A quick-ish guide to General Synod July 26

Anglican Futures
22 hours ago
4 min read

Even Anglican nerds, like those at Anglican Futures, struggle to read the ink off every paper being put before Synod - so this is a quick-ish guide to the key themes and debates coming up. The full agenda can be found here.

This is last synod of the five-year term for elected members. Thus, it is a time to tie up loose ends, and the Business Committee have worked hard to include any number of Private and Diocesan motions. Some may suggest that makes the Synod more incoherent than usual, but even so, a few themes emerge:

1) A confused understanding of Christian Discipleship

On Saturday (5-7pm)* Synod will be thinking about how Christians can promote National Unity, while on Sunday (8-9.45pm) they are being asked to agree to a pretty partisan motion about Palestine - which includes receiving Kairos Palestine II - as an, "authentic expression[s] of faith". This document plays down the Hamas attacks of Oct 7th and states that Israel has no right to claim "self-defense". William Nye, the Secretary General of the Church of England, warns Synod of the danger of anti-semitism and anti-Muslim hotility, saying, "Any debate while robust must be responsible, and cognisant of many nuances."

On Sunday (2.30pm-6pm), there are a two items relating to the environment and Net Zero, with a third on Tuesday (9-10am). These will be debated in the context of a new Teaching Document from the House of Bishops -'Hope for all Creation' - the contents of which is described by the Archbishops as, "an essential part of following Jesus and sharing the Gospel today."

Then on Monday (11.30-1pm), Professor Helen King will seek to persuade Synod that, "There no fundamental objections to being in a committed, faithful, intimate same-sex relationship, and that such a relationship can be entirely compatible with Christian discipleship." Even William Nye notes that this appears to be an attempt to shift the doctrine of the Church of England without requiring a two-thirds majority:

"If the motion were to pass, it could give rise to an uncertain situation where the historic formularies are in contradiction with a view expressed by the Synod. This situation would subsist until either the Synod changed its view, or the relevant laws and liturgies were amended. Members may want to consider the risks associated with this interim situation..."

2) The ongoing questions of trust and transparency

On Monday (3.30-5.30pm), Synod will be asked to take note of the final report of the 'Trust and Trustworthiness' project. It includes the results of a survey carried out by Professor Hope Hailey, and a meandering, "Theology of Trust" from Professor David F. Ford.

The report itself has been criticised by clergy in particular. Many like the Rev David Ackerman, find it to be, "extraordinary and offensive of the Professor to suggest that we face “a lack of accountability, both formally and informally...".

Yet, it is clear that accountability still remains a mixed-bag in the Church of England, as revealed by other items on the agenda:

On Saturday (10.15am) the Legislative Committe will report that they have failed to persuade Parliament that Synod's attempts to restructure the national institutions can provide appropriate accountability, particularly with regards to safeguarding.
On Saturday (2pm) the Clergy Conduct Rules will be put before Synod for approval, these will then go alongside the Clergy Conduct Measure, the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of Clergy and a forthcoming Clergy Conduct Code of Practice.
On Monday (6pm) the National Safeguarding Team will set forth their recent "achievements", while at the same time the final report of the group implementing the recommendations of the Makin Review warn that, "There remain areas where progress has been slower than expected and where greater urgency is required."

This is why the Trust and Trustworthiness report suggests that, the priority for the Church needs to be, "... not the introduction of additional initiatives, but greater alignment, consistency, and discipline in the implementation of those already in progress."

On a similar matter, Synod will be debating 'Digital Communications and the Church' (Saturday 9.15am) seeks a "careful and theologically informed strategic review" of the Church's digital presence. This highlights questions around what the core messaging of the Church of England should be, and who can be authorised to speak for the whole.

Perhaps, the real issue facing General Synod, is the one with which Professor Hope Hailey concluded:

"Often inertia is a major barrier to change but no one I interviewed thinks the status quo is sustainable. Whether they can find internal agreement on a way forward sufficient to restore public trust I do not know."

3) The sheer variety of issues to which General Synod is expected to respond.

Synod will be asked to offer their support to several important, but uncontroversial issues, which some may consider to be 'motherhood and apple pie'.

The first on Friday afternoon (4pm) seeks, "inclusive practices and policies" and "appropriate training" to ensure that the experience of neurodivergent people, "adds to the richness of experience of all."

Then on Monday morning (9.15am) it is the turn of those concerned to support looked after children and those in care.

Neither of these are 'wrong', but each such motion puts pressure on parishes and dioceses to respond. It is the problem that Professor Hope Hailey identifies in her report, "Each initiative is very worthy in their own right but many are under resourced and therefore fail to deliver the hoped for transformation."

And so it begins... To keep up to date, you can watch at General Synod Live, or keep an eye on the Anglican Futures blog over the next few days, or sign up for the Anglican Futures or the Anglican Update on Thursday 16th July below.