Richard Peers Quodcumque New Wine: a gift for the whole church
David Ison ViaMedia.News Divine Headship Meets Woman Bishop
[The ceremony referred to at the start of this article is the confirmation of Sarah Mullally’s election as Bishop of London which will take place on 8th March at 4.00 pm at St Mary-le-Bow.]
Anna Norman-Walker ViaMedia.News Disgrace by Association
Mark Clavier The Living Church Schools for the Imagination
Church Times God’s gift, not priest-lite cherry-pickers
Self-supporting ministers do not receive the recognition or status that they deserve, says Jenny Gage
Church Times Women in ministry: the next steps
In response to Women’s History Month, Johanna Derry looks at issues faced by women clergy
Sarah Mullally Contemplation in the shadow of a carpark Accelerating Change – Safe and Open Churches
2 CommentsGiles Goddard ViaMedia.News “There are No “Problems” – There are Simply People!”
James Alexander Cameron Stained Glass Attitudes Church demolition and preservation revisited
Neal Michell The Living Church 11 Tips for New Ordinands
4 CommentsFrom The Guardian The Guardian view on religious education: teach humanism too
Letters in response Is religion really a toxic brand?
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Talking of giving and withholding blessing
Church Times Retention, not just recruitment
Churches and charities ignore at their peril the views of volunteers, warns Stephanie Denning
James Woodward ViaMedia.News Is the Church of England Guilty of Ageism?
Alison Kings Fulcrum Anger: Not Such a Bad Thing
3 CommentsRosie Harper ViaMedia.News Is Organised Religion Inherently Abusive?
Lisa Oakley Church Times Understanding spiritual abuse
Jeremy Morris ViaMedia.News Know Your Enemies
Michael Volland Ridley Hall Cambridge Why residential training is here to stay
19 CommentsThe voting lists from the electronic votes at last week’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod are now available.
Voting results – Item 12 [Mission and Ministry in Covenant – relations with the Methodist Church]
Voting results – Item 16 [Valuing people with Down’s Syndrome]
Also available is the official summary of Business Done.
Today’s issue of Church Times carries their usual detailed Synod reports. Here is my personal selection; all eleven are linked from here.
General Synod: safeguarding presentation
General Synod: presentation and debate on Crown Nominations Commission
General Synod: debate on valuing people with Down’s syndrome
General Synod: presentation on Digital evangelism
Updated
Justin Welby became Archbishop of Canterbury five years ago this month. To mark the occasion Paul Handley, the editor of Church Times, has interviewed the archbishop: To bless and not to bless: Archbishop Welby in conversation.
Andrew Brown of The Guardian gives us his view: With piety and steel, Justin Welby has the church in his firmest grip. “The Archbishop of Canterbury has shaped the CofE to his will with a skill of a politician – and made it all the better.”
Update
There is an edited audio recording of the Church Times interview with the archbishop here.
0 CommentsAndrew Lightbown Theore0 Ash Wednesday and going bonkers
Jonathan Clatworthy Château Clâteau Abusive spiritual beliefs produce abusive acts
Duncan Dormor USPG Deepening our awareness of the Global Church: Companion Links and Prophetic mission
Church and youth: ‘If someone said come to church I would have laughed’
Madeleine Davies of Church Times visits St Laurence’s, Reading, where teenagers have found a family
Updated Saturday night, Sunday morning and Monday evening
Order papers
morning
afternoon [not available online]
Links to texts of the Safeguarding presentation at General Synod
Harry Farley Christian Today Church facing years of shame as extent of abuse emerges, bishop warns
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E faced 3,300 sexual abuse claims, figures reveal
Tim Wyatt Church Times Safeguarding: we’re doing better, Synod tells sceptical survivors
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Clergy still believe some complainants are ‘simply out for the money’, abuse expert tells church leaders
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Informal communities for nuns and monks becoming more popular – with daily prayers over Skype
Official press release General Synod affirms dignity and humanity of people with Down’s Syndrome
[see below the fold for the text of the motion as passed by Synod]
Madeleine Davies Church Times ‘Every human being is made in the image of God’: Synod unanimously backs motion on Down’s syndrome
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Rate of Down’s syndrome abortions in UK and Europe is akin to Nazi eugenics, Church of England’s General Synod hears
Press Association (in The Guardian) C of E backs motion valuing people with Down’s syndrome
summary of the day’s business from Stephen Lynas: It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday…
video recordings
morning session
afternoon session
David Walker ViaMedia.News Valuing People with Downs Syndrome – A Place to Start
Paul Child Rediscovering For The First Time The Special Child – A Candlemas Reflection
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes St Bride’s Liverpool Welcoming trans people – reaffirmation of baptism liturgy
Emma Percy Women and the Church #100 Women – #our time now
Andrew Graystone Church Times How to give bread, not stones
1 CommentUpdated Friday night, Saturday morning and afternoon
Order papers
morning
afternoon
Official press release General Synod backs motion to tackle food waste
Christian Today CofE backs campaign to reduce food waste
Anglican Communion News Service C of E Synod endorses Anglican Communion links as central to mission and discipleship
Read the Archbishop of Canterbury’s address to the General Synod in London today: Archbishop of Canterbury’s presidential address
Harry Farley Christian Today Archbishop warns Church of England against dangers of ‘radical change’
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Church should not ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ by making radical changes, Archbishop says
Official press release General Synod welcomes move towards communion with Methodist Church
Press release from the Methodist Church Church of England and Methodist Church to continue exploring closer communion
Tim Wyatt Church Times Synod shows its enthusiasm for closer unity with Methodists
Harry Farley Christian Today Church of England embraces unity with Methodist Church
Ruth Gledhill The Tablet Church of England and Methodists move towards unity
Diocese of Guildford Synod affirms Anglican Communion links in run-up to Lambeth 2020
summary of the day’s business from Stephen Lynas: Move in a little closer, baby
video recordings
morning session
afternoon session
Updated Friday morning and afternoon
Press reports on Thursday’s business
Tim Wyatt Church Times Choose bishops more openly, Synod members urge
Harry Farley Christian Today Entrenched opposition to women priests blocks Church’s diversity efforts, synod told
Anglican Communion News Service Justin Welby calls for greater Anglican Communion say in selection of successor
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E raises serious concerns about Christian Freemasons
Update
Stephen Lynas reviews what happened on Thursday The leader(s) of the pack
Archbishop of York General Synod Speech: “Discerning in Obedience: A Theological Review of the Crown Nominations Commission”
