house of bishops
I am committed to preserving the established pattern of pastoral care for those who cannot in conscience accept the ministry of women, upholding the Five Guiding Principles contained in the House of Bishops’ Declaration.
Standing for Election to the House of Bishops as a Southern Suffragan Bishop
While I am able now to speak in the House of Bishops, that has not enabled an evangelical complementarian episcopal voice to be heard in the wider General Synod.
I have served on several of the working groups connected to LLF/PLF, and also on the House of Bishops Standing Commission on the 5 Guiding Principles, initially covering the complementarian episcopal vacancy in Maidstone/Ebbsfleet.
The House of Bishops intend to bring new proposals in perhaps three years time but without a sense so far of what will be different or what will enable consensus.
I will continue to scrutinise financial decisions made by the Church Commissioners, The Archbishops Council and the House of Bishops and advocate for investment that enables parish ministry to flourish.
That motion, although accepted by both the Houses of Clergy and Laity was defeated by the House of Bishops and so it fell.
This was hastily rejected by the House of Bishops, who instead offered the compromise option of Prayers of Love and Faith, which has caused tremendous division and distrust, and ultimately haven’t been delivered as fully as originally promised.
I share the concerns expressed by many across the spectrum of views that the new initiatives and bodies being proposed by the House of Bishops could mean going through the LLF journey again, risking similar results and ever deeper pain across the Church.
Out of conviction, I voted against the LLF proposals brought by the House of Bishops.
I am a complementarian evangelical and serve on the Standing Commission on the House of Bishops’ Declaration and the Five Guiding Principles.
Beyond the parish, I am a CPAS Patronage Trustee, Vice-Chair of the Chelmsford Diocesan Evangelical Network, a member of Chelmsford Diocesan Synod, and a member of the Standing Commission on the House of Bishops’ Declaration and Five Guiding Principles.
It fell only in the House of Bishops, by three votes.
Relationships, Sexuality and Gender: A working group set up by the House of Bishops is due to report within the next two years.
During 2024 I worked on secondment to the NCIs, as one of two interim theological advisers to the House of Bishops, during the fraught and difficult conversations in the last formal stages of Living in Love and Faith.
How does a PEV relate to the wider College and House of Bishops, Diocesan teams and, indeed, the whole church?
I am an introvert and not, therefore, always the first to speak or the loudest in the room, but if elected once again promise to be a prayerful and supportive member of the House, representing the vitality and diversity of the North of England within General Synod and the House of Bishops.
In the early part of this year the House of Bishops provided a statement to the wider church on ‘Living in Love and Faith’.
The ‘Living in Love and Faith’ process is concluded as a Synodical process and seeks to identify the next stages of work which will need to be considered by the House of Bishops and the General Synod in the coming years.
My own view on this is that I support the House of Bishops statement of reflection and proposals for Prayers of Love and Faith as an optional and pastoral provision.
I also feel that the right thing to do at this point is to respect all viewpoints and keep the church united under the leadership of the House of Bishops recommendations.
Things have improved (for instance the House of Bishops now publish their minutes) but there is still a long way to go in many areas.
In keeping with this, I am supportive of the Living in Love and Faith initiative and the next steps in this process as proposed by the House of Bishops.
I continue to believe (as stated in Canon B.30 and as the last Synod affirmed) that marriage is “a union permanent and lifelong, for better for worse, till death them do part, of one man with one woman.” Accordingly, I shall consider carefully any proposals which the House of Bishops may bring to the new synod, and how best we can ‘live with difference’ in a divided church.
agreed by the House of Bishops in 2013.
Commission, together with legal advice to the House of Bishops, has emphasised that liturgy, discipline and unity are bound up with doctrine that is authorised by the whole Church, not merely narrowly.
It feels odd writing an election address to be read exclusively by colleagues who already know me, but perhaps it is helpful to set out four motivations why, following encouragement from some of you, I am standing for election to the House of Bishops and thus to General Synod.
For varied reasons, trust in and within both the House of Bishops and General Synod has been damaged.
If we can learn to live at peace within the church, I believe that Synod together with the House of Bishops could be an example to wider society, and a voice for hope and unity, where different viewpoints can be heard respectfully. “We can be a prophetic voice without being partisan” (Bishop Martyn Snow).
Then, for twelve years I worked at Church House, Westminster in: the Ministry Division; the Archbishops’ Commission on the Organisation of the Church of England; the Statistics Unit; and the House of Bishops.
The issue which will likely attract the most coverage and attention in the next Synod is the output of the House of Bishops working group to consider the process for the Prayers of Love and Faith and define what legislative change and work is needed for clergy same-sex marriage.
