Papers for this month’s sessions of the General Synod of the Church of England are starting to appear online and are listed below. The list will be updated as more papers become available.
Last updated: Thursday afternoon
Agenda
outline agenda
Monday 26 February
Tuesday 27 February
Wednesday 28 February
Thursday 1 March
Agenda for Legislative Business
Papers
(with the days on which they are scheduled to be debated or otherwise considered. Business may be rescheduled, particularly legislation, marked #.)
GS 1597B Draft Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure Part I (pages 1 to 15); Part II (pages 16 to 30); Part III (pages 31 to 45); Part IV (pages 46 to 62) (Tuesday#)
GS 1598B Draft Amending Canon No 27 (Tuesday#)
GS 1599B Draft Vacancy in See Committees (Amendment) Regulation 200- (Tuesday#)
GS 1597-9Z Report by the Steering Committee (Tuesday#)
GS 1616A Draft Church of England Marriage Measure (Tuesday#)
GS 1616Y Report by the Revision Committee (Tuesday#)
GS 1635 Report by the Business Committee (Monday)
GS 1636 Electronic Voting: Report by the Business Committee (Wednesday)
GS 1637 Draft Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Measure (Tuesday#)
GS 1638 Draft Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Regulations (Tuesday#)
GS 1639 Draft Amending Canon No 29 (Tuesday#)
GS 1637-9X Report and Explanantory Memorandum (Tuesday#)
GS 1640 Resolution under Paragraph 17 of the Schedule to the Church Funds Investment Measure 1958 confirming the appointment of a successor body corporate to act in place of the Central Board of Finance of the Church of England (Wednesday#)
GS 1641 The Draft National Institutions of the Church of England (Transfer of Functions) Order 2007 (Wednesday#)
GS 1641X Explanatory Memorandum (Wednesday#)
GS 1642 Draft Amending Canon No 28 (Thursday#)
GS 1642X Explanatory Memorandum
GS 1643 Parsonages Measure (Amendment) Rules 2007 (Thursday#)
GS 1643X Explanatory Memorandum (Thursday#)
GS 1644 The Future of Trident: Report from the Mission and Public Affairs Council (Monday)
GS 1645 The Future of Clergy Pensions: Report from the Archbishops’ Council (Tuesday)
GS 1646 Achieving the First Two Hundred Years: Report by the Board of Education (including the Dearing Report: Five Years On) (Wednesday)
GS 1647 Taking Responsibility for Crime: Report from the Mission and Public Affairs Council (Thursday)
GS 1648 Fresh Expressions (Tuesday)
GS Misc 842A Lesbian and Gay Christians Background Note from the Reverend Mary Gilbert (Wednesday)
GS Misc 842B Lesbian and Gay Christians Background Note from the House of Bishops (Wednesday)
GS Misc 843A Civil Partnerships Background Paper for General Synod debate on Civil Partnerships proposed by Paul Perkin (Wednesday)
GS Misc 843B Civil Partnerships Background Note from the House of Bishops (Wednesday)
GS Misc 844A Media Standards: Their Effect on Individuals and Society A background paper from the Diocese of Lichfield (Thursday)
GS Misc 844B Media Standards: Their Effect on Individuals and Society Paper prepared by the Archbishops’ Council Communications Office (Thursday)
The Church of England has been reviewing the conditions of service of its clergy. General Synod has received and debated two reports and an implementation group has been set up to put the reports’ proposals into effect. This will involve legislation and a draft measure will be introduced when General Synod meets at the end of this month. This is scheduled for debate on Tuesday 27 February.
The Church of England has added a section to its website about the legislation: The Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Legislation. As well as links to the two reports and other material there is a very useful set of frequently asked questions which are well worth reading.
3 CommentsThe House of Bishops of the Church of England has indicated that it will move a substantial amendment to each of the two Private Members Motions scheduled for debate on Wednesday 28 February.
LESBIAN AND GAY CHRISTIANS
The Revd Mary Gilbert (Lichfield) to move:
700 ‘That this Synod acknowledge the diversity of opinion about homosexuality within the Church of England and that these divergent opinions come from honest and legitimate attempts to read the scriptures with integrity, understand the nature of homosexual orientation, and respect the patterns of holy living to which lesbian and gay Christians aspire; and, bearing in mind this diversity,
(a) agree that a homosexual orientation in itself is no bar to a faithful Christian life;
(b) invite parish and cathedral congregations to welcome and affirm lesbian and gay Christians, lay and ordained, valuing their contribution at every level of the Church; and
(c) urge every parish to ensure a climate of sufficient acceptance and safety to enable the experience of lesbian and gay people to be heard, as successive Lambeth Conferences in 1978 (resolution 10), 1988 (resolution 64), and 1998 (resolution 1.10) have requested.’
