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Key debates on women bishops, Faithful Cities report, further education, and major legislative proposals on agenda for General Synod

19 June 2006

 

The July Synod, to be held at the University of York from 4.00pm on Friday, July 7, to lunchtime on Tuesday, July 11, has a full and demanding agenda, including debates on women bishops and a substantial amount of major legislative business. The agenda also offers outward-looking debates including those on urban life and faith and further education.

Women bishops

The Synod will be explicitly invited to reach a view on whether admitting women to the episcopate in the Church of England would be theologically justified. If that motion is carried, the House of Bishops will invite the Synod to agree that a legislative drafting group be established, with a view to preparing a range of specific options that the group would submit for consideration by the House of Bishops, and then to the Synod, in advance of first consideration of the Measure.

Faithful Cities

The report of the Commission on Urban Life and Faith, Faithful Cities, encourages a national debate on what makes for good urban living, as well as how the contribution of faith communities is gauged through ‘faithful capital’. In particular, the report, launched on May 22, argues that, for a just and equitable society to flourish, the gap between the poor and the very wealthy must be reduced, and it asks the Government to consider the effects of implementing a living wage rather than a minimum wage. It is intended as a resource for the Church’s dialogue with local authorities and regeneration programmes, and emphasises the role of faith communities in encouraging social cohesion. A whole afternoon has been allocated to a presentation of the report, group work and a debate on a motion taking the work of Faithful Cities forward.

Further education

This report from the Board of Education, prepared with ecumenical partners and other faith communities, is timely in view of the recent Government White Paper on Further Education. The motion before the General Synod would increase pressure on Government to extend to students in FE colleges the entitlement to provision for spiritual and moral development. It also provides a major opportunity for the Church to engage through further chaplaincy provision with more young people: 43% of 16 to 19 year-olds are learners in FE colleges.

Legislation

The most substantial piece of legislative business is the Revision Stage of the draft Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure. The Measure aims to improve the Church’s structures and processes in a way that will enable it to further its mission. In particular, it develops the process for diocesan re-organisation, at present to be found in the Dioceses Measure 1978, so that the Dioceses Commission can take a more proactive role and improve the prospects of bringing projects that are in the Church’s interest to a successful conclusion; it helps to simplify, devolve and make more flexible the procedures for pastoral re-organisation and closure of churches for regular public worship in the Pastoral Measure 1983; and it provides a new legal framework for ‘mission initiatives’.

Weddings

The Synod will also be asked to give First Consideration to the draft Church of England Marriage Measure. This will make it easier for people to get married in church. The previous General Synod agreed in principle that the right to marry in a Church of England church should be extended to those having certain types of qualifying connection with the church in question. At the moment people have a right to be married only in the church of the parish where they live or are entered on the church electoral roll.

Other business

There are also debates on issues of public concern – on the issue of carbon dioxide emissions, in a motion from the Southwark Diocese, and on the subject of the married couples’ tax allowance, in a private member’s motion from Mrs Joanna Monckton.

There are presentations on pensions and on clergy terms of service, which will bring Synod members up to date with developments, and on the recent World Council of Churches Assembly in Brazil. A debate on the annual report of the Church Commissioners (which by convention is debated by the Synod every two years) will provide time for Synod members to consider the wide range of the Commissioners’ work.

There will also be a Presidential Address by the Archbishop of York.

Background papers and other information will be made available on the General Synod section of this site.