CEEC responds to General Synod and plans way forward

Jul 17, 2024 by

from CEEC;

Many of you will have seen General Synod decisions making the headlines in the last couple of weeks. It certainly has been an eventful time. See our update below on what happened at Synod, what decisions were made and what it means going forward.

Just prior to General Synod, the Alliance issued a letter to the bishops warning them of the consequences of a continued pursuit of change in the Church of England. See more on that below.

Last Friday, the CEEC commissioned its first set of overseers to deliver its provision of alternative spiritual oversight. You can see the full story below.

Please do see our prayer pointers for the coming weeks as conferences, camps and festivals take place across the country.

Please do forward this email to a friend/church member who would like to be kept informed.

In Christ,

John

Revd Canon John Dunnett,
National Director, CEEC

GENERAL SYNOD 5-9 JULY
WHAT HAPPENED AT GENERAL SYNOD?

A number of significant issues were discussed at General Synod, but all eyes were fixed on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) debate in particular on Monday afternoon. Bishop Martyn Snow’s proposals, endorsed by the House of Bishops, for the next phase for the Living in Love and Faith process were brought to Synod and narrowly approved.
WHAT WAS VOTED/AGREED?

  1. Standalone services of blessings for same sex couples were approved
  2. A timetable towards clergy same sex marriage was agreed
  3. A blank cheque replacement of ‘Issues of human sexuality’** was endorsed (**This is a 1991 House of Bishops document which (amongst other things) ensures that clergy and those accepted for ordination training are living in accordance with the C of E doctrine of sexual ethics).
  4. Delegated arrangements were endorsed – limited provision for those who uphold the existing Church of England doctrine of sex and marriage.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?The approval of the motion at Synod marks a significant milestone in the LLF process as the liberalisation of the Church of England continues apace. It was deeply disappointing that despite hearing repeatedly in speeches of the need to build trust by avoiding bad process, and CEEC’s continued advocacy of the insufficiency of delegated arrangements, the motion was carried narrowly by a vote by Houses (Bishops 22 for, 12 against 5 abstentions; Clergy 99 for, 88 against, 2 abstentions; and Laity 95 for, 91 against, 2 abstentions).The General Synod heard from a range of speakers standing for orthodoxy, including CEEC members – Helen Lamb, Aneal Appadoo, Vaughan Roberts, and Bishop Paul Williams. You can hear some of these speeches below.

Unfortunately, the leaders of the Church of England seem intent on leading the church away from the biblical teaching and doctrine passed down through the centuries and shared by millions of Christians in the Anglican Communion today.

We will continue to pursue structural reorganisation as the only provision that will guarantee orthodoxy going forward.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

General Synod’s decision triggered the launch of a de facto parallel province (within the C of E), as outlined by the recent Alliance letter to the archbishops and bishops (see more on this below), and CEEC will work with our partners in the Alliance to make this a reality.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The decisions taking place in General Synod can feel quite removed from those of us serving in local churches across the country but these changes already are making mission and evangelism more challenging.

You can express your concern in three ways:

1. Write to your bishop – we are told that the House of Bishops is of the opinion that concern is felt only by a small minority in the Church of England. Please make your concerns known by writing to your local bishop.

2. If you are part of a PCC or a member of clergy, you can request alternative spiritual oversight from one of the newly commissioned overseers – more on this below.

3. If in good conscience you (as a church or as an individual) feel you need to review your giving, check out the Ephesian Fund, which offers an alternative.
GENERAL SYNOD SPEECHES
We are grateful to the many orthodox voices who gave speeches at General Synod. We have included three of those speeches below (click on the images to hear the speeches).

ALLIANCE WARNED HOUSE OF BISHOPS AHEAD OF SYNOD 

The Alliance issued a warning to the archbishops of Canterbury and York ahead of Synod that if a further departure from the Church’s doctrine took place, it would face no choice but to rapidly establish a ‘de-facto parallel Province’ within the Church of England and take further actions to protect and secure orthodoxy. As Synod approved the motion, the Alliance has begun initiating the process of establishing a de-facto parallel province.

The Alliance is a broad coalition of leaders and networks across different traditions which upholds the existing doctrine of sex and marriage, and of which CEEC is a part. It has sent multiple letters to the bishops over the last year cautioning them against a departure from the Church of England’s historic and biblical doctrine of sex and marriage.

  • You can read the Alliance’s letter here
  • You can see the full story on the CEEC website here

We will be provide more detail on the de-facto parallel province in the coming months.

ALTERNATIVE SPIRITUAL OVERSIGHT: COMMISSIONING OF OVERSEERS

On Friday 12 July, CEEC commissioned its first set of overseers. This follows the General Synod decision in November 2023 to approve the bishops’ proposals to change the position and practice of the Church of England with regards to sexual ethics and marriage, by blessing same sex couples as part of normal services. As a result of this decision, many clergy and PCCs lost confidence in those bishops supporting change and the CEEC introduced alternative spiritual oversight as one of two provisions (the other being the Ephesian Fund) to help orthodox evangelicals remain in the Church of England while a permanent settlement is pursued.

The service, which took place at All Souls Langham Place, saw the first 20 overseers commissioned (with more to be commissioned in due course). The overseers comprise a group of Honorary Assistant Bishops, alongside other clergy from across the evangelical constituency (spanning charismatics and conservatives, egalitarians and complementarians). They will provide informal oversight to clergy and PCCs who feel a loss of confidence in the spiritual leadership of their bishop(s). See more on this, as well as the full list of overseers here. You can see the liturgy used in the service here.

A WORD FROM THE WORD
Anyone for prosecho ?

You could be forgiven for thinking there is a spelling mistake in the title. But there isn’t : because ‘prosecho’ is the Greek word found on Jesus’ lips (Luke 12v36) for ‘take heed’ (and therefore not to be confused with the popular Italian wine). And if you read the chapter as a whole you will see that Jesus is warning his listeners of challenging times that will come ahead of His return – and encouraging his followers to take heed.

This encouragement to ‘take heed’ applies to our challenging times in the C of E (as well as all times) and could be described as a call to five things.

It’s a call to guard the soul against the ‘entrapment’ of worldly concerns. We are neither to worry about things (Matt 6v26) nor to be dominated by them (remember Demas – 2 Tim 4v10).

It’s also a call to remain awake. Not physically (we need our sleep) but spiritually – perhaps reminding ourselves of the need to be awake to the ‘narratives’ of the kingdom as against the narratives of secular humanism.

Third, it’s a call to invest in the kingdom. Every now and then we should take stock of whether we use all that God has given us for kingdom ends.

And we should pray that He strengthens us each day in his service. As I get older I notice how – despite being older in my faith / trust of our heavenly Father – I don’t find it any easier to be like Jesus. We need God’s word and Spirit to help us.

Finally, we must expect. As Christians we should be ‘gloriously dissatisfied’ with this life! Not moaners – not miserable. But people who long for the day when Jesus will return.

Anyone for prosecho?
PRAYER POINTS
  1. Let’s thank God for the many Christian summer camps and festivals taking place in the coming weeks. Let’s pray that they would be a great time for sharing Jesus with young and old across our country.
  2. Please pray for the ongoing meetings CEEC is having with the Alliance and bishops.
  3. Let’s pray for those in Carlisle and Ely dioceses for whom CNC has been unable to nominate a new diocesan bishop (possibly a casualty of the LLF process).
  4. Let’s pray for church leaders (lay and ordained) taking holiday over the coming weeks – for rest and refreshment.
  5. Let’s remember the persecuted church around the world – who cannot benefit from summer camps and may not get holidays.
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