All comments expressed in this report are purely my own and are not the official views of the Diocese of Worcester.

Transcription

1 General Synod July 2016 Reflections from Robin Lunn In a shortened General Synod which ran from Friday afternoon until 10pm on Saturday evening, we discussed the following, The impact of the Referendum Result Renewal and Reform. Further parts of this legislation. Amending Canon 36 on vestments and burial of suicides. Education Report. Senior Leadership Training within the Church. Quinquennial Inspections. Report and budget of the Archbishops Council. All comments expressed in this report are purely my own and are not the official views of the Diocese of Worcester. The session of Synod began after the usual welcomes with an address by Landesbischof of Hannover Ralf Meister. He began by expressing sadness at the Brexit vote and explained the reaction in Germany. Spoke about the 500th anniversary of the Referendum. There then followed an Emergency Debate on the decision to leave the European Union. The Archbishop of Canterbury commenced by saying how seismic the result of the vote was in such a range of areas such as Civil Aviation. The legislation would take many years and we needed to prepare for this. We needed to remember the two million expatriates who live in Europe and the people who live here who are currently feeling very fearful. He put before the synod three challenges. We needed to tackle the challenge of integration in the land. The shock of Brexit must force us into being a kinder and more equal society. We cannot say with the 5th largest economy in the world, that we cannot help the poor. "We may be leaving the EU, but we are not leaving Europe!" We must manage our own disagreements with love. The Church must rise in its witness. This is not a time for fear. The Bishop of Europe stressed that he lived in Belgium. Many in his church shed tears, that their life's work had been ruined. This was a sad loss of vocation, a complete failure of political leadership and a loss of opportunity for the young. We needed to work on cross border links and bonds. "No man is an island". Caroline Spellman MP: We have to tackle the challenges of the world on our own. The church has an important role to play in feeding back in the negotiations, how the negotiations were going to impact on people. She went onto speak about the Near Neighbours project. The next few years are a great opportunity for the mission of the church. Graeme Buttery spoke about why the people of Hartlepool voted as they did. He said that people were angry and it was a vote of rage, and the feeling that their community had broken and they were not being listened to.

2 Paul Hutchinson from York moved an amendment. Clive Scowan declared that we are a Representative and Parliamentary Democracy. He did not want to give the referendum any more authority than it had. The amendment was lost. Enid Barron moved a more detailed amendment. We needed to give Civil Leadership. This was carried by a large majority. Dr Rosemarie Mallett said that many people voted to be heard. Let us continue to be inclusive. Father Trott said that the result was a rejection of Westminster. The church was part of the establishment. People felt this was the one time they were going to be listened to. Bishop of Huddersfield: We had a vocabulary to speak to the prophetic voice. Jayne Ozanne: There were similarities with the way the government did not have an adequate plan for the peace in Iraq, and nor did they when they voted no. Kate Wharton: The vote was bold and brave. Liverpool voted to stay, possibly due to the fact the Sun is not sold there. We must not abandon the inner cities. Fenella Cannings-Jurd. The Archbishop of York: If people can learn to hate, then they can be encouraged to love. The Archbishop of Canterbury summed up: One of the key themes of the debate was compassion. People who were in a minority in different ways, needed to be recognised. Already the effect of a declining pound would impact on British people living abroad. We need to find a way in all our local churches to show that we listen. "It's your GDP not ours". We need to brace ourselves for a long haul. This is not just a time of fear, but oif opportunity. The Synod voted unanimously in favour. Synod then heard a presentation by the Archbishop of York about his six-month pilgrimage across his province. He had based this around the words of the Lord s Prayer. The second gift the Lord offers is forgiveness. God s greatest miracle in us is his constant forgiveness. Forgiveness covers both the good we do and the good we don't do. Report on the Anglican Consultative Council in Lusaka. Margaret Swinson: Through their study and conversations, they found many areas of shared agreement. The World Council of Churches met at Canberra in It became something to work for, for her.