124 Signatures (February 2006)
ITEM 12 LESBIAN AND GAY CHRISTIANS
The Bishop of Gloucester to move:
Leave out all words after “this Synod” and insert the words:
“(a) commend continuing efforts to prevent the diversity of opinion about human sexuality creating further division and impaired fellowship within the Church of England and the Anglican Communion;
(b) recognise that such efforts would not be advanced by doing anything that could be perceived as the Church of England qualifying its commitment to the entirety of the relevant Lambeth Conference Resolutions (1978: 10; 1988: 64; 1998: 1.10); and
(c) affirm that homosexual orientation in itself is no bar to a faithful Christian life or to full participation in lay and ordained ministry in the Church.”
The background note issued by the House of Bishops concludes:
The House of Bishops does not believe that it would be in the interests of the Church of England or the Anglican Communion for the Synod to attempt to pass a motion that was either so ambiguous as to cause confusion and misunderstanding or so clear-cut as to exacerbate the polarisation that already exists. A member of the House will, therefore, be moving on behalf of the House a substantial amendment which, if carried, would enable the Synod to make a positive statement without creating fresh divisions.
Details of the second PMM are below the fold.
29 CommentsThe outline agenda for the February 2007 group of sessions of the General Synod is now online and is copied below.
GENERAL SYNOD
February 2007
Timetable
Times of sessions (unless otherwise stated): 9.15 am – 1 pm, 2.30 pm – 7 pm
Monday, 26 February
Morning
Meetings of Convocations
Afternoon
Prayers, introductions, welcomes, progress of Measures etc
Presidential Address on the Anglican Communion
Business Committee report
Trident
Questions
Tuesday, 27 February
Morning
Prayers
Clergy Pensions
Legislative Business: Draft Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure, Amending Canon No 27 and Vacancy in See Committees (Amendment) Regulation – Final Drafting and Final Approval
Afternoon
Legislative Business: Clergy Terms of Service legislation – First Consideration
Legislative Business: Church of England Marriage Measure – Revision Stage
Fresh Expressions
Wednesday 28 February
Morning
Holy Communion
PMM: Revd Mary Gilbert: Lesbian and Gay Christians
Legislative Business: National Institutions of the Church of England (Transfer of Functions) Order (re CBF’s functions); Resolution confirming the appointment of a successor body corporate as trustee of the Church of England Investment Funds
Afternoon
Business Committee report on Electronic Voting
PMM: The Revd Paul Perkin: Civil Partnerships
The Dearing Report: Five years on
Thursday, 1 March
Morning
Prayers
Criminal Justice and Prison Policy Issues
Legislative Business (contingency provision & Parsonage Measure (Amendment) Rules (if a debate is requested))
Afternoon
Legislative Business (contingency provision & Amending Canon No 28 re Canon B 44 – First Consideration)
Lichfield Diocesan Synod Motion: Standards of Human Behaviour in relation to the Media
Farewells
Prorogation
Contingency business
Private Member’s Motion: Mr Gavin Oldham: Ethical Investment Advisory Group: Restricted Investments
Under the headline Church of England’s ‘parliament’ holds virtual question time the Church of England claimed today that:
The Church of England’s General Synod has held its first virtual question time. Twenty-five questions from Members, asked by e-mail, are answered on the Church’s website today.
The answers, along with the questions were published officially only in the form of an RTF file.
An html copy of the content of that file can be found here.
4 CommentsIndividual members of General Synod can put down private members’ motions. They are available for signature by members and the most popular are actually debated, typically one or sometimes two at each meeting of Synod. From today the motions are available on the Church of England website.
4 CommentsUpdated 20 August and 4 September with a complete list
Verbatim transcripts of the proceedings of last month’s proceedings of General Synod are starting to appear on the Church of England website. So far the following are available.
Friday afternoon
Friday evening
Saturday morning
Saturday afternoon
Saturday evening
Sunday afternoon
Sunday evening
Monday morning
Monday afternoon
Monday evening
Tuesday
The complete pdf files of the February 2006 Report of Proceedings are also now available here.
0 CommentsThe full set of articles on this month’s General Synod at York is now available on the Church Times website, and each one is listed below.
If instead you want the short official version, the CofE website has two files here at the top of the page.
