LLF – Next Step Group bishops to hold meetings with interested groups

There is at present a lull in the Living in Love and Faith process while the “church-wide engagement” period “of listening attentively, learning together using the LLF resources” is processed. The findings will be published on 1 September when a new phase, the discernment process, begins. ‘Listening to the Whole Church’ and a new resource, ‘The Gift of the Church’ (written by the Faith and Order Commission) are to be published then. According to the information released, The Gift of the Church is envisaged as “an accessible, publicly available learning resource that supplements the LLF Book” and will be an additional resource for the bishops’ discernment process in autumn 2022. “In particular, bishops would be invited to think about how best to involve the Reference Group that will be accompanying the bishops during parts of their meetings, and how to make the process of discernment as transparent and prayerful as possible.”

September meetings with NSG bishops

The members of the Next Steps Group (NSG) “are keen to ensure they are listening to those with particular hopes or concerns” as they prepare for the next phase of the LLF journey. To this end, they have written to many of the groups involved in the process inviting groups with a similar ethos to one of a series of two-hour long meetings to be held in September in a central London venue.

Changing Attitude England has been invited on the afternoon of Friday 30 September. In the morning Inclusive Church, OneBodyOneFaith, Diverse Church, and the General Synod Gender and Sexuality Group are invited and in the afternoon Changing Attitude England is joined by the Ozanne Foundation and Equal. Each organisation has been invited to send up to two spokespeople.

The meetings on 30 September will be the first time ever that bishops have met corporately with representatives of inclusive and LGBTQIA+ organisations. It will be the first time since 2015 that a meeting has occurred at a senior level (the last time the Coalition met at Lambeth Palace with David Porter and others, but not with bishops).

Changing Attitude England recognises that this is the opportunity to state clearly our goals for LGBTQIA+ justice and equality in the Church of England. Our ambition has been dramatically highlighted by the secular world’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Pride. The reluctance of the Church of England’s bishops to understand, let alone commit themselves to, radical new Christian inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people is scandalous.

Nine groups meet to discuss joint action

Partly as a result of the NSG invitation, the General Synod Gender and Sexuality Group recently organised a video conference for fourteen representatives of the following organisations:

Inclusive Church
OneBodyOneFaith
Changing Attitude England
General Synod Gender and Sexuality Group
The Campaign for Equal Marriage
The Ozanne Foundation
WATCH
Mosaic
Affirming Catholics in Synod

LGBTQIA+ LLF goals

The group was in broad agreement with the goals outlined in a paper circulated by CAE:

  • A commitment to a new radical inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England.

  • A commitment to justice and equality and an end to the systemic abuse of and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people in the Church.

  • Full equality in ministry and relationships for LGBTQIA+ people, lay and ordained in the Church of England, including equal marriage and the blessing of relationships.

  • Removal of the quadruple lock and freedom for equal marriage in church and for clergy to preside.

  • A ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQIA+ people.

  • An end to homophobic and transphobic teaching and practice in the Church of England. Homophobic and transphobic teaching and practice underpin systemic abuse in the Church.

Radical new Christian LGBTQIA+ inclusion

The two Changing Attitude England spokespeople attending the meeting will not only share “our hopes and concerns” but will also brief the bishops on our goals and expectations for the outcome of the Living in Love and Faith process. We have repeatedly asked the bishops and Archbishops to define the content of the phrase “radical new Christian inclusion”. We want them to understand that this must, MUST, include full equality in ministry and relationships for LGBTQIA+ people.


To pursue a vision of the Church where LGBTQIA+ people will be welcomed and loved unconditionally you might like to join Changing Attitude England on Facebook.