Evangelicals voice concern over 'lack of transparency' in archbishop appointment process
A leading evangelical in the Church of England says the process by which the next Archbishop of Canterbury will be appointed is "confusing" and "lacking in transparency".
Andrew Goddard, a member of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), has raised major questions and concerns about the process by which the new archbishop will be appointed.
CEEC: We need to pray for clergy
Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) has called on en readers to join them in praying for vicars who are struggling to know how to navigate their Parochial Church Council (PCC) and congregations through the current phase of the Living in Love and Faith process and into the Alliance’s de facto parallel province.
John Dunnett, National Director, CEEC, said: readers will be aware of the ‘en Alliance’s call to construct the de facto parallel province. Were we to see hundreds, if not thousands, of churches using the Ephesian Fund (EF), requesting Alternative Spiritual Oversight (ASO) and sending their ordinands through the Alliance pipeline, this could very, very quickly become a reality. Such a significant expression of conscience would impact the bishops and bring them to the negotiation table. In reality, however, many incumbents are struggling to lead their churches into participation in this de facto province. Their commitment to orthodoxy is unquestioned but their situation makes this far from easy.’
New resources to guide churches on LLF challenges
The Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) has released a set of resources designed to help churches and their Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) navigate the current Living in Love and Faith (LLF) challenges.
In December 2023, the House of Bishops commended the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) for use within regular services. In July 2024, the General Synod voted for further work (albeit by a small majority) on so-called ‘standalone services’, and the introduction of clergy same-sex marriages. This work is being carried out by several working groups and led by the Bishop of Leicester.
