News Round Up

News Round Up

Challenging time for General Synod

Mission, human relationships, social issues, worship and ecumenical relations were the major themes in a challenging and broad ranging Synod agenda for the February Sessions of the General Synod, February 9-13.

In all, the agenda was probably the most extensive and demanding for several years, and included two groups of related debates.

One group included debates on church planting and fresh expressions of Church, followed by the Review of the Dioceses and Pastoral Measures, and the Strategic Spending Review. All these debates had a strong mission emphasis.

The second group included three debates that explored aspects of human relationships and sexuality. The report of the Doctrine Commission, which examines themes of time, power, sex and money, helped to provide a context within which the following debates on Some Issues in Human Sexuality and Cohabitation might be set.

Mission Shaped Church: church planting and fresh expressions of Church

This major report, from the Mission and Public Affairs Council, looked at developments in church planting since l994 and at fresh expressions of Church, as new patterns of church community are established in the context of contemporary society.

Review of Dioceses and Pastoral Measures

The Review sought to strengthen the operation of the Dioceses Measure and to simplify, devolve and make more flexible the operations of the Pastoral Measure, thereby making the procedures for the reorganisation of dioceses and parishes more effective.

Strategic Spending Review

This review was set up jointly by the Church Commissioners and the Archbishops' Council. It came to Synod as part of an extensive consultation process.

Doctrine Commission Report: Being Human

The latest report from the Doctrine Commission explores a Christian understanding of what it is to be human, illustrated with reference to the themes of power, money, sex and time.

Some Issues in Human Sexuality

This report works within the parameters of the House of Bishops l991 statement Issues in Human Sexuality. It is a study guide designed to complement Issues, and is intended as a resource to enable people within the Church to understand these complex and sensitive issues and to reflect more deeply upon them. The Synod was asked to commend the report for study and reflection.

Cohabitation
This debate was on a motion passed by the York Diocesan Synod in 2002, before the Government's present intentions were known. The York motion encompassed opposite-sex partnerships. By contrast, the Government has published a Civil Partnership Bill, which will centre upon a registration process for people in committed same-sex partnerships. The debate was therefore particularly timely.

Asylum
This was another timely debate as the Government's Asylum Bill is before Parliament. The Government's proposals are primarily concerned with the appeal process and the use of legal aid, but they also provide a framework for the removal of support from families, in extreme circumstances, who are able but unwilling to return home once they have exhausted the appeals process. The debate is sponsored by the Mission and Public Affairs Council.

HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS is a global epidemic, which threatens human life, dignity and development; whilst it is a global problem, it is having a disproportionate impact on Africa, where its spread has undermined communities and reversed national economic and social development.

The debate provided an opportunity for Synod to consider the HIV/AIDS pandemic but with a particular focus on ways in which support can be given through the Church's mission and development agencies, diocesan companion links and the wider Anglican Communion generally.

The debate was preceded by an address from the Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development.

Worship
There were three items of liturgical business, the major item being the proposed Common Worship Ordinal, which provided forms of service for the ordination of deacons, priests and bishops.

Ecumenical Relations
This debate, sponsored by the Council for Christian Unity, provided Synod with an opportunity to consider the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), with special reference to the l999 report The Gift of Authority. The Council proposed that this report should be considered as a continuation of the statements on authority which were considered by Synod in l986, and that contentious doctrinal issues should continue to be studied in the context of the developing, lived relationship between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, as reflected in local ecumenism and inter-church dialogue.

Clergy Terms of Service
The first phase report of the Review of Clergy Terms of Service was debated. The Review had examined the terms under which clergy without freehold hold office and recommended a new package of rights and responsibilities to include church legislation to provide greater job security for those clergy and to clarify their duties.

There was also be a substantial amount of legislative business, including the revision stage for the Synodical Government reform process. Altogether, the Synod covered a full and demanding agenda with a wide range of outward-looking debates, as well as the fruits of several key reviews which aim to streamline the Church's procedures and equip it for mission.

Greater job security recommended for clergy without the freehold

A new report recommends that Church legislation is brought in to provide greater job security for clergy without the freehold and to clarify their duties.

A review chaired by Professor David McClean CBE QC (Professor of Law at Sheffield University) recommends retaining the office-holder status of clergy and conferring a new package of rights and responsibilities on clergy without the freehold.

In July 2002, the Department of Trade and Industry asked for comments on the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's powers, under section 23 of the Employment Relations Act 1999, to confer some employment rights on 'atypical workers', people who are not technically employees. In the Church of England's response, the Archbishops' Council accepted that 'for some clergy, the present arrangements do not provide sufficient safeguard against injustice'.

