living in love and faith
How I have voted in that time is a matter of public record, particularly in favour of the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) legislation.
During this time, I have been especially passionate about supporting working-class vocations, promoting racial justice and inclusion, and advocating for the Church's discernment through Living in Love and Faith.
I served on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) Working Groups.
I speak up I’ve spoken in debates, asked questions and proposed amendments on a issues including Living in Love and Faith (LLF), working-class vocations, estates ministry, women's ministry, finance and neurodiversity.
There are always big themes, big questions facing the church, not least Living in Love and Faith; each Synod and each quinquennium has its issues that we can anticipate and those we cannot.
I have spoken in a number of debates that matter to me and our diocese, including safeguarding, motions on encouraging working class and lay vocations, Living in Love and Faith and the importance of the parish.
IME tutor (2021-24) I blog at smob.uk/blog Guildford Diocese Advocate for the Living in Love and Faith programme (2021-23)
The Living in Love and Faith project helped us to understand the experience of others and also their fears, but has disappointed many in delivering so little change to our practices.
• The difficult legacy of Living in Love and Faith
The Living in Love and Faith process sought to bridge divides, but it opened wounds that for many still feel raw.
Sex and Sexuality (Living in Love and Faith) I voted in favour of the February 2023 motion to develop the Prayers of Love and Faith, which we were delighted to use at an evensong at St Edmundsbury Cathedral to celebrate our Civil Partnership in October 2023.
The Living in Love and Faith process made significant progress during the last Synod.
There are more than 15 issues of concern that will dominate Synod during the next 5 years, s u c h a s Church-State Relations, Suffragan Bishop numbers with Diocese mergers, See Houses, Stronger Safeguarding, Supporting the Parish System (STP) with direct grants to the Parishes, Clergy Discipline Commission, Racial Justice, Living in Love and Faith – which I cannot support, Dispossessions on Pastoral Review grounds, Rural Issues, Being Church and Vocations, Church Planting and Growth, (I used to be a Church Army Director), Mission Action Plans and Evangelism building on my experience as a Director of St Martha’s College, Strategic Development Funding, including giving more to Cathedrals and giving evidence to the Mission and Pastoral Measure to retain its independent Appellate Role.
My belief in equal human rights for all means that I would also keenly focus on Living in Love and Faith (and Reconciliation) which involves complex issues that I hope to handle with grace, respect, prayerfulness and care.
Inclusion and Living in Love and Faith I am committed to equality for everyone, at all levels and roles within the Church, regardless of disability, economic power, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodivergence, or sexuality.
We set up the Alliance in 2023 in response to the trajectory that the Living in Love and Faith process was heading in.
As one of the Alliance directors, I have met with the lead Bishops of the Programme Board of the Living in Love and Faith process and the LLF team regularly over the last quinquennium to help represent all the networks within the Alliance.
I am extremely frustrated by what has (and has not) happened with Living in Love and Faith, and with the failure to follow through on what had been voted for in Synod.
I support the use of the Living in Love and Faith prayers for same sex couples by those clergy who wish to use them, and the right of clergy, following their own discernment, to decline to use them.
Projects I have worked on include: — Jointly leading a project to build a new entrance and toilet facilities to improve safety and accessibility, which involved raising £100,000 in funding — Helping develop a new audio and video system during COVID for live streaming church services — Co-leading an online discussion group on Living in Love and Faith, with 12 participants — Overseeing the commissioning and installation of a new heating system for the church I live in Nunhead with my wife Becky, who is a charity worker and volunteer, and my cat Katy.
Review team and the Living in Love and Faith Working Groups I am an experienced member of PCCs, Deanery Synods,
In the last Synod, I served as a member of the Living in Love and Faith Working Groups alongside people who see things differently, and I support the recommendation that came out of these groups that we try to keep as many people in the Church as possible by exploring ways of providing secure provision for a wider range of views.
I remain committed to the Church’s received doctrine of marriage and sexual ethics, and have argued consistently for theological and legal clarity during the Living in Love and Faith / Prayers of Love and Faith process.
These formed the groundwork to the Living in Love and Faith material.
V Living in Love and Faith
The last few years have been dominated by debates about Living in Love and Faith.
I hold the traditional view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, so in conscience I do not support use of prayers for Living in Love and Faith.
There has been significant debate in recent years on subjects such as Project Spire and Living in Love and Faith.
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.
Although Living in Love and Faith has formally closed, important questions remain, including whether clergy, ordinands and those exploring vocation can be in same-sex civil marriages, and whether the Prayers of Love and Faith can be used in standalone services.
