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
GS 2177 Temporary Standing Orders [Tuesday]
GS 2241 Report from the Business Committee
GS 2242 Pattern of Future February Meeting Dates [Tuesday]
GS 2243 Paper for Racial Justice Debate [Tuesday]
GS 2244 Safeguarding February 2022 [Wednesday]
GS 2245 Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules [Wednesday]
GS 2245X Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules) Explanatory Notes [Wednesday]
GS 2246A Challenging Slavery and Human Trafficking (Durham) [Wednesday]
GS 2246B Sec Gen Challenging Slavery and Human Trafficking (Durham) [Wednesday]
GS 2247 Clergy Remunerations Review Report [Wednesday]
GS 2248 Setting God’s People Free Report [Wednesday]
GS 2249 Governance Review Group Report [Thursday]
GS 2250 Appointment of the Chair of the Appointments Committee [Thursday]
GS 2251 Appointment of the Chair of the Dioceses Commission [Thursday]
GS 2252A Persecuted Church in the World [Thursday]
GS 2252B Sec Gen Persecuted Church in the World [Thursday]
GS 2253 Consultation on Proposed Changes to the Canterbury CNC [Thursday]
GS 2254A Canterbury DSM PCC and Electoral Roll [Contingency Business]
GS 2254B Gen Sec background Canterbury DSM PCC and Electoral Roll [Contingency Business]
GS Misc papers
GS Misc 1307 Missionary Disciples Workshop
GS Misc 1308 Being the Change diversity, disagreement and difference
GS Misc 1309 Summary of the House of Bishops and Delegated Committees Feb 2022
GS Misc 1310 Report on the Archbishops’ Council’s Activities
GS Misc 1311 Central Stipends Authority Report 2021
GS Misc 1312 Review of the Mission and Pastoral Measure
GS Misc 1313 Dioceses Commission Annual Report 2021
GS Misc 1314 Energy Toolkit Initial Summary
Notice papers
Paragraph 19 of GS 1312 refers to “misunderstandings about how funding flows through the Church and what the various bodies, including the Church Commissioners, can and cannot fund”.
This rather suggests that such limitations are set in stone. However, I can’t help thinking that the limitations on what the Church Commissioners can fund are the result of previous political decisions. Would it really be beyond the wit of man to make other decisions in the future that might enable the poor Commissioners to fund a bit more work at local level?
Many thanks. If there are ‘misunderstandings’ then the authorities have only themselves to blame for not communicating adequately where the money goes and how it is spent, or not spent. Attempts were made during the 1980s to furnish explanations when parishes started to receive pleas for increased giving as a necessary quid pro quo: indeed, these are some of the very rare materials explaining contemporary Church finance. Although some dioceses do provide pie charts and other data indicating what their revenues and outgoing are, the overall finances of the Church are deeply obscure, and I am not aware of recent… Read more »
GS2254A says that potential PCC members are discouraged by the requirement that they must be “regular communicants”. That’s not true though, under the CRR Mode Rules they must be “actual communicants.” I do not think three half hour services of Holy Communion (or three home communions) in a year is a great deal to ask, I would advise any Christian to prioritise that over being on a PCC (a much bigger time commitment)- the Eucharist is not an optional part of Christian life, it is something our Lord commanded us to do. But that being said, a PCC can already… Read more »
How many churches have half-hour communion services?
Most of the ones I’ve served in! Many churches have weekday Communion services which tend to be about half an hour; churches in the Catholic tradition and many if not most Cathedrals have daily Eucharists, which are generally 20-30 minutes long. When I was at theological college the daily Mass lasted 15 minutes. Also, the requirement to be an ‘actual communicant’ does not mean that the person has to take Communion three times a year at their own church; they simply have to assert that they do so somewhere in the CofE (or it might even be churches in communion… Read more »
That’s interesting. In the evangelical tradition from which I come, it would have been considered inappropriate to celebrate communion without an exposition of scripture. I don’t know if evangelicals still adhere to this practice, but I myself have never celebrated without giving at least a short reflection on one or more readings.
I’m curious how your college’s daily mass was completed in 15 minutes? What liturgy was included (and what omitted), and how many communicants were there? IN some parishes the administration of the sacraments alone would take 15 minutes.
My lunchtime Mass today included a brief homily and was completed in 30 minutes. That’s not unusual for weekday celebrations in many places, and a Sunday 8 o’clock wouldn’t necessarily take much longer. However, I share your surprise at any celebration being over and done with in 15 minutes, and hope such a celebration didn’t mimic the practice of a retired priest I once encountered who kept the service short by leaving out the readings!
I have known celebrants to only include the Gospel reading. Personally I think that’s acceptable.
In addition to the Gospel reading and the Words of Institution, what else, if anything, is required to reach the “acceptable” level?
Communal consumption of the consecrated bread and wine?
Or that of one of my parish predecessors, who began each PCC meeting by passing the reserved sacrament around like a plate of biscuits.
To be fair, the 15-20 minute daily Mass at theological college began at the Gospel reading, since it followed directly on from Morning Prayer each day and I think it was considered that that fulfilled most of the Liturgy of the Word. There was always a brief homily, though, often of very high quality. The 20-30 minute weekday Masses I now often celebrate include at least two readings including of course the Gospel and often a psalm, and usually a brief homily. The expounding of the Word is taken to be in the communal reading of Scripture and then the… Read more »
I agree. At a weekday communion service my reflection on the Scripture reading/s might be only 3 or 4 minutes.
If your Mass followed on from Morning Prayer I can see how it might take only 15 minutes. In my youth free churches, similarly, often offered a very short communion service following the main service. It effectively began with the prayers of consecration.
I think many esp evangelical C of E churches with a stay behind after Mattins ( first Sunday) Evensong( third Sunday) used to begin at Ye that do truly and earnestly……