The response stated that 'The Church of England firmly believes that the clergy ... are entitled to terms and conditions of service which adequately protect their rights, recognise their responsibilities and provide proper accountability arrangements.'

The Council set up the Clergy Terms of Service Review Group to address these issues in December 2002.

The Review Group's report on the first phase of its work, concentrating on clergy without the freehold, was debated at the February General Synod. Synod was invited to welcome the recommendations in the report, to commend the report and invite comments by July 2004.

Mrs Anne Sloman, a member of the Review Group and of the Archbishops' Council, said: "Our recommendations are intended to give greater job security to clergy without the freehold, and bring their rights and responsibilities more closely into line with those in other occupations. Clarifying the responsibilities of clergy in the way we suggest will give them greater confidence, as they will know more clearly where they stand."

The main recommendations include a new package of rights and responsibilities for clergy, including:

ccess to Employment Tribunals to claim unfair dismissal (which does not require clergy to be made employees)
giving clergy legal entitlement to the other rights contained in section 23 (except for the right not to work on Sundays), which include the right to time off for certain purposes, maternity and parental leave; a detailed pay statement; and a detailed statement of terms and conditions of service
a new form of tenure, known as 'common tenure', under which appointments for clergy without the freehold would normally be made until retirement age
restricting the use of fixed term appointments to training posts or posts related to a particular project or dependent on special funding that is only available for a limited period
new Clergy Terms of Service Regulations, which would clarify the responsibilities of clergy on a national basis
a capability procedure to be invoked where clergy are failing to reach minimum standards
a requirement on clergy to participate in diocesan ministerial review (xix) schemes and on bishops to ensure that these reviews are properly carried out
putting in place proper mechanisms to encourage good practice and to foster deeper relationships of trust and partnership, including the provision of professional human resource advice and appropriate training for bishops and archdeacons
retaining the office-holder status of clergy and conferring the appropriate rights and responsibilities by means of Church legislation.

The Revd Canon Bob Baker, also a member of the Group, commented: "The relationship between an employee and a manager makes certain assumptions about exerting control, giving orders, directing work on a daily basis and setting targets. The relationships clergy have with their congregations and their bishop are not like that, and allow clergy a degree of distinctive autonomy. Terms of Service Regulations and retaining the office holder status of the clergy will be the most effective way of delivering the clarity and flexibility that the clergy need. "

Church Commissioners consult on Strategic See House Review

The Church Commissioners have been consulting the House of Bishops on a new set of guidelines to provide suitable houses for bishops.

Recommendations from the Strategic See House Review also include drawing up management plans for each see house covering not only planned maintenance but also development and income-generating possibilities. Wider consultation will follow.

Once the consultation process is completed, including a take note debate in the General Synod, the see houses will be reviewed on a case-by case basis. The process will take several years to complete.

Following the 2001 report Resourcing Bishops, the Commissioners are reviewing the criteria for bishops living and working accommodation, as well as continuing the regular review of individual houses in place since they were transferred to the Commissioners after the Second World War.

The transfer of ownership, starting in 1948, involved the replacement of 19 see houses, as well as extensive work to bring the remainder up to the standard of the day. Since then, a further nine houses have been replaced and substantial investment made in bringing bishops' accommodation up to the standard. The Bristol see house has recently been sold and the Wakefield see house is due for replacement.

Recommendations in the report of the Strategic See House Review include:

The aim of the new principles and guidelines is to provide a suitable house from which the bishop can conduct his ministry effectively, while being at the same time a place of work and a home which offers his family privacy.
Investment criteria will be a factor and each house will be assessed to determine its development and income potential.
A management plan will be produced for each house to implement a planned maintenance regime and deal with development and income-generating opportunities.
The management plans will be produced in consultation with the bishop and his family.
This might mean that houses which are too expensive to maintain will be replaced.
The future of each house will be reviewed when the bishop is 62 - to allow time for its replacement if necessary. A house might also be replaced while a bishop is in situ either because it has already been agreed, or because a bishop and family agree it is right to move. There will be no change without consultation with the bishop.
This case by case approach will mean that the review will be done gradually and not rushed.
Heritage houses will also have management plans and these will take account, where appropriate, of the income generation possibility offered by the house.

Historic background
Prior to the Second World War each diocesan bishop owned his own house. He was responsible for its maintenance, and for meeting his own staff and administrative costs out of his endowment income. By the end of the war these costs had become intolerable, and the houses, plus the bishops' endowments, were transferred to the Commissioners who would house the bishop, meet his administrative costs, and pay him a stipend.

