Thinking Anglicans

Opinion – 9 October 2024

Mark Vasey-Saunders ViaMedia.News Theological Colleges: Being a Community in the Midst of Disagreement

Stephen Parsons Surviving Church

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Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney

The Scottish Episcopal Church has announced today that the disciplinary proceedings against the Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney have been dropped. The Rt Revd Anne Dyer was suspended in August 2022 following complaints of bullying which she has always denied. This brings to an end the suspension of Bishop Dyer, who will resume duties in the Diocese in due course.

The full announcement is copied below.

Canon 54 process concludes after review by independent Procurator
October 8, 2024

During the Canon 54 process enacted following complaints made against the Rt Rev Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, the independent Procurator to the Scottish Episcopal Church has kept under continuous review his decision of May this year to take charges to the Clergy Disciplinary Tribunal.

Having maintained that review throughout discussions with involved parties over the past five months, the Procurator, Paul Reid KC, has now decided that it would no longer be in the public interest to pursue the charges, and the Clergy Discipline Tribunal has granted his application to dismiss the proceedings.

In his Note of Reasons explaining his decision not to lead evidence, Mr Reid says: “As with the initial decision to refer allegations to the Tribunal for trial, I have approached each allegation in two stages: (a) is there sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction in respect of the allegation; and (b) whether a prosecution, or the continuation of a prosecution, in respect of each charge is in the ‘public interest’.”

He continues: “I have approached ‘public interest’ in these circumstances by considering the wider Church community and general confidence in the Church.” (more…)

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Appointment of Second Church Estates Commissioner

Press release from the Prime Minister’s Office

Appointment of Second Church Estates Commissioner: 7 October 2024

The King has approved the nomination of Marsha de Cordova, Member of Parliament for Battersea, to be appointed as Second Church Estates Commissioner.

From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 7 October 2024

The King has approved the nomination of Marsha de Cordova, Member of Parliament for Battersea, to be appointed as Second Church Estates Commissioner

Marsha de Cordova is the Labour MP for Battersea, and has been an MP since 8 June 2017.

She was educated at London South Bank University studying Law and European Policy Studies. She was born with Nystagmus and is registered blind.

She has worked for numerous charities including Action for Blind People and Thomas Pocklington Trust before founding the charity South East London Vision (SELVis) in 2014. She was elected as a Labour Party councillor for the Larkhall ward on Lambeth Council in 2014.

Marsha has served in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities and Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions) (Disabled People). She also served on the Work and Pensions Select Committee and the Petitions Committee.

There is also a press release from the Church Commissoners.

The Second Church Estates Commissioner answers oral and written questions from MPs in the House of Commons about Church of England matters, is a member of Parliament’s Ecclesiastical Committee, and guides Church of England legislation through the House of Commons. She will be a member of the Church Commissioners’ Board of Governors and an ex-officio member of the General Synod.

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Opinion – 5 October 2024

Bosco Peters Liturgy Male and Female?

Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Looking for the Qualities of Leadership in our Bishops

Save The Parish Bishop of Chelmsford challenges the Church’s ‘Vision and Strategy’
This is a transcript of the Bishop’s Church Times Podcast that I linked to here.

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Dean of Guildford

Press release from 10 Downing Street. Further information on the Guildford diocesan website.

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Robert Gerard Cooper, Archdeacon of Sunderland, in the Diocese of Durham, to be appointed as Dean of Guildford.

Appointment of Dean of Guildford: 3 October 2024

From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 3 October 2024

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Robert Gerard Cooper, Archdeacon of Sunderland, in the Diocese of Durham, to be appointed as Dean of Guildford, in succession to The Very Reverend Dianna Gwilliams, following her retirement.

Background

Bob was educated at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and trained for ministry at Lincoln Theological College.

Ordained as Priest in 1994, he served his title at St Mary, Whitkirk, in the Diocese of Ripon. From 1998, he served as Vicar St Matthew, Lightcliffe, in the Diocese of Wakefield (now the Diocese of Leeds) and in 2005, he was appointed as Vicar St Giles and St Mary, Pontefract. From 2006, Bob additionally served as Area Dean.

