Updated again Wednesday
See report of previous meeting here.
There is a further meeting this week, from Monday to Wednesday, of the Church of England College of Bishops, to discuss what actions to take in relation to Living in Love and Faith. See here for the programme of meetings, leading up to the General Synod meeting in February.
“Bishops will gather for two days to draft the outcomes of the discernment process.”
Several articles have appeared in the past few days. (The first two items are behind a paywall.)
Steven Croft was interviewed in the Telegraph on Saturday: The Bishop of Oxford: ‘The Church is seen as unjust because of its treatment of LGBTQ+ people’
Justin Welby was interviewed in The Times on Monday: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby chooses silence on gay marriage
Marcus Green wrote this on his blog: Patiently
Jayne Ozanne wrote this on Via Media.News: An Open Letter to Bishops – Your Pastoral Charge
Equal has published Vigils for Equal Marriage while the bishops meet
Christian Today Welby staying quiet on LGBT views
Religion News Service Catherine Pepinster Church of England bishops head for showdown on marriage for same-sex couples
ViaMedia.News Charlie Bell Unity and the Myth of Neutrality
Premier Christianity Christopher Landau Welby won’t give his opinion on gay marriage. Perhaps Dietrich Bonhoeffer can help
I will update this article if other items appear.
41 CommentsThe House of Lords debated UK Asylum and Refugee Policy on 9 December. The Archbishop of Canterbury moved
That this House takes note of the principles behind contemporary United Kingdom asylum and refugee policy, and of the response to the challenges of forced migration.
Several other bishops also took part in the debate. The full Hansard record can be found here, or more conveniently perhaps as a PDF file over here.
The Church of England in Parliament website provides links to the speeches of each bishop:
The House of Lords Library had prepared a briefing note for this debate which is worth reading.
The Church Times has published a report of this debate here: UK’s treatment of asylum-seekers is wasteful and cruel, says Welby.
The Archbishop of Canterbury referred in his response to the debate to a document which had been mentioned, from Policy Exchange. Here is a link to that document. (Three essays on the morality of asylum by Nigel Biggar, John Finnis and Richard Ekins. Foreword by Dr Michael Nazir-Ali.)
Updated 14 December
Press release from the Prime Minister’s Office. The Bishop of Ebbsfleet replaces the former Bishop of Maidstone and will minister to complementarian evangelical parishes throughout the Church of England. There is more detail in this Church of England press release.
Appointment of Suffragan Bishop of Ebbsfleet: 9 December 2022
The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Dr Robert Munro to the Suffragan See of Ebbsfleet, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
Published 9 December 2022
The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Dr Robert Munro, Rector of the Benefice of St Mary’s Cheadle with St Cuthbert’s, in the Diocese of Chester, and Rural Dean of Cheadle, to the Suffragan See of Ebbsfleet, in the Diocese of Canterbury. This is in succession to The Right Reverend Rod Thomas following his retirement in a national role previously conducted by the Suffragan See of Maidstone.
Rob was educated at Bristol University and trained for ordained ministry at Oakhill Theological College. He was ordained Priest in 1994, served his title at St John the Baptist, Hartford, in the Diocese of Chester, and in 1997, was appointed Rector of St Wilfrid, Davenham.
In 2003, Rob was appointed to his current post as Rector of St Mary’s Cheadle with St Cuthbert’s, and completed his D.Min from Reformed Theological Seminary, USA. He has served three terms as Chair of the House of Clergy, and on the General Synod and the Dioceses’ Commission.
Update
The Chester diocesan website has this article which includes a link to a video of the Bishop of Chester interviewing the new bishop.
20 CommentsThe Church of England has released its Statistics for Mission 2021 and the following press release. The annual Statistics for Mission return collects attendance and participation information from across the Church of England. Also available is an excel file of detailed diocesan figures. Statistics for earlier years are available here.
Statistics for Mission 2021 published
06/12/2022
Attendance at Church of England parishes rose sharply last year compared to 2020, but continued to be affected by Covid measures, new statistics from the Church of England show.