I have been involved in teaching and training programmes for lay people and currently serve as convenor of the Bishop’s Advisory Group on Deliverance Ministry, as well as being a member of the Living in Love and Faith chaplaincy team, with a particular brief to help those who hold to a traditional view of marriage and sexuality.
The outgoing Synod has guided the church through challenging internal issues such as recovery after Covid, safeguarding failures and Living in Love and Faith.
Living in Love and Faith
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.
I was a member of the Diocesan Advisory Group for Living in Love and Faith, and in 2019 chaired the triennial Chester Clergy Conference.
I have been distressed to see the Living in Love and Faith process cause such division.
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.
The previous programme of Living in Love and Faith formed an excellent basis for discussion around matters of human sexuality and same-sex relationships and marriage.
LIVING IN LOVE AND FAITH
The ‘Living in Love and Faith’ process dominated the agenda in the last
Living in Love and Faith working group.
Over the next five years, Synod will discuss many important matters, such as safeguarding reform, diocesan finances, vocations and clergy wellbeing and reports from the groups which emerged from the Living in Love and Faith process.
Working across deep differences Living in Love and Faith occupied a great deal of the last Synod and revealed profound differences within the Church.
Living in Love and Faith: Space for honest, patient and faithful discernment.
Living in Love and Faith dominated much of the last Synod, revealing both deep divisions and longing across the Church but the process stalled, leaving many feeling bruised and uncertain.
In this quinquennium, I was appointed to the national Living in Love and Faith working groups, participating in the Pastoral Guidance sub-group.
The continuing work arising from Living in Love and Faith will also require wisdom, humility and prayer.
During a speech I made in February 2026 during the final Living in Love and Faith debate I impressed on Synod the urgent need to get beyond ‘good disagreement’ to a ‘good- enough settlement’, within which people with different principled convictions can remain, minister, and flourish. “Eleven years ago many of us hoped for good disagreement.
A period of peace in the National Church: the last five years of safeguarding scandals, divisive initiatives (Net Zero, Project Spire, SDF) and Synodical stalemate over “Living in Love and Faith” have been exhausting, and have left a bitter legacy of distrust.
Living In Love and Faith : I hold an Orthodox biblical view on marriage as a sacred union between a man and a woman, whilst acknowledging that church must be inclusive and welcoming to all.
Over the years, I have engaged fully in the Church’s shared conversations, from the introduction of women into the Episcopate through to the Living in Love and Faith process.
We must also continue to respond faithfully to the outcome of the Living in Love and Faith process, loving and caring for all God’s people, as well as engage with wider societal challenges, including debates around assisted dying, poverty, health, and social policy.
The Living in Love and Faith process has done years of careful work, and I want to keep listening — to Scripture, to LGBTQ+ Christians who've faithfully served this Church, and to this diocese — to faithfully discern God’s will.
It is now time for the Church of England to complete the work of Living in Love and Faith in our LGBTQI+ settings.
Examples include the process around ‘Living in Love and Faith’, safeguarding scandals and the call for reparation to chattel slavery.
General Synod, I will play my part in taking forward the work already begun throug eh Living in Love and Faith, including the use of Prayers of Love and Faith in standalone services.
‘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.
taking forward the work on identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage arising from Living in Love and Faith However, we have also dealt with important legislation on Clergy Conduct, the central Governance of the church and the distribution of funding; have approved better remuneration and pension arrangements for clergy; have had lively and often moving debates on topics related to full inclusion in the life of the church related to mental health, disability, neurodivergence and access to ministry for working class people.
The past five years have been particularly challenging for the Church of England as we have sought to navigate the questions raised through Living in Love and Faith.
On the follow-up to the Living in Love and Faith process, I start from the Church’s
• I led our church's Living in Love and Faith group and co-ordinated our video response
the Living in Love and Faith project is finished, we now have the Relationships, Sexuality and Gender working group to ensure this work continues.
I support the Church's continuing journey through Living in Love and Faith towards greater inclusion and belonging.
I rejoiced when Living in Love and Faith was launched and was disappointed that the last Synod didn’t make the progress many had hoped for.
I support Living in Love and Faith moving forward, and I want Synod to keep listening well across difference.
Living in Love and Faith
In my view the whole process following Living in Love and Faith, and especially the way it was done, was a huge mistake.
Living in Love and Faith, mindful of the difficult and painful issues this raises for the Church
Recent debates on safeguarding structures, Living in Love and Faith, mental health and clergy discipline have shown how closely theology, policy, justice, accountability and pastoral care are connected.
Living in Love and Faith: truth, compassion and communion I welcome the progress that has been made in making the Church more welcoming to people in same-sex relationships, while recognising that deeply held theological convictions remain on all sides.
e In 2021 I spearheaded our Benefice's engagement with the Church of England's Living in Love and Faith (LLF) course, and relayed feedback from our members to the central LLF team of the Church.