In 2018, Bob took up his current role as Archdeacon of Sunderland, in the Diocese of Durham.

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Opinion – 2 October 2024

Church Times Podcast: Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani: Encouraging the weary with a word

Trevor Thurston-Smith The Pensive Pilgrim Clothes Maketh the Man : Do Vestments Maketh the Priest?

Richard Peers Oikodomeo Why is it so hard to talk about Walsingham?

Stuart Haynes Seen & Unseen How the curious react to creativity in a cathedral

Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Holy Spirit failure to update Church operating systems

Anon & Friends Surviving Church Weighing Church of England Safeguarding on the Scales of Justice 5
[the last in the series]

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Opinion – 28 September 2024

Martyn Percy Surviving Church continuing the series “Weighing Church of England Safeguarding on the Scales of Justice”

Chris Polhill ViaMedia.News 30 Years, 40 Years: And Not Equal Yet

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Soul Survivor Watford: review published

Updated Saturday and again Wednesday

In November 2023 the Trustees of Soul Survivor festivals, Soul Survivor Watford, and Soul61 (collectively known as Soul Survivor) commissioned Fiona Scolding KC to conduct an Independent Review into the culture and practices of Soul Survivor, following the National Safeguarding Team’s investigation into Mike Pilavachi.

Responses

An initial statement from Richard Scorer is copied below the fold.

Updates

Further analysis by Richard Scorer: The Soul Survivor Report – Some Thoughts

God Loves Women: Scolding, Colluding or Both? My critique of the Scolding Review into Soul Survivor and Mike Pilavachi

Church TimesScolding review of Soul Survivor scandal published

For further updates on Soul Survivor, I recommend weekly checking at The Soul Survivor Situation – A Timeline.

(more…)

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Should the CNC procedures be changed?

Two previous articles dealing with this:

Two Church Times articles (both linked previously):

Other opinions:

Andrew Goddard Choosing Bishops: A Failure to Discern?

Anthony Archer Crown Nominations Commission Back in the Firing Line

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Opinion – 21 September 2024

Top 1000 funds Church Commissioners: Managing historic real assets for the future

Rosalind Rutherford ViaMedia.News What do Others Think of Us?

Neil Patterson ViaMedia.News Can the Church of England be Mature about Love?

Martyn Percy Meander Crisis, What Crisis?

Bosco Peters Liturgy Do Churches Really Want More People?

Martyn Percy Surviving Church Weighing Church of England Safeguarding on the Scales of Justice: No. 1: Who Pays?

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Bishops back proposals to simplify nomination process for diocesan bishops

Updated Friday evening

As we reported earlier the Church of England’s House of Bishops met today to consider proposals to reform the CNC (Crown Nominations Commission) procedures for nominating diocesan bishops. The proposals are in paragraphs 12 to 14 of HB(24)30. They were accepted with one amendment (which did not alter the proposed change to the CNC procedures) by 27 votes to nine, with three abstentions.

The proposals and their background are summarised in a press release, which is copied  below.

The House met in public and there is a report of their debate in the Church Times.

The CNC procedures are part of the standing orders of General Synod. The bishops’ proposed changes must be agreed by the Synod, which next meets in February 2025. Changes to standing orders can come into effect immediately.

Friday evening update

The Church Times has published a further article House of Bishops’ CNC debate rouses ire of central members.

Press release

Bishops back proposals to simplify nomination process for diocesan bishops
18/09/2024

House of Bishops supports proposals to simplify the Crown Nominations Commission process

The House of Bishops has given its support to proposed changes to the process of nominating future diocesan bishops to the Crown, to simplify the process and help enable a broad representation.

The House – which is made up of the diocesan bishops and other senior bishops in the Church of England – agreed to ask General Synod to consider changing the rules governing how Crown Nominations Commissions (CNCs), which nominate future diocesan bishops, operate.

It follows two cases in the last year in which CNCs were unable to reach agreement to fill vacancies for new bishops.