Average weekly attendance, which includes Sundays and midweek attendance, grew to 605,000 in 2021 compared to 345,000 in 2020. But it was lower than in 2019 when average weekly attendance stood at 854,000 people.
The number of baptisms and weddings grew in 2021 compared to 2020, with 26,500 marriages and services of prayer and dedication after civil marriage and 55,200 baptisms or thanksgiving services for a child.
Many churches continued to provide ‘church at home’ services in 2021, offered online, by phone, post, email, and other means amid a range of Covid restrictions.
It comes as separate figures show the number of people praying online has continued to grow sharply over the past year with downloads of the Church of England’s Daily Prayer audio at 3.2 million so far in 2022 – 62% higher than 2021 when it was launched. Total downloads now stand at 5.2 million.
Daily Prayer audio – across the Daily Prayer podcast and app – has now reached more than 1.1 million unique listeners.
Meanwhile, figures from the Church of England’s digital channels show that social media content – prayers, Bible verses, reflection content, good news stories and encouragement – have been seen more than 65 million times this year so far.
This amounts to approximately 1.3 million impressions per week with content seen roughly 190,000 times a day.
And the Church of England’s national online service averages around 150,000 views a week with an average of 300 written comments a week from regular online worshipping communities.
Dr Ken Eames, author of the Statistics for Mission 2021 report, from the Church of England’s Data Analysis team, said: “2021 was another year of Covid-related disruption for churches, as the figures in this report show.
“The figures from 2020 and 2021 describe the extraordinary times that churches and their communities have been through and need to be understood in that context.
“My expectation is that we will see a further return of worshippers to churches in 2022.”
In his summary to the report, he remarks that clergy, lay leaders and congregations had shown an “impressive and encouraging” adaptability throughout an uncertain year that was still affected by Covid restrictions.
The summary adds: “The pandemic continued to have an impact on the life of the Church of England, with some churches being closed for worship for parts of 2021 and some members of congregations continuing not to attend in-person services. It would be very surprising, therefore, if Church of England attendance and participation in 2021 returned to their pre-pandemic levels.
“This report should be treated as a summary of another anomalous year, indicating the extent to which things have ‘bounced back’ but noting that further bouncing back is expected.”
Read the full report: Statistics for Mission 2021 | The Church of England
60 CommentsFrom time to time members of the Church of England’s General Synod are given the opportunity to ask questions for written answer between sessions. The most recent such questions and answers were released last week and are now available online.
Questions Notice Paper November 2022
3 CommentsA local newspaper has reported that the Dean of Lichfield, the Very Revd Adrian Dorber, is retiring in the Spring. As yet this has not been announced on either the diocesan or cathedral websites.
3 CommentsPress release below from the Prime Minister’s Office
The Bishop of Oswestry replaces the former Bishop of Ebbsfleet as one of the Provincial Episcopal Visitors in the southern province of the Church of England. Fr Thomas will be consecrated on 2 February 2023. There is more detail in this Church of England press release.
Appointment of Suffragan Bishop of Oswestry: 2 December 2022
The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Paul Thomas to the Suffragan See of Oswestry, in the Diocese of Lichfield.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 2 December 2022
The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Paul Thomas, Vicar of the Benefice of St James Paddington, in the Diocese of London, to the Suffragan See of Oswestry, in the Diocese of Lichfield.
Background
Paul was born and raised in West Wales and received a BA in Medieval English from Cardiff University in 1996 and an MA in 1998. He trained for ordained ministry at Ripon College Cuddesdon, and was ordained Deacon in 2002 and Priest in 2003.
Paul served his title at St Mary with Christ Church Wanstead, in the Diocese of Chelmsford, and in 2006 he was appointed Assistant Priest, and later Associate Rector, of St Marylebone in the Diocese of London. In 2008, he was additionally appointed Chaplain at St Marylebone Secondary School and Chaplain to the Royal Academy of Music.
Paul was appointed to his current role as Vicar of St James Paddington in 2011 and additionally served as Area Dean of Paddington from 2016 to 2021. Between 2017 and 2019 Paul also served as Acting Archdeacon of Charing Cross in the Two Cities Area of the Diocese of London.
