Gerry Lynch Changing Politics, Changing Country
Phil Groves ViaMedia.News Be Kind
Kelvin Holdsworth What is in Kelvin’s Head? ACC-19 – The Anglican Consultative Council in Belfast
0 CommentsThis post will be updated as the meeting proceeds.
The Church of England’s General Synod is meeting this weekend. The timetable is here, the agenda is here and the papers are here.
Live video etc
All sessions are streamed live on YouTube and remain available to view afterwards. Links have been provided in advance.
Order papers
Notice papers
Business Done
Official press releases
Press reports and comment etc
Church Times
The 239 Questions (and answers) for this weekend’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod were issued today. They can be found online here:
There are two sessions scheduled for Questions: on Friday afternoon (not later than 5.35 pm) and Saturday morning (not later than 11.45 am).
Update Friday
The answers to some questions include material not suitable for inclusion in the questions booklet. This material is displayed on the noticeboard at Synod, and is included in this Addendum to Questions.
Update Saturday
There is further additional material.
5 CommentsAndrew Atherstone The Living Church Hope for the Communion? Reflections on the Anglican Consultative Council’s 2026 Meeting
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Divine Violence and Abuse: Part Two of Ending Abusive Theologies
Phil Groves ViaMedia.News All Kinds of Minds
Helen King sharedconversations Learning to love and be loved: bishops, bodies and my Private Member’s Motion
17 CommentsThe Bishop of Bedford, the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, has announced that he will retire at the end of this year. Details are on the St Albans diocesan website.
20 CommentsUpdated 7 July and 8 July
Eighty-two members of the General Synod have written to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York asking why a fringe event and exhibition space at the July 2026 Synod have been approved. The letter asks the Archbishops to exercise their discretionary powers as Presidents to uphold the Church’s safeguarding guidance and the ethos of the Church of England.
The announcement of the fringe event can be seen here.
The text of the letter is published at Unadulterated Love: Letter to Archbishops objecting to Synod event in support of “Conversion Therapy” and is copied in full below the fold.
Robert Thompson has written a further reflection on this issue, which is published at ViaMedia.News: The Body We Are Becoming: Ecclesiology, Safeguarding and the Common Life of General Synod
Update 7 July
The Telegraph reports:
A Church of England spokesman said: “A General Synod member has applied to host a Synod fringe meeting and related public display on ‘sexual identity transformation’ at the forthcoming General Synod meeting at the University of York. The organiser has made clear both will challenge the principles of a ban on conversion practices.
“Following careful consideration, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York have informed the Synod member that their fringe meeting, as a private discussion for Synod members and invited guests, may go ahead as planned, but has declined permission for the associated stand and public display.
“In 2017, the General Synod voted, by a large majority, in favour of a ban on conversion practices. A publicly visible display would act as a public statement contrary to that stated position and is not appropriate in the circumstances.”
Update 8 July
In the archbishops’ letter to those who wrote to them about this, they also say:
“The University of York have made certain requests in relation to the meeting. If the meeting is to take place, the organiser will need to meet these requests which concern the name of the event, the display of signage and a disclaimer.”
Robert Thompson Guarding the Flock Beyond Compliance: Why the Church’s Next Safeguarding Challenge Is Culture
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church False Safeguarding Accusations and how they Damage the Church
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Ending Abusive Theologies – Beginning Again with Love
Phil Groves ViaMedia.News GAFCON and CEEC
38 CommentsKeith Elford What is it all for?
“How clear are we about what good looks like for the church today?”
Madeleine Davies Church Times How best to recruit a new parish priest
106 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York from 10 to 14 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. (more…)
18 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York next month. The papers were released today along with the following press release. I will publish a detailed list of papers later today.
National unity and global challenges on agenda in final meeting of current Synod
25/06/2026
A call for Christians to promote national unity in a time of polarisation and the theological case for protecting the planet are among the national and global issues being considered at the upcoming meeting of General Synod.
Members of Synod, the Church of England’s national assembly, will gather in York from July 10 to 14 for the last group of sessions of their five-year term, ahead of elections in the autumn.
In addition to key legislation on subjects such as clergy conduct rules and the Abuse Redress Scheme, Synod will be discussing a wide range of challenges facing the church and nation from a Christian perspective.
