prayers of love and faith
Some of my focuses will be: Prayers of love and faith; Cautious and limited use of AI; Women in ministry; Working-class ministry opportunities; The eco church.
I support Prayers of Love and Faith, and the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the Church.
I welcome the introduction of Prayers of Love and Faith, and hope and pray they are used widely.
I voted against the adoption of the Prayers of Love and Faith and support efforts to find a way forward on issues of gender and sexuality which will honour the diversity of opinion and practice in the Church of England.
The votes in the last Synod in favour of stand-alone services using the Prayers of Love and Faith, and for an end to the bar on ministry for those in same-sex marriages, are unfinished business which must now be taken forward without further delay.
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.
I fully support the introduction of the Prayers of Love and Faith and would vote in favour of allowing Church of England clergy to conduct same-sex marriages if they wished to do so, while leaving clergy free not to do so if that is their conviction- much as we do at the moment with the remarriage of divorced people.
next Synod about the future of the Prayers of Love and Faith; I am keen to address these from a place of commitment to the Church of England’s doctrine of marriage as set out in Canon B 30, upholding that teaching clearly and faithfully, while listening carefully, speaking charitably and seeking a respectful way forward.
Prayers of Love and Faith
I affirm people in same-sex relationships — in 2020 I brought a motion to our PCC supporting equal marriage — and support the full implementation of the Prayers of Love and Faith.
I support the Prayers of Love and Faith, including standalone services, equal marriage in the Church of England, and the freedom of clergy to enter same-sex civil marriages.
I would love to be able to use the prayers of love and faith in a stand alone service with the support of the church in that place, and for clergy to be able to enter into civil marriage.
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 support the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith, and I equally support the conscience of those who cannot use them.
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.
The Living in Love & Faith and Prayers of Love and Faith journey has enabled there to be hope that the LGBTQIA+ community can be more valued and affirmed.
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 am supportive of people using the Prayers of Love and Faith as currently commended and respect the right of those who do not choose to use them.
Inclusion: Irrespective of ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’, as the Prayers of Love and Faith are introduced, how do we present the church as a place of acceptance and inclusion, especially to those who have, hitherto, felt alienated from it?
Although Prayers of Love and Faith have been introduced, progress toward full inclusion has been slow.
However, throughout the debates in General Synod on the introduction of Prayers of Love and Faith and Stand-alone services for same sex couples I have consistently voted against their introduction.
For the avoidance of doubt, I support the position General Synod eventually reached on LLF which included the Prayers of Love and Faith and a commitment to the inherited doctrine of marriage.
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.
In my view there needs to be a period where ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ are implemented and reviewed thoroughly before further steps are considered.
I support the Prayers of Love and Faith being available for those clergy who wish to use them, while respecting the theological conscience of those who would not.
At the same time, I recognise and respect clergy who, as a matter of conscience, cannot use the Prayers of Love and Faith.
Most recently I have been working as part of a subgroup of the Archbishops’ Council Committee for the Ministry of and amongst Deaf and Disabled People and, over the past five years I have spoken in General Synod on a range of issues, including: Disability and the inclusion of disabled people within the Church; Prayers of Love and Faith and the welcome of LGBTQ+ people; The full acceptance and inclusion of neurodivergent people.
I supported the Prayers of Love and Faith and am committed to ensuring that work around LGBTQI+ inclusion continues in the form of the Working Groups that have been set up since February 2026.
I have spoken on a wide variety of subjects – including churches engaging with rural poverty, parochial fees, funding for local and parish ministry, support for clergy in retirement and the Prayers of Love and Faith.
On the Prayers of Love and Faith (I’ve been involved in many of the different working groups):
During my time on General Synod I have served on one legislative committee and as part of the Working Groups on the Prayers of Love and Faith, and spoken in debates on statutory parish fees and Israel/Palestine.
The next five years will bring critical decisions: the independence of safeguarding, the pastoral implementation of Prayers of Love and Faith, the climate crisis, financial sustainability and the future of the parish system.
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.
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.
• I believe that, if Prayers of Love and Faith go forward, it is important that
I support the full use of Prayers of Love and Faith.
I regret that the commending of Prayers of Love and Faith has brought fracture and disunity at every level of the Church.
• in debates over sexuality consistently opposed the Prayers of Love and Faith and any proposals which I
The Prayers of Love and Faith and the question of their future now require careful and honest consideration.
If elected to General Synod I will continue to advocate for clergy to be able to choose to use Prayers of Love and Faith in stand-alone services and for clergy in same sex relationships to be able to marry.
They are not wholly satisfied with the Prayers of Love and Faith offered to them currently.
• Prayers of love and faith.
I support clergy being able to use the Prayers of Love and Faith with same sex couples, where they think it is pastorally appropriate.
I voted for the Prayers of Love and Faith to welcome same-sex couples in our churches, and I support equal marriage, with no expectation that all churches would offer this; as with marrying divorced people, it would be up to the incumbent’s conscience.
I support the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith for those parishes that opt in, and I support the right of those parishes who choose not to opt in, to not use them.
I fully support the “Prayers of Love and Faith” which were published during the last few years and have been used in many parishes across the Church of England.
Introduction of the Prayers of Love and Faith, acknowledge- ment of the cost paid by LGBTQIA+ people and moves to be more fully inclusive.
We had the first Prayers of Love and Faith during evensong at Canterbury Cathedral.
As Theology Advisor, I worked extensively on LLF and the Prayers of Love and Faith, earning the trust and respect of people with very different convictions to my own.
The last five years have seen significant progress, including strengthened safeguarding, Prayers of Love and Faith for same-sex couples, action towards Net Zero Carbon by 2030, greater recognition of neurodiversity and support for social justice and those in need.
Continue to engage respectfully with those who hold different views from my own on the Prayers of Love and Faith, seeking ways to walk together, disagree well and preserve the unity of the Church.
On General Synod, I will be a constructive voice for the full implementation of the Prayers of Love and Faith and the journey towards equal marriage, seeking unity and mutual respect across our diverse traditions.
On Prayers of Love and Faith, I will seek to uphold the received doctrine of the Church of England.
During the last 5 years, I voted for the introduction of the Prayers of Love and Faith and supported measures to promote racial justice and, if re-elected, I will continue to work for a church where everyone is welcomed and included.
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.
A new working group has been convened to make recommendations to General Synod, within two years, on authorising the Prayers of Love and Faith for use in standalone services and enabling clergy to enter into same-sex marriages.
I support those who wish to use the Prayers of Love and Faith.
I believe the Prayers of Love and Faith should be available for clergy to use where pastorally appropriate - on an opt-in basis - and also respect the right of clergy not to use the prayers as a matter of theological conscience.
For introduction of the Prayers of Love and Faith, the removal of
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.