Thinking Anglicans

First females elected to attend House of Bishops

See earlier TA articles here, and then here. And our own copy of the election rules here.

Church of England press release:

First Female Representatives to House of Bishops Elected
26 September 2013
The results of the first elections for female representatives to attend the House of Bishops have been announced. At its meeting of 7 February 2013 the House of Bishops decided that eight senior women clergy, elected regionally, will participate in all meetings of the House until such time as there are six female Bishops who will sit as of right.

The representatives will take up their roles on 1st December.

  • South West region – Ven Nicola Sullivan, Archdeacon of Wells
  • North East region – Very Revd Vivienne Faull, Dean of York
  • South East region – Ven Rachel Treweek, Archdeacon of Hackney

ENDS

Notes
The results for the elections in the 5 other regions are expected to be announced over the next two weeks.

The rules relating to the election of the regional representatives can be found here:
http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1784044/2013%20rules%20under%20so12.pdf

More information on the role and work of the House of Bishops can be found here: http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/general-synod/about-general-synod/house-of-bishops.aspx

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Father Ron Smith
11 years ago

A bit like the first moon landing: – One Small Step!
Let’s hope that very soon there will only be need for two of these special Women’s Representatives. By that time, though, there will have to be five Women elected as Bishops. How long will that take?

Hilary Cotton
Hilary Cotton
11 years ago

Re your heading: I wonder if we might call them ‘women’ not ‘females’ in this instance? I understand the ‘women bishops’ adjectival discomfort but in this case they really are ‘women’. Unless of course some female tigers/polar bears/giant pandas have been elected? Haven’t ploughed through the election rules recently but I’m sure in amongst all the pages of precise detail about how the 8 were to be elected it must have specified ‘women’.

Simon Sarmiento
11 years ago

Well, Hilary, the rules in fact repeatedly use the word female.

I’m only following the CofE press release wording, which in turn is only following the wording of the rules…

Wonder who drafted and approved the wording of the rules…

Jill Armstead
Jill Armstead
11 years ago

It is to be hoped that the CofE will not make a habit of positive discrimination and/or all-women shortlists. Unlike the traditionalist view of women priests/bishops, it is not a matter of deeply held belief and could presumably be challenged as unlawful.

Dan BD
11 years ago

The use of “females” as a noun has a sort of socially awkward adenoidal quality to it. (Such as in the sitcom “Friday Night”.)

It’s like the House of Bishops is a boys’ school.

Kelvin Holdsworth
11 years ago

Personally, I’d admire these women greatly if they now issued a press release saying that they were unwilling to co-operate with such tokenism and refused to sit in the House of Bishops on these terms.

I also can’t help wondering whether allowing such tokenism to be used within a House of Bishops is something that is of significance to the Communion at large and wonder if any attempt has been made to see what other churches around the world think about such a development.

Bro David
Bro David
11 years ago

Father Kelvin, only colonial Anglicans are expected to do such a thing!

John Richardson
John Richardson
11 years ago

It’d be nice to have some similar ‘tokenism’ for Complementarian Evangelicals. Hasn’t been one of those in the House of Bishops for almost a year.

Rosalind R
Rosalind R
11 years ago

“It’d be nice to have some similar ‘tokenism’ for Complementarian Evangelicals.”
This is confusing a theological position with gender. Women do not all hold the same theological views (or any other sort of views)any more than men. I only make this rather obvious point because too often those who support the full inclusion of women in all forms of ministry in the C of E are treated as a homogenous minority group rather than part of the general , normal mix of the C of E . These assumptions are wrong! (nor are they helpful)

Father Ron Smith
11 years ago

What on earth is a ‘Complementarian Evangelical’ ? Does it mean the opposite of Uncompromisingly?

Simon Sarmiento
11 years ago

He means somebody like himself, who believes in male headship.

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