Members will spend time discussing questions of national unity and the role of the church in a time of social, economic and technological change.
In a paper published today, the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, who chairs the Church of England’s Bishops’ Working Group for Promoting Unity in our Nation, looks at factors causing fragmentation and argues: “As the Established Church, we should model a healthy sense of patriotism.”
Also among the materials published today is “Hope for All Creation: A theological response to the environmental crises” – a landmark new theological text, or teaching document, from the House of Bishops, produced by the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission (FAOC).
It offers a theological framework for understanding and responding to environmental crises including climate change, drawing from the Anglican tradition and the life and worship of the Church.
It comes as Synod prepares to give final approval to a significant change to the ecclesiastical calendar by introducing a new annual “Festival of Creation in Christ”, which includes prayers and readings reflecting God’s creation.
Another key liturgical change due for final approval is the introduction of an annual commemoration of the “21 Martyrs of Libya” – a group of Christian men who were killed for their faith in Christ by Isis terrorists 10 years ago. The annual commemoration will be a vivid reminder of how Christians are still persecuted around the world today.
Papers published today also include the final outputs of the Church of England’s Trust and Trustworthiness project, carried out over almost five years and drawing from in-depth interviews with people across the Church.
There will also be debates on other motions, including some brought by individual members and dioceses. Subjects to be discussed include: looked-after children and care-leavers; neurodivergence; Israel and Palestine; and the church’s response to same-sex relationships.
Synod will also receive an update from the Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon Programme on the progress being made in response to the ambition set by Synod in 2020 for the Church to work towards reaching net zero carbon emissions.
There will also be an update on safeguarding work from the new Lead Bishop for Safeguarding, Robert Springett.
7 CommentsThe Church of England yesterday published its final report on the recommendations of the Makin Review and the work of the Task and Finish Group. In addition to the report there was a press release, which is copied below.
Final report published on response to Makin recommendations
23/06/2026
The Church of England has today published its final report on the recommendations of the Makin Review and the work of the Task and Finish Group, including updates on actions in response to the independent review into the abuse carried out by John Smyth. (more…)
53 CommentsKelvin Holdsworth What’s in Kelvin’s Head The Four Horsemen of Growth – their names and their characteristics
Mark Clavier Well-Tempered Post-Christian Christianity: a Response
Robert Thompson Guarding the Flock Safeguarding in the Church: Why Is It So Difficult to Get Right?
Robert Thompson ViaMedia.News Alternative Ordinations and the Fracturing of the Church
109 CommentsThe full set of papers for next month’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod is due to be published on 25 June. But a few are already available; they are listed below.
GS Misc Papers
Deemed and Contingency Business
The Very Revd Dr Manon Ceridwen James has been elected as the 82nd Bishop of Bangor in the Church in Wales. She is the Dean of Bangor Cathedral. Details are in a press release on the provincial website.
13 CommentsAndrew Atherstone Law & Religion UK More alternative Anglican ordinations
Maggi Dawn Vonnegut, the Beatitudes, and the Creed
Matthew Hall The Guardian I came out as a Christian at work – and this is what happened next
30 CommentsMark Clavier Well-Tempered The Pastoral Wisdom of Brother Cadfael
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love The Scientific Revolution : Idolatry Triumphant
Michelle Burns Guarding the Flock The Church of England’s Bedroom Audit
54 CommentsMartyn Snow and Florence Gildea Faith in the Public Square Why Christians Should Not Withdraw from Politics
Mark Clavier Well-Tempered On Engaging Politics Faithfully
Anon Surviving Church Every Member Ministry and Safeguarding
77 CommentsPenelope Middelboe Women and the Church “Pure-blood” bishops sound more like Harry Potter than the Gospels
Andrew Goddard Psephizo Helen King’s motion for General Synod: a help or a hindrance?
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Where the Wasteland Ends: Politics and Transcendence in Postindustrial Society
132 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York from 10 to 14 July 2026. The outline of its business is online here, and is copied below the fold.
2 CommentsThe minutes of the January 2026 and December 2025 meetings of the Church of England’s House of Bishops are now available. Earlier minutes can be found here.
6 Comments