A group of Church of England evangelicals may form a third province for orthodox churches and clergy if General Synod allows a novel three-year trial process for stand-alone services for same-sex blessing.
“If the further departure from the Church’s doctrine suggested by the Synod papers does go ahead, we will have no choice but rapidly to establish what would in effect be a new de facto ‘parallel Province’ within the Church of England and to seek pastoral oversight from bishops who remain faithful to orthodox teaching on marriage and sexuality,” members of The Alliance wrote in a letter released June 26.
The group, which was founded last year, claims to represent more than 2,000 of the church’s 20,000 clergy in active ministry, and a variety of traditions. It claims that the plan set out in a recent paper from the House of Bishops about Living in Love and Faith raises issues “in terms of Western elitism (ignoring the views of the Global South) and unlawfulness (failing to follow the canons of the Church of England which are designed to preserve unity).”
They added: “We have always urged that the General Synod be allowed to follow correct legal processes requiring a two-thirds majority in all Houses for a change of liturgy. It is a matter of deep regret (and the cause of incalculable damage to the structure, integrity, and mission of the national Church) that the House of Bishops, having agreed in October 2023 (and in November 2023 with the whole Synod) that the correct canonical process be followed, has reneged on its decision and that, as a result, no such process has begun.”
The House of Bishops’ GS 2358 paper proposes “a three-year period of discernment in the life of the church to enable the exploration of differing developments and practice while holding together as one church.”
This period of discernment would begin after a year devoted to shaping its parameters, extending from the summer of 2025 until 2029. This would place final decisions about liturgies for same-sex blessings, changes in the standards for clergy discipline, and provisions for differentiation for conservatives in the hands of a new General Synod, to be elected in 2026.
A major challenge for progressives has been the more conservative ethos of the current synod, which in 2023 successfully passed the “Cornes Amendment,” raising the standards for doctrinal conformity in any proposals for change. Earlier votes in General Synod on Living in Love scraped by with slim majorities, falling far short of the two-thirds majority necessary to give liturgies full authorization according to the church’s existing canons.
GS 2358 also recommends that stand-alone services for same-sex blessings be allowed from some time in early 2025 for “a discernment period for trial usage,” and that an opportunity be provided for conservative parishes to “register for Pastoral Reassurance.” The terms of such pastoral reassurance are unspecified.
Conservatives point out that the Church of England’s canons contain no authorization for a churchwide “discernment period for trial use,” and that liturgies authorized under its various forms of trial and experimental use must be in conformity with existing church doctrine. This proposal also goes against earlier promises made by leaders of Living in Love and Faith that stand-alone services would only be permitted after being authorized by a two-thirds majority vote of synod.
The House of Bishops recommend action on these proposals at the General Synod meeting set for July 5-9. The church’s Faith and Order Commission has not concluded its deliberation about the doctrinal conformity of same-sex blessings included in Prayers of Love and Faith.
The bishops’ unwillingness to wait on the Faith and Order Commission’s report was sharply criticized by the seven traditionalist Anglo-Catholic bishops of the Society.
A separate group of 11 evangelical and Anglo-Catholic bishops announced on June 26, “We are persuaded that a commitment to unity will instead be demonstrated by the resolve we show to take the time we need to achieve sufficient consensus in relation to doctrinal matters.
“While we recognise that General Synod voted in November by a small majority to explore new worship services, Synod has also committed itself to doing this in a way that does not depart from the doctrine of the Church. After much careful and intense work, it seems clear that this, together with changes to the disciplines for clergy in relation to the doctrine of marriage, is not possible without accepting a development that changes doctrine.
“We therefore urge Synod to rethink the process at this time, and request the bishops to enable further doctrinal work, bringing back proposals that will properly be considered under the governance of the necessary canons.”
The Alliance also announced that it would “take action with immediate effect to open up a new pre-ordination stream for potential ordinands, in partnership with orthodox bishops.”
The traditionalist Anglo-Catholic group Forward in Faith, which has consistently partnered with the Alliance, also released a statement affirming its support for the letter, but noting that it declined to co-sign because it has operated under an official settlement with the Church of England for the past ten years.
