Over five hot and sunny days at the University of York, the Church of England’s General Synod met to debate and discuss issues of national and international concern, as well as internal church business.
The war in Ukraine, assisted dying, and age limits on pornography were among the issues where Synod agreed motions calling Parliament and the nation to act in accordance with Christian morality. Many evangelical members were amongst those who gave moving speeches sharing personal testimony of these evils and also of the transformative power of the gospel in these situations.
A dominant issue on the agenda concerned the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury and, therefore, how future archbishops should be selected. After lengthy debates with multiple amendments, and drafting and redrafting legislation, it was agreed that the representatives from Canterbury diocese should be halved, and the numbers of representatives from the global Anglican Communion increased. This reflects the increasingly international role of the Archbishop, especially with respect to the Anglican Communion.
On Sunday afternoon, synod members met in small groups as part of the Living in Love and Faith process, to discuss attitudes to the Bible. While each group, no doubt, had its own tone and atmosphere, in general these were reported to be civil, if somewhat shallow, discussions in which serious differences were skimmed over. The Next Steps Group will be meeting three times in the autumn, before bringing the issues back in some form to the February 2023 Synod.
Over 60% of this Synod was newly elected in 2021, but it is already exciting to see how many evangelical members have made maiden speeches, brought amendments to motions, asked questions and participated in all kinds of ways. There is a clear sense that Synod is here to do business because it cares passionately about the Church of England.
Sam Allberry: When a gospel man falls...
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, …