The next Bishop of Warwick is to be Canon Timothy Lomax. Details are in a Government press release, copied below, and on the Coventry diocesan website.
Suffragan Bishop of Warwick: 11 September 2026
The King has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Dr Timothy Michael Lomax, BEd Hons, DipTh, MA, DMin, to the Suffragan See of Warwick, in the Diocese of Coventry.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published: 11 September 2026
This appointment was approved by The King on the advice of the previous Prime Minister.
The King has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Dr Timothy Michael Lomax, BEd Hons, DipTh, MA, DMin, Director of Mission and Ministry and Residentiary Canon of St Albans Cathedral, to the Suffragan See of Warwick, in the Diocese of Coventry, in succession to the Right Reverend John Stroyan, BA, MTheol, BA, following his retirement.
Tim was educated at Nottingham University and Asbury Theological Seminary, Kentucky, and trained for ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He served his title at St Philip Penn Fields, Wolverhampton, in the Diocese of Lichfield and, in 2008, he was ordained priest. From 2010, Tim Lomax served as Vicar at Christ Church, Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury.
From 2016, Tim served as Director of Mission, in the Diocese of St Albans and in 2020, he was appointed to his current role as Director of Mission and Ministry, additionally serving as Residentiary Canon of St. Albans Cathedral.
Tim is married to Kate and they have three grown up children.
0 CommentsUpdated to add link to House of Commons library briefing.
The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who is a Roman Catholic, today made the written statement below.
Statement made by
Andy Burnham
Prime Minister
Labour
Makerfield Commons
Statement
I am making this statement to bring to the House’s attention steps the Government is taking regarding Church appointments.
Restrictions set out in the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 and the Jews Relief Act 1858 prevent persons professing the Roman Catholic and Jewish faiths only from advising the Sovereign on appointments to the Church of England and Church of Scotland. I have therefore transferred my constitutional responsibility to advise the Sovereign on Church appointments to the Lord Chancellor.
It is, however, unacceptable for there to be a legislative bar against people of any faith performing all the functions of my office. The Government will therefore introduce a Bill at the earliest possible opportunity to correct this antiquated and archaic anomaly.
Update: There is also this House of Commons library briefing: Historic restrictions on members of the Catholic and Jewish faiths.
32 CommentsWe reported in April that the Bishop of Salisbury had stepped back from ministry. The Church of England has now issued the following press release.
Clergy Discipline complaints against Bishop of Salisbury
07/09/2026
An investigation into allegations of financial misconduct by the Bishop of Salisbury Stephen Lake has concluded. A disciplinary complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure has now been brought against him.
Subsequent to these allegations, concerns relating to Bishop Stephen’s conduct were raised with the National Safeguarding Team. These have been taken very seriously and responded to according to House of Bishops Code of Practice. A second and separate disciplinary complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure has been brought against Bishop Stephen in relation to these concerns.
Bishop Stephen remains stepped back from ministry.
If this statement causes distress, support is available through the independent Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the diocesan safeguarding team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org.
Other support services are also available.
23 Commentspress release 3 September: Rosie Slater-Carr appointed Chief Executive of Church Commissioners for England
Rosie Slater-Carr has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Church Commissioners for England, which supports the Church of England’s mission and ministry across the country.
As Chief Executive, she is responsible for overseeing the Church Commissioners’ £11.6bn endowment fund. The fund contributes about a fifth of the Church’s running costs every year, as well as providing a range of vital services to the Church.
Rosie has been Interim Chief Executive since March, having stepped up from her previous role of Chief Operating Officer (COO)…
…Rosie joined the Church Commissioners as Chief Operating Officer in 2020, having previously worked as Chief Information Officer at the British Red Cross, as IT Director at The Children’s Society, and as a part-time Lecturer in Quantitative Methods and Philosophy of Science at Birkbeck College, University of London. She also worked at IBM and PA Consulting.
She holds a degree in PPE from Oxford and an MSC in Cognitive Science and Informatics.
As background to this, it seems that we failed to report the resignation of her predecessor on 30 March this year. John Worth had been in post for less than a year. Here are the relevant press releases
John Worth steps down as Chief Executive of the Church Commissioners
John Worth appointed Chief Executive of Church Commissioners for England
28 CommentsThe Church Times reports: Campaigners call for removal of senior church officers ‘resisting’ safeguarding reforms
THE senior church officers who, according to an INEQE review, are resisting safeguarding reforms, must be “removed from influence”, a group of campaigners have told the Archbishops.