When a see becomes vacant a CNC gathers to consider possible candidates and put forward a name to the King through the Prime Minister. Once the nomination has been approved by the King, the new bishop is announced by Downing Street. (Note: a ‘see’ is the area of a bishop’s authority and jurisdiction.)

In each case the CNC is made up of a combination of representatives from the local diocese and a group of “central members”, elected from the General Synod to represent the national Church.

Following the two recent cases in which the CNC was unable to appoint (for new Bishops of Carlisle and Ely), the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, who chairs the Advisory Group for Appointments and Vocations, suggested a series of changes including to the voting threshold required to make an appointment.

Under the current Standing Orders, at least two thirds of the members of a CNC must support a nomination before it goes forward. That includes any who decide to abstain.

However, as Bishop Sarah explains in a paper to the House, currently, with 14 members on a CNC, this means 10 members must agree, meaning the threshold is in fact above 71 per cent.

Bishop Sarah proposed:

  • Reducing the threshold required for a nomination to 60 per cent of those voting, also removing any abstentions from the total.
  • Remove the secret ballot.
  • Giving the presiding Archbishop (of Canterbury or York) an additional vote in the event of a deadlock.

Speaking at the bishops’ meeting in Oxford today, she said: “There is a lack of diversity on the CNC, including gender, race, and theology, which has led to a loss of trust in the process.

“Restoring trust will require the process to be competent, consistent, full of integrity, and compassionate. Ultimately, we need to restore confidence in this discernment process under God.”

The House approved a motion welcoming the recommendations by 27 votes to nine, with three abstentions.

Notes to editors

The motion agreed by the House was:

‘That this House, regretting the difficulties in the recent CNC processes as set out in HB(24)30 welcome the recommendations as set out in paragraphs 12 to 14 of that paper and request that work be undertaken to bring the proposals to Synod.’

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Church of England census dashboards

The Church of England has mapped the 2021 Census figures against parishes.

Census Dashboards

These dashboards provide a 1-page parish summary of national census and deprivation data, mapped onto Church of England parish boundaries (boundaries as of October 2023).

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Opinion – 14 September 2024

‘Graham’ ViaMedia.News Is the Failure to Act on a Safeguarding Disclosure a Disciplinary Offence or Not?

Kelvin Holdsworth What’s in Kelvin’s Head The Beatitudes of Livestreaming

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Suffragan Bishop of Southampton

Press release from 10 Downing Street. Further information from Winchester diocese.

Appointment of Suffragan Bishop of Southampton: 13 September 2024

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Rhiannon King, Archdeacon of Ipswich and Director of ‘Inspiring Ipswich’, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, as Suffragan Bishop of Southampton, in the Diocese of Winchester.

From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 13 September 2024

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Rhiannon King, Archdeacon of Ipswich and Director of ‘Inspiring Ipswich’, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, as Suffragan Bishop of Southampton, in the Diocese of Winchester, in succession to The Right Reverend Deborah Sellin, following her translation to Bishop of Peterborough.

Background

Rhiannon was educated at Exeter University, has two Master’s degrees and trained for ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. She served her title in the Huntingdon Team Ministry in the Diocese of Ely and in 2001 she was ordained priest. From 2004, Rhiannon served as Rector of Fulbourn and the Wilbrahams, a rural multi-parish benefice outside Cambridge, during which time she was elected to General Synod. In 2010 she was appointed Transforming Church Co-ordinator/Diocesan Mission Enabler in the Diocese of Birmingham and, from 2014, she served as the Director of Mission.

In 2019, Rhiannon took up her current roles as Archdeacon of Ipswich and Director of ‘Inspiring Ipswich’, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

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Proposals to reform the CNC procedures

Updated Thursday

Updated again 17 September

The House of Bishops meets on 18 September. The Agenda is published here.

The paper to be discussed HB(24)30 is published here: Crown Nominations Commission September 2024.

