Synod members have received thousands of pages of reports to read in advance of this week's meeting of the Church of England's General Synod and millions of words will, I am sure be written, over the coming days. But for those who have other things to think about - here is a quick summary of what to look out for:
1) Will the Archbishop of York get 'cancelled'?
Monday, 2.30-3.30pm
With no Archbishop of Canterbury in post, the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, the current incumbent of the See of York, is due to give the traditional Presidential Address at the start of this session of the General Synod.
Amidst calls his resignation, many members of the synod have said they will boycott his address and others are seeking to silence him, using the synod's standing orders. Initial attempts to bring what would be in effect a vote of no confidence have been blocked but the Chair can give permission for a vote at the last minute.
2) What more can be said about the Makin Report?
Monday 5.20-7pm
A motion about the Makin Report into the horrific abuse by John Smyth has been brought to Synod.
"That this Synod, repenting of the failures of safeguarding in the Church of England detailed in the Makin report, ask those in leadership roles across the Church of England to redouble work to implement best safeguarding practice in line with national policies and guidance, and note the further and forthcoming reforms set out in GS 2376.’"
At the moment the motion is pretty weak, as it does not call on the Church of England to take note of the specific recommendations the report makes. It would be a shame if this debate becomes an opportunity for 'tribal' point scoring rather than a chance to highlight the need for greater transparency and the requirement that the clergy recruitment process should require the disclosure of any knowledge of abuse.
3) Will General Synod vote for 'greater' independence of safeguarding?
Begins Tuesday no later than 10.45am
The vote before General Synod for the "Future of Safeguarding" is, according to one survivor, "a vote to rearrange the chairs on the deck of the Titanic." Synod is being asked to choose between two models, neither of which offer true 'independence'.
It is unlikely that Synod will have the courage to reject both models - but there are sure to be numerous amendments seeking to steer safeguarding in different directions. It will be a miracle if the needs of survivors is heard above the cacophony of noise from interested parties.
Safeguarding will be on the agenda again on Wednesday afternoon if synod members choose to debate the new codes of practice for 'managing allegations' and 'religious communities.'
4) Can the Church of England become less middle class?
Wednesday 10.45am
In some ways this Private Members Motion offers some light relief in what is a pretty complicated session of Synod. It would however be a shame if it does not receive the attention that it deserves.
"That this Synod welcome work that has already been done to encourage the ministry of people from working class backgrounds, and request the Ministry Development Board to go further in developing a national strategy for the encouragement, development and support of vocations, lay and ordained, of people from working class backgrounds and report back to Synod to debate that strategy within 12 months.’"
5) What can be said about Living in Love and Faith in an hour?
Thursday 10.15-11.15am
In what seems like an attempt to silence protest from all perspectives, synod members have been sent hundreds of pages of background information for this presentation. There were numerous theological papers and drafts of the key documents that will shape the way the Prayers of Love and Faith can be used in future.
There will be no debate – but there will be the possibility to ask questions and it might be hoped that those called will not just go over old ground.
6) Can synod fix the way bishops are chosen?
Thursday 11.15am
Back in October, when the Church of England still had two Archbishops, the suggestion was made that there needed to be changes to the standing orders of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC - who are the group who select bishops) to try to avoid the stalemate that has caused the process to fail a couple of times in recent years.
Anglican Futures wrote about these proposals at the time. https://www.anglicanfutures.org/post/the-hob-the-cnc-and-a-very-british-democracy
Since the allegations of archepiscopal bullying of a CNC member in the appointment of the now disgraced Bishop of Liverpool, these proposals may have less support than before.
7) How can poorer dioceses avoid bankruptcy?
Wednesday 4pm (approx)
Friday 10am (approx)
There will be two opportunities for synod members to engage with the financial crisis facing much of the Church of England. The first is a presentation about the state of diocesan finances and the second is a motion asking for a redistribution of funds to support local parish ministry.
If you want, you can watch proceedings on the General Synod livestream
Anglican Futures' Director will be at General Synod and we will be reporting throughout the week - on this blog and on social media
X @AnglicanFutures and Bluesky anglicanfutures.bsky.social
If you have specific questions about what is going on please contact her on susie@anglicanfutures.org
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