23 CommentsPress release from the Church of England
House of Bishops – 29 November 2022
29/11/2022
The House of Bishops met by Zoom for its 29 November meeting.
The Chair began the meeting by inviting the Bishop of London, Chair of the Next Steps Group, to offer reflections on Living in Love and Faith (LLF) and the recent meeting of the College of Bishops. A range of views and reflections were discussed by the House regarding both the content and the LLF process, with the Bishop of London acknowledging the complexity and depth of feeling around the issue. The Bishop of London concluded by urging the House to continue listening to God and thanked the House for its participation and contribution to LLF to date.
The House then turned outs attention to the Mission and Pastoral Measure Review and was addressed by the Third Estates Commissioner and by the Head of Mission, Pastoral and Church Property. The House was invited to comment on the general scope of the main recommendations including the approach to church buildings, patronage changes, and other changes which would support episcopal ministry in the long term. The House gave its views on a range of policy issues which will be incorporated in the recommendations of the Review as they are finalised.
The Bishop of Rochester then introduced the House to the recently appointed national Director for Safeguarding who provided a summary of his role to date, before turning the House’s attention to how it will respond to the final report of IICSA and its key recommendations.
The Bishop of Sheffield and the Executive Chair, Diocesan Secretaries and Chief Executives both introduced a paper highlighting a range of issues related to the recruitment, induction support and accountability of Diocesan Secretaries. Several proposals were discussed by the House with a view to reducing unnecessary staff turnover and ensuring that Diocesan Secretaries operate as effectively as possible. The House endorsed the development of the proposals as well as a best practice framework for Dioceses and requested an update on progress be made to the House in May 2023.
A paper relating to the process of assessing the return to ministry of respondents who have been subject to a limited prohibition under the Clergy Disciplinary Measure 2003 was then discussed by the House and presented by legal officers of the National Church Institutions. The House endorsed the refinement of current guidelines and gave comment and observation on the Draft Code of Practice on Return to Ministry.
The Bishop of Guildford updated the House on recommendations made by the National Church Governance Project Board in relation to the role of bishops in the governance arrangements of the National Church. The House discussed the recommendations and gave advisory guidance on the recommendations contained in the paper.
The Secretary General then updated the House on the distribution so far of national Church grants totalling £15 million to dioceses, to help them meet the challenge of increased energy costs.
The meeting ended in prayer.
6 CommentsUpdated 25 November
Clergy Discipline Measure – Penalty
The following is a record of a penalty imposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury with the consent of the respondent bishop under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003:
Name: The Right Reverend Peter Hullah
Penalty: Prohibition for life
Date Imposed: 1st August 2022
Brief Summary: Sexual misconduct involving two different women on two separate occasions.
———
This story has been reported in the Mail, and Times, and Telegraph so far. And now also the Church Times (scroll down).
The two offences occurred (according to the Mail) in 1985 and 1999. Peter Hullah was Bishop of Ramsbury (suffragan in Salisbury) from 1999 to 2005. From 1992, he was headmaster of Chetham’s School in Manchester, where there were multiple complaints of sexual misbehaviour by staff, but not by Hullah.
The new complaint, regarding these offences, was dealt with in the Province of Canterbury, during the summer of this year, but was not made public at that time.
The Telegraph reports
A spokesman for Mr Hullah said he had agreed to the sanction in August instead of contesting the allegations before a Church tribunal.
And:
A Church of England spokesman said: “We can confirm that Peter Hullah has now been prohibited from ministry for life following a complaint under the clergy discipline measure brought by the national safeguarding team.
“We would like to acknowledge the courage and offer an unreserved apology on behalf of the Church to those who came forward to share their experience; support has been offered to all involved.
“The Church expects the highest standards from those in leadership and there can be no excuses when this does not happen.
“We will continue to listen to all those who come forward and to work together to make the Church a safer place for all.”
It. is very disappointing that this decision was not published at the time, as the relevant procedures were amended only this July at the General Synod, to ensure this would happen. However, even before this change, the procedure said
“Where a penalty by consent has been agreed with a bishop brief particulars of the misconduct should be made public by a notice placed on the diocese’s website.”
