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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).
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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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[This is a long extract from the sermon that I linked to two weeks ago.]
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203 CommentsI reported that this bill was included in the recent King’s Speech. It was introduced in the House of Lords today and received its first reading. The second reading is scheduled for 10 September 2024.
The text of the bill and a set of explanatory notes are available, together with a government press release.
The bill will extend the application of the 2015 act for a further five years, specifically to vacancies arising among the Lords Spiritual before 18 May 2030.
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Electronic voting results
Inquiry into Allegations of Abuse within the Soul Survivor Network (Order Paper IV)
Living in Loving and Faith (Order Paper VII)
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187 CommentsThe Very Reverend Nicola Sullivan, Dean of Southwell, has announced her plans to retire later this year. Her last day at the Cathedral will be Sunday 29 September. Full details are on the Southwell Minster website.
3 Comments