General Synod members have today been sent an email, which includes the following:

House of Bishops
The House of Bishops will meet on Wednesday 18 September at St Hugh’s College Oxford to consider proposals for reform of CNCs.  The paper and agenda will shortly be available on the House of Bishops section of the website .  This will follow on from a meeting of the College on this topic at which all bishops will be able to speak.  The House of Bishops Standing Committee has agreed that this part of the meeting should be open to the public and press, subject to limitations in the room, to observe.  Priority will be given to central members of the CNC but if General Synod members wish to attend they are asked to notify synod@churchofengland.org and seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Updates

Law & Religion UK has this report: Bishops to discuss difficulties in Crown Nominations Commission processes

Church Times has this: After deadlocks, Crown Nominations Commission’s secret ballots may end

Second Update

An order paper has been issued for the House of Bishops meeting. The meeting will now last an hour (5.00 to 6.00 pm) instead of the originally planned 25 minutes. The bishops of Oxford and Rochester will be proposing amendments.

Law & Religion UK has also published the Order Paper text here. This copy includes live links to the GS documents referenced.

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Opinion – 11 September 2024

Gavin Drake Church Abuse Finally – a glimpse of some good news for Church of England safeguarding (Nazir Afzal)

Colin Coward Unadulterated Love The church’s problem with sex according to Diarmaid

Eric Vanden Eykel Religion News Service What is the Shroud of Turin and why is there so much controversy around it?

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Bishop of Crediton announces her retirement

The Bishop of Crediton, the Rt Revd Jackie Searle, has announced that she plans to retire at the end of January 2025.

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Opinion – 7 September 2024

Pippa Bailey The New Statesman The race for Lambeth Palace
“Can the next archbishop of Canterbury unite a divided Church?”

The Church Mouse Why do priests in the Church of England wear robes?

Chantal Noppen ViaMedia.News Rounding up Sheep or Assembling Cats? Governance in the United Reformed Church and the Church of England

Martyn Percy Surviving Church Joining the Dots Christianity – Assessing Alpha

Colin Coward Unadulterated Love The past, the present and the future Church of England

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Dr Tim Wambunya apologises for his role in a Berlin ordination service

Church Times report by Francis Martin: Next Bishop of Wolverhampton regrets part in non-canonical ordination

THE next Bishop of Wolverhampton, Dr Tim Wambunya, has apologised for the part he played in a non-canonical ordination of a bishop in Germany, saying that he merely wished to support a former student.

The service, which took place in Berlin in April, was billed as the ordination, as Bishop, of the Revd Wamare Juma, who founded and leads the Revealed Evangelical Mission. The organisation’s website describes it as a “non-denominational para-church”, and it has branches in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania as well as Germany…

…At the service in April, Dr Wambunya laid hands on Bishop Wamare Juma, led him through the declarations and ordination prayer from the Common Worship rite of ordination and consecration of a bishop, and presented him with a “certificate of ordination” which identified Dr Wambunya as the “ordaining bishop”.

On Tuesday, Dr Wambunya said that he took part in a personal capacity. “I did not for a moment imagine I was representing the Church of England, or even any other Anglican province, and I was not there in any official capacity,” he said…

Do read the full report, which includes comments from the Bishops of Oxford and Lichfield.

Also, you can watch the entire event here:
Video: ORDINATION OF BISHOP WAMARE JUMA

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Cathedral Statistics 2023

The Church of England has released its Cathedral Statistics 2023, along with a press release, which is copied below.

Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023
05/09/2024

Coronation Celebrations, cultural initiatives, and sustainability efforts highlight year of positive change.

The Church of England’s latest cathedral attendance statistics reveal continued recovery in 2023, with a five per cent increase in weekly service attendance. Attendance at Christmas services was up 20% year on year and the rise was also reflected in easter services, where attendance was up by 10%.

Cathedrals also experienced a resurgence in visitor numbers, with 9.35 million people visiting in 2023, a 17 per cent increase from 2022. This marks a significant recovery, although overall numbers remain slightly below pre-pandemic levels.

The year was marked by celebrations of King Charles III’s coronation, with cathedrals hosting special services and community events. In addition to worship and national events, cathedrals made notable strides in cultural and sustainability efforts, with exhibitions, civic events and significant energy-saving initiatives and biodiversity projects across the country.

The report, released today, shows a weekly total of 30,300 individuals attended cathedral services each week, reflecting a continued return to in-person worship. (more…)

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