GS 2281X (dated May) contains the following:
Publishing Penalties
9. All penalties imposed under the CDM are made public. Penalties imposed by a tribunal are published on the Church of England tribunal webpage, administered by the NCIs.
10.The current guidance provides that where the respondent admits misconduct and the bishop imposes a penalty by consent brief details of the case should be placed on the diocesan website. Further, it states that penalties imposed other than by a tribunal – i.e. under sections 30 and 31 CDM 2003 – should be made public.
11.To ensure a consistent approach to the publishing of penalties the proposed amendments to paragraph 312 provide that publishing penalties by consent and penalties imposed under sections 30 and 31 will no longer be the responsibility of the diocese or province. Upon a penalty being agreed the diocesan or provincial registrar will send the relevant details to the President of the Tribunals, who will cause them to be published on the Church of England website. The name of the respondent, the date penalty was agreed or imposed and the statutory ground of misconduct (e.g. “doing an act in contravention of the laws ecclesiastical”, “neglect or inefficiency in the performance of the duties of his office”, “conduct unbecoming or inappropriate to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders”) -but not any details of the particular misconduct – will be published.
12.Paragraph 311 is deleted as being no longer being necessary consequential upon the amendments to paragraph 312.
Further update
The Church Times reports this explanation of the delay (emphasis added):
28 CommentsOn Thursday, a notice of the sanction was posted on the website of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In July, the General Synod voted to amend the CDM Code of Practice to require that “brief particulars” of a penalty against a bishop that is agreed by consent are posted “on the Church of England website” (News, 15 July).
Before this, only penalties by consent against a lower-ranked cleric were required to be published, not sanctions agreed between a bishop and an archbishop.
Because the case against Bishop Hullah was settled after the Synod had voted to amend the Code of Practice but before the Clergy Discipline Commission rubber-stamped the changes, it was unclear whether, when, and where, the notice had to be posted.
Press release from the Prime Minister’s Office. There is more on the St Albans diocesan website.
Appointment of Suffragan Bishop of Hertford: 24 November 2022
The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Dr Jane Mainwaring, Archdeacon of St Albans, in the Diocese of St Albans, to the Suffragan See of Hertford, in the Diocese of St Albans.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 24 November 2022
The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Dr Jane Mainwaring, Archdeacon of St Albans, in the Diocese of St Albans, to the Suffragan See of Hertford, in the Diocese of St Albans, in succession to The Right Reverend Dr Michael Beasley following his appointment as Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Background
Jane was educated at Leeds University and Trinity College, University of Wales, and trained for ministry on the East Anglian Ministerial Training Course. She served her title at St Gregory’s Sudbury, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, and in 2001 she was ordained Priest
In 2003, Jane was appointed Team Vicar of St Mark’s Hitchin, in the Diocese of St Albans, and from 2015 she also served as Rural Dean.
Jane took up her current role as Archdeacon of St Albans in 2020.
26 CommentsThe Very Reverend Christine Wilson, the Dean of Lincoln, recently anounced that she will retire on 31 March 2023. Her leaving service will be on 2 February. The announcement is in a chapter letter; you will have to scroll down to find it.
0 CommentsThe Rt Revd Dr Alan Winton, the suffragan Bishop of Thetford in the diocese of Norwich, has announced that he will retire in April 2023.
1 CommentThe Dean of Chelmsford, the Very Revd Nicholas Henshall, has announced that he is moving to be Parish Priest of St Thomas the Apostle, New Groombridge in the Diocese of Chichester. The Dean has written this letter about his move.
I failed to notice it at the time, but the Dean of Newcastle, the Very Revd Geoff Miller, announced his retirement some time ago, and his farewell service was last Sunday.
12 CommentsLast Saturday the Diocese of Oxford diocesan synod discussed (in a Zoom meeting) its response to the Christ Church Independent Governance Review.
Updated Monday 21 November
We reported on the terms of reference for this review last April and on Dominic Grieve’s appointment last June.
