Simon Says ...

Synod began, more or less, in silence as we remembered the 21 Coptic Christians martyred in Libya for their Christian faith on the anniversary of their death.   An important moment.   There was little silence thereafter, as we moved into the normal pattern of debates and presentations.   February was a relatively short Synod, across three days.   It was the first meeting of the newly elected Synod other than the short gathering for its inauguration last November.   This means that there were lots of maiden speeches, lots of new voices to listen to. It means that we the newly elected Prolocutors of Canterbury and York (the chairs of the House of Clergy) and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the House of Laity were presented to us.   It feels like the new Synod is still being run in. Business started with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Presidential Address .   This was mostly about the Primate’s meeting, and was clear and helpful.   He spoke of...

One of the highlights of February’s General Synod was the appearance of the Rt Revd Libby Lane as part of a presentation on some work in India that Christian Aid have led. A woman bishop at General Synod who was not a visitor from overseas, a genuinely wonderful moment. But of course, that leaves the question of what Synod has to talk about now that argument is over …  The Archbishops had an answer to that – it is a programme of “Reform and Renewal.” Over the summer, four task groups were working. Their reports, together with a paper on Discipleship and a paper from the Church Commissioners, formed the meat of the February group of sessions of the General Synod. They will continue to be a significant part of the work of the whole Church of England over the coming months and years. They aim to build on the recent report From Anecdote to Evidence, which offered an understanding of how growth is happening in the Church of England; and also on the three prioriti...