming the appointment, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “Flora has an exceptional record of service to the Church and will be a valuable addition to the Church Commissioners’ leadership.
“I am very pleased that Flora is joining the Church Commissioners, bringing to this role her breadth of ministerial experience, her extensive leadership and theological expertise and her service as a senior member of staff at Lambeth Palace.”
Commenting on her appointment, Canon Winfield said:” I welcome the opportunity to make this contribution to the life and work of the Church of England in a time of change, development and possibility, as we respond to Christ’s call to grow as disciples, building on our historic inheritance and looking forward together with confidence and hope.”
The Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, deputy chair of the Church Commissioners, said: “Flora’s deep faith, experience with the Church at a local and international level and passion for furthering the Kingdom of God makes her an ideal Third Church Estates Commissioner. I am very much looking forward to working with her in this role.”
Canon Winfield has taught ecclesiology and church history and has published books and articles in the field of ecumenical theology. In 2010, she was awarded a DD by Virginia Theological Seminary for her 20 years of service to the Communion as a theologian.
Canon Winfield has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London since 2010, is a Director of the Anglican Alliance, is a member of Chapter at Bradford Cathedral, and a Trustee of the Community of St Andrew. She assumes the role of Third Estates Commissioner on 1 February.
Further information:
Particular priorities for the new Third Commissioner will be:
Theo Hobson The Spectator Divided we stand: Anglicans need to agree to disagree
Stewart Clem The Living Church Building for Humans: a primer on Christian Architecture
Mark Hill Law & Religion UK The Great Strasbourg Bake Off
Paul Hackwood Church Times Church faces a stark choice for the future
“The drive towards centralisation is not working. Power must be shifted downwards to parish clergy”
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church CDM – A Case Study
Safeguarding. A follow-up account of Church discipline in operation
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Collegiality and Tutufication
Duncan Wilson Worship Words A letter to Melchior
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Passionate Church Leadership and the Cause of Justice and Integrity
1 CommentStephen Parsons Surviving Church Diocese of Winchester: Questions about the Future
Paul Hackwood Church Times C of E’s crisis is about more than money
“Behind financial problems lie existential questions about purpose and vision”
Simon Jenkins The Guardian Churches could double as banks, or even serve beer. We can’t leave them empty
“These mainly listed buildings sit at the heart of almost every community – we are squandering a precious legacy”
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love The True Wilderness: Harry Williams’ guide to living from within the depth of experience
32 CommentsMichael Coren tvo For a priest, Christmas week is among the hardest of the year
Jeremy Morris Ad fontes Gold, frankincense – and myth
Archdruid Eileen The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley Christmas and Easter – A Proposed Revision
David Brown Surviving Church The Church of England and its Episcopal Leadership
Martyn Percy Modern Church Rickety Religion (Part Five: Post-Advent Values)
Martyn Percy Modern Church Time, Light, Truth and Christmas Hope
Janet Fife Surviving Church Vignette in the Vestry
42 CommentsMartyn Percy Modern Church Rickety Religion (Part Four: Post-Advent Structures)
Paul Bayes ViaMedia.News Drawing the Line?
44 CommentsThe General Synod of the Church of England will be meet in London on 8-10 February 2022. The outline timetable has been circulated to Synod members and is copied below.
It came with the following note: “The Business Committee has set the timetable for the February 2022 group of sessions, which can be found attached. The current plan is for Synod to meet from Tuesday 8 February to Thursday 10 February, in person at Church House, Westminster. However, we will continue to monitor Government guidance and should this need to change, we will be in touch.”
GENERAL SYNOD: FEBRUARY 2022 TIMETABLE
Tuesday 8 February
1.45 pm – 7.00 pm
Opening worship and introductions, including formal introduction of the Prolocutors and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the House of Laity
Presidential Address
Business Committee Report
Pattern of Meetings 2024-2026
Racial Justice
*5.15 pm Questions
Wednesday 9 February
9.00 am – 12.30 pm
Eucharist
Safeguarding
Legislative Business The Faculty Jurisdiction Rules (Amendment) Rules 2022
1.45 pm – 7.00 pm
Durham DSM: Challenging Slavery and Human Trafficking
Clergy Remuneration Review
Setting God’s People Free
Vision & Strategy group work
Questions
Thursday 10 February
9.00 am – 12.30 pm
Opening worship
Diversity, difference and disagreement: resources for effecting culture change
Motion on the Governance Review Group policy paper
Appointment of Chair of the Appointments Committee
Appointment of Chair of the Dioceses Commission
2.00 pm – 4.30 pm
Lichfield DSM: Persecuted Church
Canterbury CNC
Farewells
*4.30 pm Prorogation
Meetings of Lower Houses of the Convocations and House of Laity
* not later than
Please note that all timings are indicative unless marked with an asterisk
Deadline for receipt of questions: 1200 hrs Thursday 27 January
13 CommentsThe next Dean of Bradford in the diocese of Leeds will be the Revd Andy Bowerman. Here is the diocesan announcement.
22 Comments