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0 CommentsThe Bishop of Bedford, the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, has announced that he will retire at the end of this year. Details are on the St Albans diocesan website.
5 CommentsUpdated 7 July and 8 July
Eighty-two members of the General Synod have written to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York asking why a fringe event and exhibition space at the July 2026 Synod have been approved. The letter asks the Archbishops to exercise their discretionary powers as Presidents to uphold the Church’s safeguarding guidance and the ethos of the Church of England.
The announcement of the fringe event can be seen here.
The text of the letter is published at Unadulterated Love: Letter to Archbishops objecting to Synod event in support of “Conversion Therapy” and is copied in full below the fold.
Robert Thompson has written a further reflection on this issue, which is published at ViaMedia.News: The Body We Are Becoming: Ecclesiology, Safeguarding and the Common Life of General Synod
Update 7 July
The Telegraph reports:
A Church of England spokesman said: “A General Synod member has applied to host a Synod fringe meeting and related public display on ‘sexual identity transformation’ at the forthcoming General Synod meeting at the University of York. The organiser has made clear both will challenge the principles of a ban on conversion practices.
“Following careful consideration, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York have informed the Synod member that their fringe meeting, as a private discussion for Synod members and invited guests, may go ahead as planned, but has declined permission for the associated stand and public display.
“In 2017, the General Synod voted, by a large majority, in favour of a ban on conversion practices. A publicly visible display would act as a public statement contrary to that stated position and is not appropriate in the circumstances.”
Update 8 July
In the archbishops’ letter to those who wrote to them about this, they also say:
“The University of York have made certain requests in relation to the meeting. If the meeting is to take place, the organiser will need to meet these requests which concern the name of the event, the display of signage and a disclaimer.”
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103 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York from 10 to 14 July. The agenda and papers for the meeting were released today.
There are links to the papers below the fold, grouped by the day on which they are due to be debated. There are also a number of GS Misc papers and items of deemed and contingency business. (more…)
18 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York next month. The papers were released today along with the following press release. I will publish a detailed list of papers later today.
National unity and global challenges on agenda in final meeting of current Synod
25/06/2026
A call for Christians to promote national unity in a time of polarisation and the theological case for protecting the planet are among the national and global issues being considered at the upcoming meeting of General Synod.
Members of Synod, the Church of England’s national assembly, will gather in York from July 10 to 14 for the last group of sessions of their five-year term, ahead of elections in the autumn.
In addition to key legislation on subjects such as clergy conduct rules and the Abuse Redress Scheme, Synod will be discussing a wide range of challenges facing the church and nation from a Christian perspective.
Members will spend time discussing questions of national unity and the role of the church in a time of social, economic and technological change.
In a paper published today, the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, who chairs the Church of England’s Bishops’ Working Group for Promoting Unity in our Nation, looks at factors causing fragmentation and argues: “As the Established Church, we should model a healthy sense of patriotism.”
Also among the materials published today is “Hope for All Creation: A theological response to the environmental crises” – a landmark new theological text, or teaching document, from the House of Bishops, produced by the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission (FAOC).
It offers a theological framework for understanding and responding to environmental crises including climate change, drawing from the Anglican tradition and the life and worship of the Church.
It comes as Synod prepares to give final approval to a significant change to the ecclesiastical calendar by introducing a new annual “Festival of Creation in Christ”, which includes prayers and readings reflecting God’s creation.
Another key liturgical change due for final approval is the introduction of an annual commemoration of the “21 Martyrs of Libya” – a group of Christian men who were killed for their faith in Christ by Isis terrorists 10 years ago. The annual commemoration will be a vivid reminder of how Christians are still persecuted around the world today.
Papers published today also include the final outputs of the Church of England’s Trust and Trustworthiness project, carried out over almost five years and drawing from in-depth interviews with people across the Church.
There will also be debates on other motions, including some brought by individual members and dioceses. Subjects to be discussed include: looked-after children and care-leavers; neurodivergence; Israel and Palestine; and the church’s response to same-sex relationships.
Synod will also receive an update from the Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon Programme on the progress being made in response to the ambition set by Synod in 2020 for the Church to work towards reaching net zero carbon emissions.
There will also be an update on safeguarding work from the new Lead Bishop for Safeguarding, Robert Springett.
7 CommentsThe Church of England yesterday published its final report on the recommendations of the Makin Review and the work of the Task and Finish Group. In addition to the report there was a press release, which is copied below.
