The Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York from 11 to 15 July. The agenda and papers for the meeting were released today.
There are links to the papers below the fold, grouped by the day on which they are due to be debated. There are also a number of GS Misc papers and items of deemed and contingency business.
Also available are these two zipped files.
Friday, 11 July
Saturday, 12 July
Sunday, 13 July
Monday, 14 July
Tuesday, 15 July
GS Misc Papers
Deemed Business
Contingency Business
Notice Papers
Mr Nye’s paper GS2413B is a hoot! I know ordinands, clergy and even diocesan bishops not living in accordance with ‘Issues’. This has been the case throughout my 30 years in Holy Orders. I’m know of straight ordinands who were living over the brush during their training with the full knowledge of their training institutions and their home dioceses. As to queer clergy and bishops – there are legions of us, many of whom make no secret of the fact that they are sexually active. This aged fig leaf never did a very good job but is now falling apart.… Read more »
It really is parallel universe stuff, or perhaps something from a minor Stalinist state. If such an influential person in the Church of England bureaucracy is arguing for the retention of Issues it pretty much explains why Anglicanism in England is such a bin fire.
I know I bang on about this: we always need to remind ourselves that 95% of English Anglicans love the fact that Father or Revd Mother has a ‘special’ friend. It’s the hierarchy who are so out of step with the majority of the Body of Christ. The bishops allow themselves to be pushed around by the ConEvos; they have the power to call time on their bully boy tactics.
I don’t think that statistic reflects reality.
It’s called “being economical with the truth”. Mr Nye again showing his experience of Whitehall practice.
You surely don’t believe that Mr Nye writes all these documents himself?
Of course not, but the man at the top sets the tone and the values for the people who do the drafting, who work within an institutional culture set by the man at the top. And it seems to me that the tone and the values in this paper are those to be expected within a culture led by a consummate Whitehall mandarin wanting to move the debate in a certain direction, rather than wanting to encourage open dialogue and exploration of ideas within General Synod. But it does raise an interesting question. If the anonymous apparatchik drafting this paper… Read more »
I wonder whether we might be a little more courteous to the staff of Church House, especially the less senior staff. The ones I know are doing their job, trying to serve the Church, in their own parish churches as well as in their day job. Those who get to take minutes are in my experience highly conscientious and enthusiastic. It is not their job to push a particular agenda, not in public anyway. One can of course argue about the overall tone of the institution and the senior staff and bishops who set it.
Simon, Thanks for your post. I understand the points you are making. I wonder if my response to Helen may partly answer your post. I fully accept that there will be a huge number of very conscientious and enthusiastic staff doing their best to serve the church. I am sorry if I have given the impression of criticising such people in my posts. But these people work within an institution whose tone, values and processes are set by those at the top, as you say in your final sentence. I am trying to ask if that tone is being set… Read more »
You are to be commended on such a measured response.
The foregoing comments don’t indicate that GS2413b is Nye’s summary, as he understands it, of the current impasse, especially in the House of Bishops, over what the CofE wants to say about same sex relationships. They illustrate how doctrine develops – as much through practice – perhaps more so – as through theorising. Let’s pray for some breakthrough. Meanwhile what is is what is.
The deep tragedy is concisely summarised in the first sentence of paragraph 5 of the Issues paper: A document intended for teaching and debate was treated as a definitive statement of doctrine. I went to a Bishops’ Advisory Panel in 2006 and was required to marry my fiancee, with whom I was living, before I could start training. That was, it turns out, the happiest of burdens and our marriage has been a great joy. My view has always been that the idea that the God who created the cosmos with such extravagant joy and abandon has limited the sacramental… Read more »
So, money, money, money, soldiers, soldiers, money, money, all rounded off with sex.
There was a motion to respond to the plight of the Palestinian people, but it got bumped by money.
Have I missed the publication of Questions, and Responses?
I note these are down to be discuussed on the first evening of the General Synod, which IIRC is THIS Friday, ie, a mere couple of days away. How are Synod members to prepare?
Discourtesy? Ineptitude? A measure of importance of accountability?
No, you have not missed them. Standing Orders require the Questions and Answers to “be circulated to every member at least one clear day before the day on which the answer is due to be given”, ie no later than today (Wednesday). As soon as they appear on the CofE website I will publish a link to them in a new post here.
Thank you Peter for this reference to Standing Orders and how their application adds to the time pressures on General Synod members. Thank you for publishing them I make a number of observations on the TA thread allocated to Synod Q&A.