video recording of Thursday’s business
40 CommentsThe Church of England General Synod opens this afternoon. There are links to the agenda and papers here.
The Questions Notice Paper (with answers) is now available. Synod members will have the opportunity to ask supplementary questions later today.
There is an error in Questions 16 and 17; the correct text is in Notice Paper 7. There is also an error in Question 44, corrected in Notice Paper 10.
Stephen Lynas (a Synod member from Bath and Wells) previews the business: Oh, won’t you stay (just a little bit longer)?
A live video link is available here.
3 CommentsJude Smith Christian Today A radical proposal for the CofE’s Westminster headquarters: move out and do some good
Archdruid Eileen Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley A House (of Bishops) in the Country
David Ison ViaMedia.News Rolling With the Punch(line)
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Speaking of language; spiritual abuse and prayerful consideration
2 CommentsUpdated Thursday
For earlier articles about the Church of England’s relationship with the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Mission and Ministry in Covenant report see here [last two items] and here.
Four posts from the Quodcumque blog about the report.
Richard Peers A Generous Catholicism and Beautiful Anomalies
Philip Murray Generous Catholicism: a reply to Fr Richard Peers
Andrew Davison Guest post from Andrew Davison on #MMIC: Being a 1662 Anglican
Richard Peers #MMIC – thoughts
Diarmaid MacCulloch Christian Today Why Anglicans who object to reconciliation with Methodists should read more history
Jonathan Draper Afterthoughts Anglicans, Methodists and the sticking plaster of unity
Paul Bayes Thinking a moment Mission and Ministry in Covenant
[a new blog from the Bishop of Liverpool]
Ian Paul Psephizo The Church of England and closer union with Methodists
Update
Marcus Walker Archbishop Cranmer The Church of England should welcome Methodists into the fold of the historic episcopacy
6 CommentsAnna Norman-Walker ViaMedia.News “Spiritual Abuse” – A Pandora’s Box?
Mary Cole Psephizo Valuing people with Down’s Syndrome: a parent’s response
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Active citizenship in the Church of England
Michael Sadgrove Woolgathering in North East England The Report on Cathedrals: Further Thoughts
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Disentangling Christianity and Patriarchy
Jayne Ozanne ViaMedia.News Neighbours – Can’t We Just “Walk By” Sometimes (please)?
Two opposing views on the same topic in Church Times:
Steven Croft C of E must make first move across the divide
Andrew Davison An intolerable departure from order
Press release from Number 10
Dean of Liverpool nominated: 31 January 2018
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Susan Helen Jones as Dean of Liverpool.
Published 31 January 2018
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Susan Helen Jones, BEd, MPhil, PhD, Residentiary Canon at Derby Cathedral and Director of Mission and Ministry in the Diocese of Derby, to be appointed to the Deanery of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Liverpool, on the elevation of the Very Reverend Peter Jonathan Wilcox, MA, DPhil as Bishop of Sheffield on 23 September 2017.
Announcement from Liverpool Cathedral
5 CommentsBosco Peters Liturgy Lex Photographi, Lex Orandi
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Speaking of governance, speaking of leadership
Simon Reader Church Times Welcoming, not screening out
The Synod debate on the Down’s test could send a powerful message
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Fr Bill Kirkpatrick RIP
5 CommentsWe noted last week’s release of the draft report by the Church of England’s Cathedrals Working Group here.
General Synod members have been sent a copy of the draft report (GS Misc 1177) today; it includes a covering letter from the chair and vice-chair of the group
Here are some media reports and comment articles that have appeared since the report was released.
media reports
Madeleine Davies Church Times Praise and warnings in cathedrals review
“SERIOUS governance mistakes” have been made at cathedrals, and legislative change is needed to correct “inadequacies” in their regulation, are the conclusions of a review commissioned in the wake of a cash-flow crisis at Peterborough. It also says that many cathedrals are struggling financially…
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian England’s cathedrals face financial crisis as running costs soar
Inquiry criticises management of some Anglican buildings and urges CoE to ask for state funds
Anglican Communion News Service Review proposes law change to improve governance of English Cathedrals
For a list of the report’s principal recommendations read Frank Cranmer Law & Religion UK Governance of Church of England cathedrals: the draft report
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Miachael Sadgrove Woolgathering in North East England A New Report on Cathedrals
Stephen Cherry Another Angle How to run a Cathedral
Adrian Newman Church Times How to make cathedrals fitter for the future
If they are to flourish in the long term, they need changes in management and governance
Church Times Letters to the editor from John Searle, Richard Austen-Baker and Richard Lewis {scroll down]
0 CommentsRichard Rohr Center for Action and Contemplation At-One-Ment, Not Atonement
Bosco Peters Liturgy Divorcees & Committed Same-Sex Couples part 1
John Gillibrand Ekklesia Anglicanism – the road ahead of us
James Woodward ViaMedia.News Refining and Owning our Anger…
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