The letter, sent on Sunday and signed by 20 people — including both complainants and respondents in safeguarding cases — calls for an “independent urgent review” of safeguarding in the Church…
The letter described in this article can be read in full here.
42 CommentsThe Church of England has released its Cathedral Statistics 2025, and an accompanying press release which is copied below.
Attendance at Cathedral services rises for fifth year running
31/07/2026
A total of 32,600 people attended weekly services – such as Evensong, Morning and Evening Prayer or Sunday Eucharist – at Church of England cathedrals in 2025. Sunday attendance was up notably among adults, at eight per cent higher than in 2024.
(more…)
It has been announced from 10 Downing Street that the next Bishop of Leeds is to be the Rt Revd Toby Howarth, currently Area Bishop of Bradford in the diocese of Leeds. There is further coverage on the Leeds diocesan website.
11 CommentsAppointment of the Bishop of Leeds: 31 July 2026
This appointment was approved by The King on the advice of the previous Prime Minister.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published: 31 July 2026The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Dr. Toby Matthew Howarth, Suffragan Bishop of Bradford in the Diocese of Leeds, for election as Bishop of Leeds, in succession to The Right Reverend Nicholas Baines following his retirement.
Background
Toby was educated at Yale University, Birmingham University and the Free University of Amsterdam, and trained for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He served his title at St. Augustine, in the Diocese of Derby, and was ordained Priest in 1993. From 1995, Bishop Howarth served as a study partner with Crosslinks and The Netherlands Reformed Mission League in India and, in 2000, he was appointed Evangelist at the Pilgrim Father’s Church in Rotterdam. From 2002, Toby served as Tutor with the Church Mission Society at Crowther Hall, Selly Oak, in the Diocese of Birmingham and was made Vice-Principal in 2003.
In 2004, Bishop Howarth was appointed as Priest-in-Charge, Springfield St. Christopher, additionally serving as Inter-Faith Adviser to the Bishop of Birmingham from 2005. He served as Secretary for Inter-Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury and National Adviser for Inter-Religious Affairs from 2011.
In 2014, Bishop Howarth took up his current role as Bishop of Bradford, and has been serving additionally as Acting Bishop of Leeds since 2025.
The Ineqe Safeguarding Group has released its Second Annual Report covering the Independent Safeguarding Audits of the Church of England.
There is a covering statement from the Lead Auditor, Jim Gamble. This is copied in full below the fold.
The Church Times has published this news article: Church of England safeguarding progress being resisted at high level, says INEQE
The full report can be downloaded from here. Two paragraphs from the Foreword:
…In last year’s annual report, we expressed concern that some areas were delaying the adoption of recommendations, choosing instead to wait for the outcome of the Future of Church Safeguarding Report. We warned then that risk does not pause, meaning safeguarding cannot wait. A year later, only the excuse has changed: auditors now hear that some are waiting for the outcome of the Safeguarding Structures Programme. I wonder what we will hear next year, but our core message remains the same: ignoring evidence-based recommendations invites risk. While it makes sense to wait for decisions on wider structural issues beyond parish and diocesan operational delivery, stalling on the reconfiguration of frontline teams makes no sense. Furthermore, the audit identified no evidence that would justify delaying operationally independent Directors of Safeguarding covering dioceses and cathedrals.
Crucially, the primary inhibitors of progress do not stem from senior clergy, most of whom demonstrate a genuine desire for change. Instead, they are structural and, in certain cases, institutional. They arise from
a small group of influential senior officers at the diocesan level and certain individuals within the national Church. This resistance manifests in unhelpful and frustrating ways, such as a readiness to hide behind exceptionalism, canon law, tradition, and procedural defensiveness. It is evident in the pushback against recommendations designed to secure the operational independence of safeguarding (including the Director of Safeguarding role), in challenges to the scope of the audits, and in unresolved conflicts of interest, specifically, where those advising the Church as an institution are simultaneously expected to provide ‘safeguarding-first’ advice. Though those responsible are few in number, their impact is disproportionately significant, and this must be addressed…
The voting lists from this month’s meeting of General Synod are now available; see separate post. Readers may be particularly interested in how the bishops voted (or did not vote) on Helen King’s private member’s motion on same-sex relationships. The motion, as amended, was
That this Synod
a) affirm that all baptised, believing and faithful persons regardless of sexual orientation are full members of the Body of Christ;
b) delight in the lives and ministries of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England;
c) recognise a legitimate range of theological perspectives, held in good conscience, across the Church of England, on the right ordering of committed, faithful, intimate same-sex relationships, and;
d) recognise that this includes views that affirm and views that reject the position that there are no fundamental objections to being in such a relationship and that such a relationship can be entirely compatible with Christian discipleship and ministry.
