Thinking Anglicans

Forward in Faith National Assembly 2013

The 2013 National Assembly of Forward in Faith was held at the Church of St Alban the Martyr, Holborn, London on Saturday 19 October.

There is a press release, ‘Grow the Church and win souls for Christ’, says Forward in Faith Chairman and another which contains the full text of the resolution which was passed by the Assembly: Women in the Episcopate: National Assembly Resolution. This is copied below the fold.

The website also contains the full text of the Chairman’s address, and the text of the sermon by the Bishop in Europe.

There are also numerous audio files linked from this page.

One that may interest General Synod members is the recording of remarks by The Revd Paul Benfield about the recent work of the Steering Committee for the new legislation for women bishops. This can be found here.

Women in the Episcopate: National Assembly Resolution

Meeting in London on 19 October, the Forward in Faith National Assembly received a presentation on developments regarding resolution on Women in the Episcopate since October 2012. It passed the following resolution:

That this Assembly

(a) reaffirm our aspiration to flourish within the structures of the Church of England and make our full contribution to its life and mission;

(b) request the General Synod and the House of Bishops to ensure that we have continued access to a ministry which will make this possible; and

(c) thank those members of Forward in Faith who have participated in the facilitated conversations and in the Steering Committee for the Women in the Episcopate legislation with a view to achieving this.’

Moving the motion, Prebendary Sam Philpott said ‘This church of ours… needs a great dose of charity’. He called on the catholic constituency to ‘love this church’ and to ‘show this church how it can become a loving church again within its own communion in order that it might actually proclaim to the world the love of God’.

Forward in Faith, he said, had ‘a passion to belong to part of the Church that is strong and bold and flourishing and passionate about converting England’ and wanted to play its part. ‘All that we ask’, he added, ‘is that at the end of this process our church gives us the space in which we can live a catholic life, looked after by catholic bishops, catholic priests and catholic deacons’.

Fr Charles Razzall praised the motion as ‘positive, firm and irenic’, which was ‘where we certainly want to be in the future’. He pointed out that in the motion ‘ensure’ means ‘guarantee’ and ‘continue’ means ‘without limit of time’.

Replying, Fr Philpott said: ‘I long for a Church of England that may well have different views on this particular subject, but will so provide for its children that it can actually speak to a broken world about reconciliation with an authenticity that is simply not around in our world at this moment.’

The motion was passed nem. con.

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Father Ron Smith
10 years ago

I cannot see how the ‘Forward in Faith’ Resolution on the proposal to ordain Women as Bishops in the Church of England can possibly reconcile their statement in sections (a) and (b) – especially as quoted in (a) “reaffirm our aspiration to flourish within the structures of the Church of England and make our full contribution to its life and mission;” when their ultimate desire is to ignore the ministry of Women Bishops who will have been given due authority in the Church to exercise diocesan authority and episcopal care. Surely, if they really think that women’s ministry in their… Read more »

Ed Tomlinson
10 years ago

Surely it is time for people to embrace the present. Anglo-Catholicism that is as high in doctrine as practice is a spent force.

To say no to the Ordinariate and to General Synod seems to want to have ones cake and eat it. Here is my take

http://www.tunbridgewells-ordinariate.com/blog/?p=9316

Lindsay Southern
Lindsay Southern
10 years ago

I am not convinced the double whammy of guarantees, without limits of time are wise. It is certainly a significant departure from the original Act of Synod which from the General Synod debates at the time was clearly intended to give temporary pastoral provision. Father Charles Razzall’s interpretation of the words ‘ensure’ and ‘continue’ would guarantee continued division and alienation, continuing lack of integrity and dubious ecclesiology. It would close down any sense of continuing discernment leading to a common mind on the matter. I understand the longing for acceptance, affirmation and security, but guaranteeing disunity in perpetuity seems too… Read more »

Charles Read
Charles Read
10 years ago

Jonathan Baker praises St Stephen’s House and says that the Durham Common Awards initiative offers creative possibilities for the future re. ministry training. However, in the current issue of the St Stephen’s House magazine, the Principal is dismissive of Durham and Common Awards. Shurely Shome Mishtake?

Plus, why does he regard ministry training which combines academic theological rigour with a focus on practical ministry reflection as an innovation? We’ve been doing this in most colleges and courses for decades! Is this just indicative of how far removed from reality FinF generally are?

primroseleague
primroseleague
10 years ago

Lindsay Southern, I see what you’re saying, but there are certain implications within it which point out why this is so tortuous whilst also suggesting that old Manchester United saw (less appropriate this season), that “we never lose, we just run out of time.” What you appear to be proposing is time-limited guillotining. Ie make your mind up by x then it’s game over. “So continued discernment…leading to a common mind” is either a) demonstrably false, or b) only ok so long as the common mind is your common mind not the alternative. I think we both know that a… Read more »

John
John
10 years ago

Can’t agree with any of the comments here. The tone of the FiF debate seemed to me extremely positive. ‘Where your treasure is …’ And they’re now showing their heart much more openly. I happened to be discussing this question with a well known and very liberal Anglican theologian on Sunday, and I said: ‘for me, the personal is theological and I think FiF people should be given what they think they need’, to which he instantly responded: ‘I completely agree with you’.

badman
badman
10 years ago

pace Ed Tomlinson, I don’t think keeping women out of the priesthood is the central defining issue of Catholicism or not-Catholicism even for most Roman Catholics. That it is less and less so for Anglo Catholics is to be expected. Ed Tomlinson is clearly a die-hard on the issue, but the Ordinariate’s lack of impact in his new denomination as in his old one suggests that he is not one of many. Here is what the Pope said a couple of weeks ago: “What presence does woman have in the church? Can it be better valued? It’s a reality that… Read more »

robert Ian Williams
robert Ian Williams
10 years ago

When will people realise it is ultimately not about souls but money and endowments.They want to stay in an heretical body ( as they must perceive it)for the cash, the houses etc

JCF
JCF
10 years ago

“‘All that we ask’, he added, ‘is that at the end of this process our church gives us the space in which we can live a catholic life, looked after by catholic bishops, catholic priests and catholic deacons’.”

“catholic” = No Girl Parts? [Nor men OK w girl parts]

Father Ron Smith
10 years ago

” I won’t be going to Rome though, I’ll just stop going to church – so, those that are left can flourish,” – ‘Primroseleague –

A question here: Does one’s faith in God and one’s worship of God depend on one’s determination that Women will have no part in ministry to me?

Benedict
Benedict
10 years ago

I wonder why Father Ed Tomlinson continues to take such an interest in the affairs of the Church of England. Father, you made the decision to leave for the ordinariate. Shouldn’t you be more concerned with addressing the issues you face there rather than constantly seeing fit to criticise and judge the colleagues and people you left behind?

Robin Ward
Robin Ward
10 years ago

Charles Read says that I am dismissive of the Common Awards. Here is what I wrote: ‘I am more sceptical about whether Durham will have the will and financial commitment to persevere with the common award scheme, given the way in which ministerial training manages to generate complexity and cost in a way out of all proportion to the student cohort size. It will seem very odd to be delivering qualifications for one university two hundred miles away for students who will have no access to facilities of either university in Oxford itself. But in the end cost will be… Read more »

Tim
Tim
10 years ago

“Win souls for Christ”? That phrase alone takes me back to at least 1980, probably more like 1880. Have we not moved on since then? Have we not realised that the aim of the game is not just to persuade people to sign on our particular brand of dotted line but actually to live a Christ-like life?

*Shudder*

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