3 Bishop of Chelmsford: We did not spend 10 days discussing sex and Americans. We actually spent it discussing mission. "Water is thicker than blood" in the Anglican Communion. The church is a school for disciples. Can we reimagine what we do? Discipleship is not an exam to be passed. Review of the Business Committee - Sue Booys. Several speakers stressed concern about the way some debates were being condensed. Annual Report of the Church Commissioners. 9.7% over last 30 years. Sir Andreas Whittam Smith spoke gloomily about the economic outlook post Brexit. He said that commercial properties had been sold over the last two years, predicting the crash. 45% of our assets are owned overseas. Two main canaries in the coal mine. A. Fall in yields on government securities. B. People trying to get out of a certain asset class. If are assets keep depreciating by 5%, we can keep paying out our income for eight years. The study of the report seemed very rushed, as had the whole afternoon. Questions. Friday Evening (after hearing that Andy Murray was in the Wimbledon Final) The first eight questions were on the EU Referendum and the aftermath. The Bishop of Leeds remarked that it was an important time to develop rather than divest our European relations with other faiths and the diocese of Europe. There was a heated supplementary question about the costs and the compensation in the Bishop Bell case. There were a string of questions on the handling of this case. A very warm applause was given to the Bishop of Durham for his sterling work leading the churches safeguarding work. He hands over to the Bishop of Bath and Wells on August 1st. A question was asked about the work of the Bishop of Maidstone. The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke about the work of the four Flying Bishops. Saturday 9 July. Mission and Pastoral Measure. Geoffrey Tattersall gave a resume of the revision stage of the bill. A Keeling Schedule can be used in an amendment to a measure. This was clearly carried. There then followed a series of amendments from Clive Scowan and Paul Benfield. The motion was eventually carried. On the reduction of legislative burdens, John Spence reminded Synod that the formal Secretary William Fittall had stated that the most important thing we could do was pass the legis, active stream of Renewal and reform. He also asked if were being sufficiently radical. Michael Stallybrass said that members needed to see what was being changed and the proposed impact. This measure was carried.

4 Draft Inspection of Churches Measure. Timothy Briden the Vicar General of Canterbury commenced by saying that churches were now in a better state of repair than they had been for centuries. The regulations are technical and complex. Keith Cawdron argued that the measure should not proceed. The Dean of the Arches surmised that this was not a controversial measure. One speaker, Tim Stratford from Leicester, urged people to engage with the changes. Peter Kay wrged Synod to move to a national scheme rather 42 different ones. A vicar from Sheffield said that we were crying out for national guidelines. The Archbishop of Canterbury remarked that he was cautious about the measure. The Bishop of Willesden said that he was not sure this was the right time for the legislation. A procedural measure of referring it back to the Business Committee was carried. Canonical amendment on forms of vesture to be worn in services. The Bishop of St Albans. The Bishop of Salisbury wondered why this piece of legislation was being put forward. Rowan Williams talked about context. Religious dress is a sign of religiosity. Enid Barron in trying to tackle the issue of a minimal standard. This shows who are clergy. Simon Butler had an issue with occasional offices. The debate continued after lunch with several speakers complaining that the two matters of vesture and burial of people who had committed suicide were pushed together. Charles Read asked about the theology which drives the canons. Spoke of the importance of the Clerical collar. Liz Holdsworth: "Please don't steal the laitys clothes" We don't want to play "Where's Wally" to find the vicar. Spoke of men wearing lounge suits as very middle class. Clothing is never neutral. Jayne Ozanne said that we had a postcode lottery when it came to vestures. Barry Hill: There was a proxy debate about what is Anglican going on. Kate Wharton, Liverpool: We should allow each another trust to decide what they want to wear.

5 The Bishop of St Albans said that many church services had not had people robing for years. The canon was passed for revision. A Vision and Narrative for Renewal and Reform. Cherry Vann: The vision and narrative is for a spirituality that gives people meaning. The future has to be articulated meaningfully at diocesan level. Work can be done with partners such as other churches and local authorities. Sharing good practice as well as good learning is key to our growth. We are looking for prayer growth. Shayne Ardron: Where is the Kingdom of God in this paper? People need to be invited to know God, not to know Church. The Revd Pickford gave an explanation of all the support which had left Newcastle, but the Anglican Church had remained. Staying was so important. The Bishop of Liverpool: We are in the business of offering encouragement to Christians and hope to those who need it in society. A very spirited speech. Meg Warner: Will this new external focus enable us to deal with other matters? Wyn Beynon from Worcester: The narrative lacks a theology. There is not enough Pastoral care. There is not enough clarity about the sacramental care. The nonsense of the Green report pushed out a more appropriate one. There is no inclusivity in our measure. Dr Dagmar Winter: We need to be explicit in our leadership in Church Schools. Tim Hind: It is better to have a new generation of disciples rather than just leaders. Hannah Grivell: The reason past initiatives have not worked, is that we don't research what people actually want. We have got to stop telling people what they need and start asking them. Dr Cleugh: This report is the church being the church and doing what it does. There have been revivals over the last 150 years. We must not lose sight The Bishop of Chelmsford. We have thousands of workers in the church. We have missed many harvest opportunities. Made a very amusing analogy about missing the harvest, and locking ourselves in the barn to argue what colour we are going to paint the combine harvester! Cherry Vann summed up. The motion was carried overwhelmingly. Church of England Vision for Education. The Bishop of Ely delivered his report on the Church's vision for education. It received fulsome praise from Mark Russell but rejection was urged from Emma Forward of Exeter.