It was lost as the bishops voted 14 to 11 against, with 4 abstentions. Here are the names from the published list.
Bishops For
Bishops Against
Bishops Abstaining
There are 53 members of the House of Bishops, although some places are vacant. Those who did not vote were:
Diocesan bishops are numbers 1 to 42; Dover (ex officio) is 43, the Bishop to the Forces is 44, and the elected suffragans are 45 to 53. Note that suffragan bishops who attend Synod to represent their diocese during a vacancy in see are not eligible to vote, unless, like Sherborne, they happen to also be one of the elected suffragans.
89 CommentsThe electronic voting results from this month’s meeting of General Synod are now available online. These contain the names of voting members and how they voted.
The full text of motions can be found in the official record of Business Done.
It was announced yesterday that the Revd Canon Andrew Dodd will be the next Dean of Coventry. He is currently Canon Treasurer at Canterbury Cathedral. The full announcement is here.
26 CommentsAs most readers will be aware General Synod debated a private member’s motion on same-sex relationships on Monday. After amendment it was put to the vote in the following form
That this Synod
a) affirm that all baptised, believing and faithful persons regardless of sexual orientation are full members of the Body of Christ;
b) delight in the lives and ministries of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England;
c) recognise a legitimate range of theological perspectives, held in good conscience, across the Church of England, on the right ordering of committed, faithful, intimate same-sex relationships, and;
d) recognise that this includes views that affirm and views that reject the position that there are no fundamental objections to being in such a relationship and that such a relationship can be entirely compatible with Christian discipleship and ministry.
It was lost following a counted vote by houses. The voting was as follows:
For Against Recorded Abstentions Bishops 11 14 4 Clergy 93 79 0 Laity 101 83 0
In a vote by houses there has to be majority in favour in each house for the motion to be passed. As the majority of bishops voted against, the motion was lost even though the total votes were 205 in favour and 176 against.
The motion was originally proposed by Helen King, but illness meant that she was unable to attend Synod in person and the motion was proposed by Muriel Robinson. Synod members were provided with papers by Professor King and by the Secretary General.
Helen King attended remotely and has written about the debate here: Synod At Home (3) – Long Monday.
There is a Church Times report here: Motion affirming no fundamental objections to ‘committed, intimate, same-sex’ relationships falls in House of Bishops, and Colin Coward has blogged here: The House of Bishops does not control our intimate, sexual lives.
165 CommentsThis post will be updated as the meeting proceeds.
The Church of England’s General Synod is meeting this weekend. The timetable is here, the agenda is here and the papers are here.
Live video etc
All sessions are streamed live on YouTube and remain available to view afterwards. Links have been provided in advance.
Order papers
Notice papers
Business Done
Official press releases
Press reports and comment etc
Church Times
Helen King
The Guardian
The 239 Questions (and answers) for this weekend’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod were issued today. They can be found online here:
There are two sessions scheduled for Questions: on Friday afternoon (not later than 5.35 pm) and Saturday morning (not later than 11.45 am).
Update Friday
The answers to some questions include material not suitable for inclusion in the questions booklet. This material is displayed on the noticeboard at Synod, and is included in this Addendum to Questions.
Update Saturday
There is further additional material.
7 CommentsThe Bishop of Bedford, the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, has announced that he will retire at the end of this year. Details are on the St Albans diocesan website.
21 CommentsUpdated 7 July and 8 July
Eighty-two members of the General Synod have written to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York asking why a fringe event and exhibition space at the July 2026 Synod have been approved. The letter asks the Archbishops to exercise their discretionary powers as Presidents to uphold the Church’s safeguarding guidance and the ethos of the Church of England.
The announcement of the fringe event can be seen here.
