The voting lists from this month’s meeting of General Synod were made public on Thursday showing how the bishops voted (or did not vote) on Helen King’s private member’s motion on same-sex relationships as amended by an earlier vote in the debate. The biggest surprise for me was to discover that Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, voted against. The Houses of Clergy and Laity both voted by reasonable margins in favour of the motion.
The General Synod and the House of Bishops have repeatedly delayed progress towards the ultimately essential and inevitable goal of the full and equal inclusion of LGBTQI+ people in the Church of England. This will include both equality in marriage and equality in ministry. Occasionally the bishops have made progress ahead of clergy and laity and occasionally the clergy and laity have thwarted attempts by the bishops to delay progress.
At this Synod, clergy and laity voted for a motion that would have confirmed progress towards the final goal. In voting against, the bishops voted to allow the process they announced at the February Synod to go ahead, the creation of two working groups (which have not yet been formed) over which they will effectively have total control.
What or who are the bishops protecting by voting to slow and delay progress towards full inclusion? What are the bishops afraid of? Schism? Being held to ransom financially? This is already going on.
The bishops are voting to protect those who say they will never accept full equality for LGBTQI+ people in the Church of England; those groups who will never accept that our relationships, our love, our intimacy, our sexual pleasure and fulfilment, is as sacred, holy and valid as the relationships and sexual activities open to heterosexuals.
The conservative tribes, primarily evangelical charismatics but also reactionary catholics are in control of policy in the C of E because they have more money, they grow more congregations, they plant more churches and they have more confidence and chutzpah than the inclusive, progressive but less confident, less organised majority represented in Synod by the Houses of Clergy and Laity.
Progressive Movements
Thanks to the evolution of progressive networks in the Church of England (and allied denominations) – Modern Church, inclusive Church, OneBodyOneFaith, Together for the Church of England, Open Table – there are now in every diocese in every part of England, congregations and clergy committed to the full inclusion of LGBTQI+ people, many of them praying for, celebrating and blessing same-sex relationships, civil partnerships and equal marriage. The taboos and rules of the Church have already been breached. What some bishops fear is already the reality in churches in every diocese. The horse has bolted. However . . . it can be quite a challenge to find and identify these churches despite publicly available lists: Inclusive Church and Open Table.
How do we turn the practical reality of Church of England parishes, churches, clergy and laity already providing a national network of inclusive, affirming congregations celebrating full inclusion into a vote in General Synod to change the Canons and rules that prevent lesbian and gay couples (and clergy in particular marrying and being married in church? The Houses of Clergy and Laity are already voting to speed progress towards change. The campaign to maximise the election of progressive, inclusive candidates in the elections to Synod to be held later this year is vital. But these two Houses are not the problem. The power to block lies with the House of Bishops, and this is not an elected House.
Focus on the Bishops
An equal important campaign has to focus time and attention on the bishops. Opportunities have to be created for conversation with bishops in which those who are already supportive can be further encouraged, those who are wavering can have their backbones reinforced and those who are against can be confronted with the effect their hostility is having on individual lives and life in the many parishes wanting to celebrate full inclusion.
This is going to need in person meetings! Open Table already has a network of people meeting regularly in different diocese, but Open Table isn’t a campaign organisation. Together is a campaigning organisation and has diocesan-based networks of Christians, both clergy and lay, who share Together’s aims. Together’s website says these networks
“support one another in local campaigning, work to ensure strong representation in the governance structures of the Church of England, and are a voice in their diocese for greater equality.”
They need to become active diocesan group that meet to support each other, develop campaign strategies, and above all, meet with and put pressure on their bishops (some suffragans are on Synod).
The Diocese of Southwark formed a lesbian and gay support network thirty-five years ago. The group invited every new bishop to come and meet them. It was at one of those meetings that an encounter with Tom Butler proved to be dramatically truth-telling. Changing Attitude developed a national network of diocesan groups and many of them worked very effectively within their diocese.
Focus on the bishops – at every opportunity. We need to create the opportunities. We need to be dynamically active and we need to draw on the energies of the many people in our diocese who either think the church already welcomes and affirms and marries LGBTQ+ people or who know the reality and are committed to change.