There are two papers:
These papers had been prepared well before last week’s announcement from the Charity Commission.
At the time of writing, there has still been no mention of the Charity Commission’s Official Warning on the Christ Church website.
Surviving Church has published this critique of the college by Martin Sewell: The Christ Church Malcontents gambled “The House”, they should bear the loss.
Update
And now also this critique, by the same author, of the Church of England: The Church of England has a case to answer for its role in the institutional bullying at Christ Church
Updated again 15 and 17 November
See earlier post concerning his statement on same sex marriage.
Church of England Evangelical Council: Bishop of Oxford: A CEEC response to ‘Together in Love and Faith‘
Oxford Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship: Statement on the Bishop of Oxford’s “Together in Love and Faith”
Latimer Trust – Vaughan Roberts Together in Love and Faith?
Psephizo – Ian Paul What is the Bishop of Oxford thinking?
Bishops of Worcester and Dudley Living in Love and Faith – A letter from our bishops
Church Times news reports:
Updates 7, 8, 10, 15, 17 November
Martin Davie Why the bishops have an option
Archbishop Cranmer Same-sex marriage: should the Church of England affirm culture, or confront it?
LGBTQ Faith UK Living in Love and Faith and Fear
Andrew Lightbown Speaking of Together in Love and Faith; a short reflection.
Guardian The Guardian view on LGBT+ Anglicans: finally grounds for hope?
Fulcrum Joshua Penduck A Letter in response to the Bishop of Oxford
Anglican Network in Europe A Safe Harbour for Faithful Anglicans
Premier Christianity Ian Paul The Bishop of Oxford’s surprising case for same-sex marriage is flawed
I will add further items to this list as I discover them.
158 CommentsUpdated Saturday evening – Kindle version available, see below.
Diocese of Oxford press release: Clergy should have the freedom to bless and marry same-sex couples, says +Oxford
Church of England clergy should have the freedom to bless and marry same-sex couples, says Bishop of Oxford.
The Bishop of Oxford has published a 52-page essay, Together in Love and Faith, to be released on Friday 4 November, setting out the ways his own views have changed on same-sex relationships over the last decade.
In the light of ten years of reflection and massive changes in the society we serve, many in the Church, including Bishop Steven, now believe it is time to enable local churches and clergy to offer public services of blessing for same-sex relationships and remove the legal barriers to the solemnisation of same-sex marriage in the Church of England. Clergy should also be given the freedom to order their own relationships according to their conscience and to marry a same-sex partner…
Bishop Steven writes:
“I need to acknowledge the acute pain and distress of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the Church. I am sorry that, corporately, we have been so slow as a Church to reach better decisions and practice on these matters. I am sorry that my own views were slow to change and that my actions, and lack of action, have caused genuine hurt, disagreement and pain.”
Bishop Steven also reflects that many Christians in the Church of England hold and will continue to hold a traditional view of marriage and this should be honoured and respected by those who are seeking freedom to change. This is the majority view across the worldwide Anglican Communion at this time, although some Anglican Provinces have already made the decision to allow the blessing of same-sex relationships. Clergy and parishes will need the freedom not to opt in to any new arrangements. Some clergy and parishes may need the oversight of bishops in the Church of England who hold to the traditional view…
Read the full press release for more detail.
Church Times: Bishop of Oxford calls for an end to ban on same-sex marriage in Church of England
THE Church of England should lift its ban on the marriage of same-sex couples, the Bishop of Oxford, Dr Steven Croft, has said — even if this means setting up an alternative episcopal structure for conservative priests and parishes.
At stake, he says, is the Church of England’s claim to serve the whole of society. Its anti-LGBTQ+ stance “is leading to a radical dislocation between the Church of England and the culture and society we are attempting to serve”…
And also this extract from the booklet: Extend goods of marriage to all
Update – electronic copies now available via Kindle
Follow this link for further details. You will need an Amazon account, but the document is free of charge.
148 CommentsCofE press releases:
Living in Love and Faith at the College of Bishops Full text copied below the fold.
