The Church of England’s House of Bishops has postponed a final decision on the Living in Love and Faith process because it continues to work on proposals.
Under Living in Love and Faith (LLF), the Church has been wrestling for years over marriage, sexuality, gender and relationships. The LLF process led to the choice being made by its parliamentary body, General Synod, in 2023 to introduce same-sex blessings as part of standard services.
In October, the House of Bishops paused moves towards the introduction of ‘bespoke’ standalone services of blessing for same-sex couples, and latest guidance for clergy in same-sex unions. These proposals have develop into stuck on how they might be made a reality without formally changing the Church’s official doctrine.
Following the October meeting, the bishops said that they had received legal advice stating that introducing the services would require two thirds majorities in all three houses of the General Synod, while changing Church law to permit clergy to enter into same-sex unions would require easy majorities. In other words, they can not simply be pushed through.
The bishops had been expected to make a final decision on proposals during a gathering at Lambeth Palace on Tuesday, but later announced that they’ll spend more time finalising the proposals.
The House of Bishops said that decisions made at their October meeting “weren’t contested” but they’ve “identified some areas where further clarification is required”.
The bishops said they “recognised the deep hurt, particularly to LGBTQI+ people, because of this of those decisions”.
The House will meet again in January to finalise an announcement on where things stand.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, chair of the LLF Programme Board, said: “Although we recognise that having not set out a final decision today may add to the frustration and distress many persons are feeling, it will be significant we take proper care and time on this. That is required.
“We remain heading in the right direction to bring proposals to Synod for consideration in February.”
Evangelicals have said they need delegated episcopal ministry if standalone services are introduced.
Some latest ministers within the Church of England who object to the proposals on grounds of conscience were ordained earlier this 12 months by a visiting bishop from the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa.
Orthodox Anglican bodies like Gafcon and the Anglican Network in Europe have invited Anglicans within the Church of England to think about joining them.
Speaking after the October meeting, the Bishop of Winchester, Philip Mounstephen, said that the legal and theological advice made it clear that “due process really does matter, and within the lifetime of the Church we must always never duck it”.
“Cutting corners rarely ends well, because the story of LLF demonstrates,” he said.
 The Church of England's House of Bishops has postponed a final decision on the Living in Love and...){kind=link}