‘settlement’ around LLF An aspiration to search for a ‘consensual’ settlement to the challenges that will emerge as we move on from Living in Love and Faith to receive proposals from the House of Bishops sexuality Working Group.
Human sexuality Whether we like it or not, the next General Synod will continue to wrestle with issues of gender, identity and human sexuality as and when the House of Bishops Working Group brings proposals to General Synod.
The system of alternative episcopal oversight set up by the House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests 2014 has worked well, and I believe the Archbishop when she talks about mutual flourishing.
During this time, I have been a participant observer in the House of Bishops.
Synod, The House of Bishops and The Archbishops’ Council and importantly engaging with victims and survivors.
The House of Bishops made clear that there is going to be no change in the doctrine of marriage ‘according to the teaching of our Lord’ as part of drawing line under the damaging and divisive LLF process.
In January 2023 I was appointed to the House of Bishops Standing Commission on the House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests (the Five Guiding Principles) which has positively affirmed my commitment to genuine mutual flourishing across the whole Church of England.
Serving on the House of Bishops Standing Commission on the House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests (the Five Guiding Principles) has given me a privileged insight into the costs of the 2014 settlement; nevertheless, it has also been heartening to acknowledge how the settlement has enabled genuine mutual flourishing.
I supported the LLF process, and the further work now proposed by the House of Bishops on same-sex relationships.
General Synod has just published a major new teaching document from the House of Bishops, ‘Hope for All Creation’.
I wholeheartedly support the House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests and the Five Guiding Principles.
Election Address for House of Bishops Elections 2026
I have served as a member of the House of Bishops for the past year having previously been elected following a casual vacancy.
However, in a recent debate on whether same-sex relationships are compatible with Christian discipleship, the House of Bishops voted firmly against.
I am thankful for the House of Bishops’ recent recognition that proper processes need to be followed when considering potential changes in these areas.
The focus has now shifted to LGBTQ+ issues, where many of us have been disappointed by the response of the House of Bishops.
- Recent calls for reflection on the culture and practices within the House of Bishops strike me as a positive move, and I would love to support any encouragement to help bishops be the senior pastors of the diocese rather than stretched and stressed managers.
We need to support the House of Bishops’ acceptance of the Legal Officers’ advice that stand-alone services for same-sex couples is a change of doctrine and requires two-thirds majorities in each of the Houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity.
Some traditionalist clergy and laity feel their place increasingly uncertain, particularly amid calls to reconsider arrangements established by the House of Bishops.
I was encouraged to read “Hope for all Creation” from the House of Bishops and would love to see this impact our local churches.
I advised the House of Bishops on the Overseas Operations Act 2020 and I still lecture both on Human Rights and criminal procedure.
When the House of Bishops starts the next steps in this journey, I want to enter the process with an open mind; as in Synod and then the wider Church we discern God’s will on how to order this part of our life together.
I have contributed to the House of Bishops on a wide variety of topics, including clergy terms and conditions, young people, church planting, finance.
I was elected to General Synod in 2021 and served for the first half of the quinquennium, before resigning my seat to spend a year as Theology Advisor to the House of Bishops.
As Theology Advisor I prepared papers for the House of Bishops and General Synod on safeguarding and the episcopal office; and have subsequently participated in a series of national se minars on safeguarding and theology.
Since first standing in 2021, I have gained considerably more experience of Synod, the House of Bishops and the workings of the national Church.
The previous Synod - and more recently the House of Bishops - failed spectacularly in its mission to offer ‘radical welcome’ to LGBTQIA/queer people, like me.
After some painful debates, the House of Bishops has committed to act with greater transparency and with appropriate regard to due process and the historic formularies of the church.
I am a senior reviewer (for the House of Bishops) of TEIs (theological colleges & courses) and was elected to the General Synod in 2015 and therefore am standing for a third (and final!) time.
I voted against taking note of the 2017 House of Bishops report on sexuality as I thought its tone was wrong and it lacked generosity.
It is my emphatic view that the Five Guiding Principles expressed in the House of Bishops Declaration should not be weakened.
The motion only failed to pass through the vote of the House of Bishops.
I was a vocal member at General Synod: I advocated for greater administrative support for local parishes to free up priests for mission; I spoke in favour of the House of Bishops speaking with a diverse voice; and, I highlighted the ways in which a discussion about remarriage after divorce was handled so differently from the discussions around same-sex marriage.
It would be an honour to serve as a suffragan bishop in the House of Bishops and on General Synod, should I be elected.