The text of the letter is published at Unadulterated Love: Letter to Archbishops objecting to Synod event in support of “Conversion Therapy” and is copied in full below the fold.
Robert Thompson has written a further reflection on this issue, which is published at ViaMedia.News: The Body We Are Becoming: Ecclesiology, Safeguarding and the Common Life of General Synod
Update 7 July
The Telegraph reports:
A Church of England spokesman said: “A General Synod member has applied to host a Synod fringe meeting and related public display on ‘sexual identity transformation’ at the forthcoming General Synod meeting at the University of York. The organiser has made clear both will challenge the principles of a ban on conversion practices.
“Following careful consideration, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York have informed the Synod member that their fringe meeting, as a private discussion for Synod members and invited guests, may go ahead as planned, but has declined permission for the associated stand and public display.
“In 2017, the General Synod voted, by a large majority, in favour of a ban on conversion practices. A publicly visible display would act as a public statement contrary to that stated position and is not appropriate in the circumstances.”
Update 8 July
In the archbishops’ letter to those who wrote to them about this, they also say:
“The University of York have made certain requests in relation to the meeting. If the meeting is to take place, the organiser will need to meet these requests which concern the name of the event, the display of signage and a disclaimer.”
The Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York from 10 to 14 July. The agenda and papers for the meeting were released today.
There are links to the papers below the fold, grouped by the day on which they are due to be debated. There are also a number of GS Misc papers and items of deemed and contingency business. (more…)
18 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York next month. The papers were released today along with the following press release. I will publish a detailed list of papers later today.
National unity and global challenges on agenda in final meeting of current Synod
25/06/2026
A call for Christians to promote national unity in a time of polarisation and the theological case for protecting the planet are among the national and global issues being considered at the upcoming meeting of General Synod.
Members of Synod, the Church of England’s national assembly, will gather in York from July 10 to 14 for the last group of sessions of their five-year term, ahead of elections in the autumn.
In addition to key legislation on subjects such as clergy conduct rules and the Abuse Redress Scheme, Synod will be discussing a wide range of challenges facing the church and nation from a Christian perspective.
Members will spend time discussing questions of national unity and the role of the church in a time of social, economic and technological change.
In a paper published today, the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, who chairs the Church of England’s Bishops’ Working Group for Promoting Unity in our Nation, looks at factors causing fragmentation and argues: “As the Established Church, we should model a healthy sense of patriotism.”
Also among the materials published today is “Hope for All Creation: A theological response to the environmental crises” – a landmark new theological text, or teaching document, from the House of Bishops, produced by the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission (FAOC).
It offers a theological framework for understanding and responding to environmental crises including climate change, drawing from the Anglican tradition and the life and worship of the Church.
It comes as Synod prepares to give final approval to a significant change to the ecclesiastical calendar by introducing a new annual “Festival of Creation in Christ”, which includes prayers and readings reflecting God’s creation.
Another key liturgical change due for final approval is the introduction of an annual commemoration of the “21 Martyrs of Libya” – a group of Christian men who were killed for their faith in Christ by Isis terrorists 10 years ago. The annual commemoration will be a vivid reminder of how Christians are still persecuted around the world today.
Papers published today also include the final outputs of the Church of England’s Trust and Trustworthiness project, carried out over almost five years and drawing from in-depth interviews with people across the Church.
There will also be debates on other motions, including some brought by individual members and dioceses. Subjects to be discussed include: looked-after children and care-leavers; neurodivergence; Israel and Palestine; and the church’s response to same-sex relationships.
Synod will also receive an update from the Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon Programme on the progress being made in response to the ambition set by Synod in 2020 for the Church to work towards reaching net zero carbon emissions.
There will also be an update on safeguarding work from the new Lead Bishop for Safeguarding, Robert Springett.
7 CommentsThe Church of England yesterday published its final report on the recommendations of the Makin Review and the work of the Task and Finish Group. In addition to the report there was a press release, which is copied below.
Final report published on response to Makin recommendations
23/06/2026
The Church of England has today published its final report on the recommendations of the Makin Review and the work of the Task and Finish Group, including updates on actions in response to the independent review into the abuse carried out by John Smyth. (more…)
53 CommentsThe full set of papers for next month’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod is due to be published on 25 June. But a few are already available; they are listed below.
GS Misc Papers
Deemed and Contingency Business