I’m glad that General Synod has given its backing to work on same-sex relationships and marriage as the ‘Living in Love and Faith’ process has now come to a conclusion.
Leading a Living in Love and Faith course and follow up sessions
Lastly, there is LLF, (Living in Love and Faith) or same-sex marriage.
The ongoing issue of Living in Love and Faith (LLF)
Whilst I continue to support the traditional view of marriage of being between a man and a women, I would want to play a part in trying to bringing people together in a constructive consensus on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) issue and reach a sensible consensus.
Then I was asked to join the national team preparing Living in Love and Faith, working with the History sub-group.
LLF (Living in Love and Faith).
I have also spoken on finance issues, the fair sharing of Diocesan resources, education and young people, Living in Love and Faith, and valuing those with Down Syndrome.
Although I am not standing for any ‘constituency’, I will continue to be an ally for my LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters in whatever follows the Living in Love and Faith process.
While the Living in Love and Faith process has now concluded, I believe members of this new synod must commit to walking forward together, respecting our differences and uniting in working to ensure our churches are a safe place for all.
The Living in Love and Faith journey has reminded us of the importance of listening deeply to one another, particularly where our experiences and convictions differ, and of seeking to remain together in Christ.
Following the formal conclusion of the Living in Love and Faith process and the establishment of further working groups, Synod must move beyond prolonged process towards honesty, consistency and full equality.
Engaging with Living in Love and Faith has not been without personal cost for me as a queer woman, but I remain committed to the life of the Church and am keen to participate in further discussions in this area.
After being involved in the long LLF (Living in Love and Faith) project as a Diocesan Advocate, and on 2 national Church groups discussing the same topic, I am disappointed we haven’t got any further.
Marriage and Sexuality: The debates around Living in Love and Faith (LLF) were not easy in the last Synod.
Living in Love and Faith (LLF): I hold a traditional view of marriage, but I deeply recognize the pain this debate has caused.
• Membership since 2014 of various working groups in the Living in Love and Faith process, including
been made on LGBT+ inclusion in our churches through the Living in Love and Faith program.
Last year, I worked with others on the motion to repeal the document ‘Issues in Human Sexuality’ as part of the Living in Love and Faith discussions.
During the last term of General Synod, one of the main items which was discussed on a regular basis was “Living in Love and Faith” which looked at the subject of same-sex relationships.
Living in love and faith has caused shocking levels of hurt, division,
I will speak up for a clear, victim-centred approach that enables local PCCs to discharge their responsibilities in an excellent and manageable way Living in Love and Faith: This has been a challenging time for many, and I want to see a church that is welcoming to all while upholding traditional Christian views of marriage and the family.
The questions raised by Living in Love and Faith are not theoretical.
Sexuality, identity and marriage will continue to have a high profile as the Living in Love and Faith project ends and new working groups are established.
I would like to see the church working together to resolve the issues of sexuality and marriage now that the Living in Love and Faith process has ended.
• Living in Love and Faith – This item took up an enormous amount of synod
The failure of the ‘Living in Love and Faith’ process means we need to find a better way to ‘disagree graciously’ and to seek mutual ‘flourishing’ .
To See some of my previous speeches click here: Speech from Living in Love and Faith Proposals General Synod Weds …
As your representative, I actively engaged on the Synod floor—speaking directly in the Living in Love and Faith debates to contend for orthodox doctrine, advocate for conscience protections, and demand honesty about our differences.
I am married to a lovely wife and am not in this situation myself, but I have been sympathetic to those who — through the Living in Love and Faith programme — have sought to find a way to have their same-sex relationship recognised in church.
The outcome of the process leading to women in the episcopate and its foundational principles for our life together as a church—based on trust, mutuality, and respect for conscientious difference—are of equal significance for the work around the Living in Love and Faith process which ended in that particular form at the close of the last quinquennium, but of course will remain an ongoing an ongoing matter for discernment and debate in the next.
Living in Love and Faith: I believe the Church of England’s present marriage canons bear faithful witness to scripture and tradition.
I did not mention in my original manifesto the difficult debate about same-sex relationships, known as Living in Love and Faith.
During my first two years on General Synod, I have actively contributed to debates on Living in Love and Faith, working-class vocations, safeguarding, mental health, poverty and pension reform.
I am deeply saddened that, unlike other western Christian Churches, the CofE has not yet been able to fully welcome Boris and I into its structures and practices, despite the extensive debates over Living in Love and Faith (LLF).
The next General Synod will make significant decisions that will shape the future of the Church of England, including safeguarding, governance, mission, and Living in Love and Faith, as we continue to work collectively on motions passed over the past 5 years.