Women as bishops
Rome’s objections swept aside
Drafting group set women-bishops puzzle PART ONE and PART TWO
Anglican Communion
Dr Williams defends Anglican covenant
Marrying in church
Pretty churches in focus, as couples’ choice is debated
Draft Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure
Reorganisation
Finance
Draft Budget 2007
Commissioners’ view ‘badly wrong’
Alterations to PCC accounts
C of E wrestles with paying pensions bill
Synod warned of a possible run on grave spaces
Clergy Terms of Service
Clergy updated on their rights
Faithful Cities
Keeping faith with the city
Global Warming
Be prophetic, churchpeople are urged
Marriage and Taxation
Marriage disincentives decried
Further Education
FE chaplains: ‘their time has come’
Prisons
Prison discipleship programme
Other legislation
Europe
Guernsey discipline
Other items
Pioneer ministry
Old Catholic anniversary
World Council of Churches
The hugely comprehensive coverage of General Synod in today’s Church Times is available at present only to subscribers. TA will link to that material next week. For now, the following items are available:
News Report: Synod hands women over to drafting group
Leader: One faith, one Lord, one Church
Columnist: If only the Church could make its mind up by Giles Fraser
1 CommentThe Church of England Newspaper is on the web today with numerous reports of General Synod:
Quandary ahead on women bishops
Faithful Cities report lacks evangelistic focus – says Synod
Commissioners want scrutiny
Synod’s Carbon attitudes lukewarm
Women bishops are justified
Archbishop criticises US Churchs legal processes for doubts
Dr Williams clarifies his thinking on the plans for a two-tier Anglican Communion
Church to double FE chaplains
Pensions plan welcomed
Synod debates merits of tax policy
Archbishop demonstrates that he has found his true home in York
Couples allowed to wed in any churches where they have link
Plans for freehold replacement unveiled to Synod members
Prisons policy defended
The Times mentioned the final day of synod in Ruth Gledhill’s story about Ndungane’s letter: Church must keep to ‘middle ground’.
Jonathan Petre in the Telegraph was able to report Give married couples an even break on benefits, says Synod. This pleased the writers of leader columns there: The Synod’s solid sense.
2 CommentsUpdated Thursday – see below
As background to this question, the Church of England Newspaper published a news report last week headlined Prison ministry axed.
There was also a report in the Telegraph Prison service axes Christian course and an opinion item also.
The CEN article was mentioned during the debate on the report of the business committee, at the start of the synod meeting last Friday, and it also led to an additional question being raised, which was answered on Tuesday morning. There were also several supplementary questions. The whole sequence can be listened to here.
The Ven Alan Hawker (Bristol) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q: In the light of recent press reports about the ending of particular Christian programmes for prisons, will the House of Bishops, in consultation with the Mission and Public Affairs Council, ascertain the facts and make representations to the Home Secretary?
The Bishop of Worcester as the Bishop to HM Prisons to reply.
A: I thank the Archdeacon and Mrs Ruoff who first raised the issue for the opportunity to correct the very inaccurate reports in the Church of England Newspaper about the ending of the Inner Change Programme at HMP Dartmoor. These reports suggest that it is becoming more difficult or even impossible to gain approval for specifically Christian programmes in prisons. I have consulted with the Chaplain General, who is of course a member of the Synod and with us this morning.
The Inner Change programme failed on five different counts to obtain approval under the Prison Services ‘Effective Intervention’ Criteria. For instance objective research on re-offending rates sadly did not confirm the claims made for the programme: experience of the programme in the USA has been mixed, and there have been concerns about its ability to integrate with general chaplaincy provision. Contrary to what is said in the CEN, the Chaplain General was not involved in the decision, which was made by the Area Manager after the usual panel meeting. The same panel and the same Area Manager have accredited a number of specifically Christian programmes including Kairos. Many specifically Christian programmes are approved and taking place in prisons – Alpha probably being the best known. The idea that chaplains have to sign a ‘multi-faith covenant’ is simply not true.
The Standing Committee of the House of Bishops is currently planning the agenda for the October meeting of the House and I have been asked by the Archbishop of York to propose an outline for a session or sessions on the criminal justice system. I am sure that the position of the Christian faith and practice in prisons would be part of that discussion. I am in regular touch with Christopher Jones and the members of the Mission and Public Affairs Division, and shall be glad with him to supply any necessary briefing if the Private Member’s Motion which has just been tabled comes to be debated.
The pressures in the prison system, with record numbers incarcerated, and the variety of religious faiths represented, present a hugely challenging environment for the Service in general and the Chaplaincy in particular. Despite these pressures, the Chaplain General has enabled the production of policies which maintain the proper balance between maintaining that which is specifically Christian and enabling proper provision for other faith communities so that the needs of their members can be met. I would wish to assure him and all chaplains of our support and our prayers in their demanding task, and Synod of the continued validity of Christian witness in prisons.