Programme of the College of Bishops, 31 October – 2 November 2022
Church Times report: Bishops debate next steps on sexuality
THE College of Bishops has concluded three days of debate about how the Church might solve its differences over sexuality.
Although no decision has been made about what formal proposals will be presented to the General Synod in February 2023 — these will be finalised at the next College of Bishops meeting, 12-14 December — it is understood that the bishops acknowledge that simply to restate the existing ban on same-sex blessings or marriage in church is not an option.
During the bishops’ discussions at the High Leigh Conference Centre, in Hertfordshire, largely in small groups, it is said to have been clear that many bishops recognise that a change of policy is needed — whether a national shift or some form of pastoral accommodation is not yet clear. Even those who wish to see no change in the C of E’s policy, which also bans clergy from marrying same-sex partners, accept that the case would need to be freshly argued…
Do read the full article.
26 CommentsPublication of the IICSA final report was reported here, along with initial responses from the Church of England.
Other religious bodies:
Church Times news reports:
Earlier in the month, the Church of England announced this: Further work on Seal of Confessional:
The House of Bishops has commissioned further work on the Seal of the Confessional, building on the report and interim statement from the previous working party published in 2018/2019 and originally set up in 2014.
The new working group will take account of relevant findings, if any, that there may be in the final report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), due to be published on October 20.
The group which will meet over the next 12 months will bring together theologians, Church leaders and safeguarding professionals along with other advisers as part of the wider reference group. The voices and experiences of survivors will be critical to this work and will be included, but not named, in the group…
Forward in Faith also issued a Statement on IICSA’s final report and the Seal of Confession.
15 CommentsChurch of England press release
IICSA statement from National Safeguarding Director
25/10/2022
I have read the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report and it makes for harrowing reading. The report contains recommendations for 15 major institutions which have clearly failed children; this includes the Church of England and I welcome the initial response from our lead safeguarding bishop, Jonathan Gibbs.
I have been in post now for 38 days and as the new National Director for Safeguarding it is my role and responsibility to drive and support the many programmes of work that are currently underway, to make the Church a safer place where the voices of our most vulnerable are not only heard but valued. The voice and participation of all victims and survivors of abuse are paramount and should be the golden thread in everything we do to improve our safeguarding policies and practices. We are committed to the development and implementation of a survivor engagement framework with victims and survivors.
I am extremely sorry for the hurt and mistrust caused by the Church’s lack of safeguarding, we know that we need to learn from these lessons and ensure that we have stringent preventive measures in place to avoid these terrible experiences happening to others.
In the coming weeks dates will be provided by engage.safeguarding@churchofengland.org to offer survivors and victims an opportunity to meet with me to raise concerns and give their views on the National Safeguarding Team, NST and wider safeguarding improvements in the Church.
I would be particularly interested in hearing from young people about how we may improve the voice of the child in the Church. If you would like to take part or provide your views, please do contact the same address above. (Please note parental consent would need to be provided for those children/young people under the age of 18)
Should you need to discuss any matters with me directly, I would ask you to email. My social media is not monitored daily, and while an important awareness tool, I do not use it for direct engagement, so you may not receive a response. But I would like to ensure that all comments or complaints are recorded and tracked so please do email me on the address above or via the form at the bottom of this page A Safer Church | The Church of England
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the near future, particularly survivors and victims of any type of abuse and relevant groups and/or organisations.
Updated Wednesday
On 2 September we reported in Living in Love and Faith – Listening on the publication of several voluminous documents containing the collation of the 6000 responses that the LLF project had by then received. We included links to three items which attempted to place these reports in some context.
More recently, Church Society has issued a strongly worded critique: Response to Listening With Love And Faith. This page is an executive summary of their criticisms, and the full 20-page report is available separately as a PDF. Copies have been sent to all members of General Synod.
Helen King has written this in response: Living in Love and Faith: some thoughts on the Church Society’s report.
Update
The LLF team has replied to Church Society. You can read the responses from both Brendan Research and Church Army’s Research Unit here: LLF Response to Church Society Analysis (total 6 pages). This also has been sent to all General Synod members.
7 Comments