Then, new uses need to be found for the redundant buildings, which are often of an iconic nature and in the very centre of a particular community. “Living in Love and Faith” discussions throughout the last General Synod were a source of deep division and pain.
Living in Love and Faith has demonstrated how difficult this can become.
Living in Love and Faith - This is an important debate, driven by the changing attitudes of society to relationships and sexuality.
There are many topics that will come up in the next quinquennium such as finance, safeguarding, Living in Love and Faith along with others.
Through the process of Living in Love and Faith, I engaged with both sides of the debate and worked as a member of the Programme Board to ensure we heard different concerns.
Human sexuality and marriage The years ahead will require us to continue the important conversations emerging from the Living in Love and Faith process.
Living in Love and Faith (LLF) – I long to see a church that fully includes LGBTQIA people at all levels in the church.
• Living in Love and Faith
Although the Living in Love and Faith programme was brought to a conclusion by the last General Synod, a number of key matters remain to be addressed, including whether to allow standalone services for same sex couples, and whether to allow clergy to contract same sex civil marriages.
I am well briefed on the current issues – Living in Love and Faith, mental health and welfare, Safeguarding and church communications, and more.
Living in Love and Faith
This experience I hope will, God willing, equip me to work across boundaries and this will be vital if we are to build upon the work of Living in Love and Faith.
Living in Love and Faith
If elected, I will be a strong and vocal supporter of Living in Love and Faith and of work towards a more inclusive and affirming Church.
Living in Love and Faith is naturally a topic which I am passionate about and I am keen for further discussion to be had during this Synod.
At times during the last five years it felt like the whole Synod agenda was taken up with safeguarding and the debates around “Living in Love and Faith”, and I am sure that these issues will continue to be significant.
In Living in Love and Faith debates I supported change, aware that LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples are deeply affected.
The division of opinion within the Church arising from Living in Love and Faith must achieve a resolution which is consistent with its received teaching on the sacrament of marriage.
In particular, the church has not moved quickly enough to implement independent oversight of safeguarding, and we remain divided on human sexuality, where there is unfinished business from the Living in Love and Faith process.
Human sexuality The process known as Living in Love and Faith drew to a close this year, with the Prayers of Love and Faith for same-sex couples commended for use in regular services, and the much-criticised guidelines in Issues in Human Sexuality withdrawn from use in the discernment process.
Because the issues raised by Living in Love and Faith remain unresolved, there is a risk of General Synod being dominated by factionalism and single-issue candidates.
I was part of the Commission during its work on Living in Love and Faith.
Across the church currently, I find anxiety about numerical decline, diocesan and parochial financial insecurity, the cost of buildings and, in some areas, Living in Love and Faith.
Looking ahead The end of Living in Love and Faith has been peculiarly unsatisfactory, with the ‘blood- letting’ debate in February leaving nobody especially happy, and we will now have to watch carefully as the new Work Group and Consultative Group take up their burden.
LIVING IN LOVE AND FAITH & INCLUSION Contributed
How I have served in Synod I have tried to bring clear Christian conviction, careful attention to law and process, and an awareness of how national decisions affect local ministry. Living in Love and Faith.
I’ve gained valuable experience of how Synod works and made worthwhile contributions to its work including speaking on diverse topics such as Living in Love and Faith, Looked after Children and Church Representation Rules.
I am not in favour of: Project Spire; the headlong rush to net zero and " Living in Love and Faith ".
Following the conclusion of the Living in Love and Faith process earlier this year it was good to see that the houses of clergy and laity supported a motion at July Synod that affirmed that all baptised, believing and faithful persons regardless of sexual orientation are full members of the Body of Christ.
Much of this is still being shaped by debate in the General Synod 2003, the disastrous Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM) was introduced, now to be replaced with the Clergy Conduct Measure (CCM) agreed by General Synod in 2025 and due for implementation this year We have had multiple reports on human sexuality culminating in the huge collection of resources, ‘Living in Love and Faith,’ which has now run its course, though the debate continues and will certainly shape the next quinquennium of General Synod Multiple parish benefices have continued to grow in number and size, and with it, clergy workload and stress.
Living in Love and Faith
Human Identity and Sexuality In my own context, the Living in Love and Faith process nationally and leading the LLF course locally both helped us to have these important conversations.
Although the Living in Love and Faith process has ended inconclusively, there is more important work to be done on the use of Prayers of Love and Faith, and the situation of clergy in same-sex civil marriages, among other crucial questions.
Over the next 5 years Synod will have a lot to work on; continuing discussions on our ecological mission and responsibility, supporting and encouraging vocations from working class backgrounds and the next steps following Living in Love and Faith.