Updates
Andrew Carey has responded to Bishop Selby: you can read it here. And there is a news item also: Prisons policy defended.
And Andrew has further comments about this on his blog here.
And, in relation to the Telegraph coverage, there is a letter from the Director General of the Prison Service here.
5 CommentsSynod ended its July sessions at 11.20 this morning. As your correspondent leaves the University of York the official report of the morning’s business is not yet available, so for the record here is the motion passed by Synod nem con on a show of hands. The business was entitled “Married Couple’s Tax Allowance”, although the motion was heavily amended to make it more general.
That this Synod, wishing to reaffirm the importance of marriage as central to the stability and health of society and the best context in which to bring up children
(a) reaffirm its own priority of supporting family life (including the work of the Mothers’ Union and FLAME) and encouraging more couples to affirm their commitment and love to each other in marriage; and
(b) call upon Her Majesty’s Government to do the same, in all ways open to it and in particular by removing the considerable financial penalties placed on marriage by the tax and benefit system.
Update The official report of the morning’s business is now available here.
4 CommentsJonathan Petre in the Telegraph has New Church effort on women bishops
Ruth Gledhill in The Times has Synod vote on women clergy is setback for traditionalists
Matthew Davies for Episcopal News Service has a detailed report of the debate in Church of England begins long process toward ordaining women bishops
Michael Brown reporting for the Yorkshire Post concentrates on one single speech in Leading Yorkshire cleric attacks bishops over women’s ordination.
Also, though unrelated to synod, yesterday the Guardian had Bishops warn PM over Trident and the BBC had Bishops say Trident is ‘anti-God’.
3 CommentsThe official report is here. This will be updated following the evening session.
0 CommentsPaul Roberts has written about this morning’s debate here: General Synod – Monday.
Stephen Bates has also written: Going round in circles.
3 CommentsThe two major contributions of the Archbishop of Canterbury to today’s debate on women bishops can be found on his own website:
Speech given moving item 14 on Women in the Episcopate at the Church of England’s General Synod
Closing Speech on item 14 (as amended) on Women in the Episcopate at the Church of England’s General Synod
For audio links go here.
Reactions have already come from Forward in Faith, and from WATCH. The latter is a PDF file, so is reproduced below the fold.
0 CommentsThe official report of this morning’s business is available here.
0 CommentsHaving voted in favour of the principle of having women bishops on Saturday, Synod today spent all morning debating the process for bringing this about. Several amendments, three of which were accepted, were proposed to the original motion. The motion refers to Canon A4, and the text of this is given below the motion and result of the final vote. Details of the original motion and the amendments are below the fold.
The motion as put to Synod (with text added by amendments shown in bold) was.
That this Synod, endorsing Resolution 111.2 of the Lambeth Conference 1998 “that those who dissent from, as well as those who assent to the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate are both loyal Anglicans” and believing that the implications of admitting women to the episcopate will best be discerned by continuing to explore in detail the practical and legislative arrangements:
(a) invite dioceses, deaneries and parishes to continue serious debate and reflection on the theological, practical, ecumenical and missiological aspects of the issue;
(b) invite the Archbishops’ Council, in consultation with the Standing Committee of the House of Bishops and the Appointments Committee, to secure the early appointment of a legislative drafting group, which will aim to include a significant representation of women in the spirit of Resolution 13/31 of the Anglican Consultative Council passed in July 2005, charged with:
(i) preparing the draft measure and amending canon necessary to remove the legal obstacles to the consecration of women to the office of bishop;
(ii) preparing a draft of possible additional legal provision consistent with Canon A4 to establish arrangements that would seek to maintain the highest possible degree of communion with those conscientiously unable to receive the ministry of women bishops;
(iii) submitting the results of its work to the House of Bishops for consideration and submission to Synod; and
(c) instruct the Business Committee to make time available, before first consideration of the draft legislation, for the Synod to consider, in the light of any views expressed by the House of Bishops, the arrangements proposed in the drafting group’s report.
The motion, as amended, was carried on a show of hands.
Canon A4
A 4 Of the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons
The Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, annexed to The Book of Common Prayer and commonly known as the Ordinal, is not repugnant to the Word of God; and those who are so made, ordained, or consecrated bishops, priests, or deacons, according to the said Ordinal, are lawfully made, ordained, or consecrated, and ought to be accounted, both by themselves and others, to be truly bishops, priests, or deacons.
7 CommentsThe official report is here.
Ruth Gledhill’s blog entry is here.
4 Comments