6 The Bishop of Blackburn said that the language of the report was not salty enough. The Bishop of Gloucester said that the paper was as much about prisons as it was about schools. This paper is about us as followers of Jesus Christ. Pam Bishop: What role does the church play? The Bishop of Coventry: The new housing being built was a great opportunity across the country, for the church to set up new schools. Elizabeth Paver noted that the word vocation was missing from the document. The vocation was an important influence for people wanting to teach in a church school. The motion was overwhelmingly carried. Nurturing and Discerning Senior Leaders. The Bishop of Truro: Positive actions for BME clergy. Encouraged those who were part of the new mechanisms to speak in the debate. This is also a way of encouraging leadership across the church. Jane Charman, Salisbury: The plan is too much in thrall to secular thinking. How far are we training people for genuine Christian leadership? It is those currently in team ministry that over the next 10 years are vital, but they are not being resourced in an adequate way. Zoe Hemming: Being human is being limited. The weakest should be praised. Robert Cotton: This was the Eton of the Church of England. The language needs further modification and it splits into 2 groups. Those that are done too, and those who are comfortable with strategic change. 2.3 million should buy some good stuff. Jason Roach said that we are not representative of the wider church community. Do we have the will to actually change? Dr Harrison explained the psychometric testing which had taken part. He wanted to challenge but also to say "Well done Tim". Tim Goode urged that the church remove any bar to disabled people achieving senior office. He relayed an experience if a priest telling him he should not be ordained due to Leviticus 21v21. At this point the Archbishop of York urged a pause and we prayed through song. Caroline Herbert spoke to paragraph 38. She wanted to promote a programme for Conservative Evangelical Clergy. Bill Braviner: Kingdom implications should be a commitment to interdependence. Synod passed it comfortably.

7 Saturday Evening saw the discussion of the Archbishop Councils budget. The initial presentation covered all of the work that was being done and working with partners, such as the government on the 40 million church repairs connected with the World War 1 memorial fund. Weddings, funerals, Christening websites. Work on vocations. John Spence set out the budget in his typically amusing but detailed way. He could not promise that there would be no further need for extra money on the Safeguarding subject. We want to take advantage of the great initiative before us. Julie Dziegel reminded us not for the first time that she was a Parish and Deanery Treasurer, and she had enjoyed learning how the church spends its monies. Carl Hughes from Southwark thought that this was a realistic budget. Patrick Richmond said he thought the budget was ideal as there was no point storing up money for the future if there were few people left. Keith Cawdron asked if we could use a three-year budget plan. John Spence replied that it was possible to work on a three-year funding stream, but not possible to have a set threeyear budget. Sarah Schofield argued that the main challenge for the church would be how it dealt with and helped the poorest in society. John Spence replied that the media should focus on the excellent work she was doing in her diocese, All speakers thanked him for his hard work. All aspects of the budget were passed overwhelmingly. The formal part of Synod now closed. After our service in York Minster on Sunday morning, we took part for two days in the Shared Conversations on human sexuality and the church. As the process was covered by the St Michael s House protocols, I am not at liberty to divulge what we discussed, apart from that it was a very prayerful two days. On an altogether lighter note, I heard directly from the Archbishop of Canterbury that we had a new Prime Minister as Mrs May had become Conservative Party Leader, and that Andy Murray had won Wimbledon for the 2nd time. That in our summer of discontent, was something that we could all be proud of!