Final report published on response to Makin recommendations
23/06/2026
The Church of England has today published its final report on the recommendations of the Makin Review and the work of the Task and Finish Group, including updates on actions in response to the independent review into the abuse carried out by John Smyth. (more…)
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109 CommentsThe full set of papers for next month’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod is due to be published on 25 June. But a few are already available; they are listed below.
GS Misc Papers
Deemed and Contingency Business
The Very Revd Dr Manon Ceridwen James has been elected as the 82nd Bishop of Bangor in the Church in Wales. She is the Dean of Bangor Cathedral. Details are in a press release on the provincial website.
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132 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York from 10 to 14 July 2026. The outline of its business is online here, and is copied below the fold.
2 CommentsThe minutes of the January 2026 and December 2025 meetings of the Church of England’s House of Bishops are now available. Earlier minutes can be found here.
6 CommentsThe Church Commissioners for England published their annual report for 2025 last week. There was an accompanying press release (copied below) which concentrated on the endowment fund’s 8% return.
Church Commissioners for England endowment fund delivers 8% return in 2025
25/05/2026
The Church Commissioners for England, which manages the Church of England’s endowment fund, delivered an 8% return in 2025, marking the seventeenth consecutive year of positive returns.
The in-perpetuity endowment fund delivers long-term financial support for the Church’s mission and ministry, contributing approximately a fifth towards the total annual running costs of the Church of England. The latest result helps meet funding commitments for the 2026-2028 triennium, agreed last year.
“We know that the support provided by the Church Commissioners’ distributions is important right across the Church of England, providing key funds that support frontline parish ministry in a wide variety of ways,” said Rosie Slater-Carr, interim Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to providing long-term funding into the future for dioceses, Cathedrals, Bishops and much needed funding for one off areas, such as Net Zero Carbon and the National Redress Scheme. Our long-term view ensures that the Church continues to inspire the many generations to come.
“Achieving an 8% return, above our long-term target, was primarily due to strong absolute performance in public markets. At the same time, we were able to successfully manage portfolio liquidity in order to fund near term distributions,” said Poppy Allonby, Chief Investment Officer. “We achieved these results whilst maintaining a focus on responsible investment and last year we were recognised for our work on both human rights data and sustainability across our real estate portfolio.”
“Our 2025 result is testament to the skill and dedication of our investment team, who not only deliver marker-beating returns, but do so while staying true to the Church of England’s values,” said Alan Smith, First Church Estates Commissioner. “It is thanks to that responsible, long-term investment approach that we can support the mission and ministry of the Church, year in year out.”
The Church Commissioners provides funding to a range of areas that support the Church of England’s mission and ministry, particularly in areas of need. In 2025, the final year of the 2023-2025 triennium, the Church Commissioners contributed £202.8m to supporting dioceses and local churches in England, and £52.9m for supporting Bishops’ and Archbishops’ ministry. The funding supported local parishes, including advancing the Net Zero Carbon programme across church buildings and schools. It formed part of a charitable expenditure of £282.4m, which also included £17.8m for cathedrals. In addition, the Church Commissioners has provided funding to the National Redress Scheme and pre-1998 clergy pensions.
The return exceeded the long-term target return of CPIH (Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs) +4% per annum; at the end of 2025, the fund was valued at £11.6bn.
The annual report is available for download here.
10 CommentsThe CNC’s nominated candidate for the vacant see of Bristol has withdrawn. The official Church of England announcement is copied below.
Update on Bristol Crown Nominations Commission process
27/05/2026The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for Bristol met in April and nominated a candidate for the See of Bristol. The individual has since decided, with regret, to withdraw from the nomination for family reasons.
The existing CNC for Bristol will reconvene as soon as possible to decide how to proceed.
The Bishop of Swindon, Bishop Neil Warwick, will continue to serve the diocese as Acting Bishop of Bristol.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, said: “I know many will be disappointed by this news and will appreciate how difficult the decision to withdraw was for the candidate.
“Please pray for them, their family and all those affected by this decision.
“I want to thank the Bishop of Swindon, Neil Warwick, for his ongoing service as Acting Bishop of Bristol, and everyone in the Diocese of Bristol who is working hard in this period of vacancy.
“Please also continue to pray for the Crown Nominations Commission as it reconvenes to seek God’s discernment for the next Bishop of Bristol.”
The Diocese of Bristol has issued this statement: Update regarding the appointment of the next Bishop of Bristol
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Colin Coward Unadulterated Love