As part of that arrangement houses were only accepted by the Commissioners if they were suitable, and 19 houses were replaced and the rest brought up to contemporary standards before the ownership was transferred. Since then the suitability of houses has been regularly reviewed, and the criteria have evolved to reflect changing patterns of Episcopal ministry and family needs.

Over this period a further nine houses have been replaced - Bristol very recently - and the Wakefield house is due for replacement. In addition, many others have been altered and improved e.g. in historic houses bishops' accommodation has generally been reduced to a unit or flat within a complex containing offices and other facilities, with spare accommodation let out where possible.

Provisional attendance figures for 2002

Provisional figures for 2002 show that the average number of children and young people attending church each month increased by 1% over 2001 to 421,000 while the average number attending each week remained static at 228,000.

There are signs of growth in church attendance levels in many dioceses among children and young people under 16 years of age, despite a decline in overall attendance.

The dioceses of Manchester, Peterborough, Ripon and Leeds, Southwark, Southwell and Winchester saw increases in each of their Sunday, weekly and monthly attendance levels for children and young people. Of the Church's 44 dioceses, 26* saw increases in one or more measures of church attendance levels for children and young people.

In 2002, the Church of England also asked parish churches to record, over a typical month, for the first time, the number of young people (11 to 25 years of age) attending activities other than worship. Of the 162,000 reported, 125,000 were 'teenagers' aged 11 to 15 years while 37,000 were 'young adults' aged 16 to 25 years. Parishes also reported 41,000 adult volunteers working through the churches with these young people.

Total attendance at church and cathedral worship over a typical month was approximately 1.7 million in 2002, the figure reported by parishes as the highest weekly attendance figure over a typical month. This figure has fallen by 2% since 2001. The number of regular attendees over a typical month was 44% greater than the average number in any particular week and 67% greater than the average on any particular Sunday. For every 30 individuals attending church on a typical Sunday, 50 attend over the whole month.

The average number of church attendees on Sundays (ASA) declined by 4% but remained above 1 million. The average number of church attendees over a typical week (AWA) fell by 3% during the year 2002 but remained approximately 1.2 million. For every 60 people attending church on a typical Sunday another 10 attend during the week.

Parish electoral rolls, listing those entitled to vote at a local church level, are fully revised every six years. The 2002 revision resulted in a decrease of 7% on the last revision in 1996, bringing the Electoral Roll to 1.2 million adults aged 16 years or over.

Editors note: * The 26 dioceses that saw increases in one or more measures of church attendance levels for children and young people in 2002 were Bradford, Bristol, Chelmsford, Chichester, Derby, Ely, Exeter, Guildford, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Ripon and Leeds, Rochester, St Albans, Salisbury, Southwark, Southwell, Truro, Winchester, Worcester, York.

What is the correct shape for the future church?

The Church of England will have to abandon the notion that there is only "one standard form of church" if it is going to survive through the 21st century.

This is the conclusion of a report, Mission-shaped Church, which was debated at the General Synod. Mission-shaped Church has been produced by a working party under the Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Rev Graham Cray.

The report warns that the present parochial system, while still central to the C of E, is not flexible enough to reach modern day Britain with the Gospel. The sweeping changes in British society mean that 'a mixed economy' of church models is necessary if the church is to connect with people who have no background of Christian faith or Sunday worship.

The report suggests a wide range of alternatives, "fresh expressions of church". These include 'network churches', where the worshippers are drawn together because of an existing social network (i.e. mothers and toddlers) rather than a geographical area.

Finding a better expression of church for young people is a major concern. The report is deeply concerned that only four per cent of children now attend Sunday School – "this is a time bomb".

Mission-shaped Church: Church planting and fresh expressions of church in a changing context Church House Publishing, £10.95

Church of England schools top the new league tables

Church of England secondary schools were top scorers in the recently published post-age-14 leagues tables. Of the 50 leading comprehensives, ten were Anglican. This is out of all proportion to their numbers in the system, as nationally only one in 20 secondary schools is Anglican.

A fortune for the Salvation Army

Joan Kroc, widow of the founder of McDonald's fast-food chain, has died, leaving a fortune to the Salvation Army. This billionaire philanthropist, who died in California last October, aged 75, left the Salvation Army in the United States $1.5 billion (£830 million), the Army's biggest single donation.

Making more room in the graveyard

The Home Office is wondering what to do with the dead. It seems that there are so many that they are getting in the way.

A recently launched consultation on the subject includes the proposal to reopen closed graveyards and rebury old remains in order to make room for more burials. The Government is asking for responses by 13 July.

The Government's ideas are published in Burial Law and Policy in the 21st Century: The need for a sensitive and sustainable approach. As well as its proposals on re-using graves, it proposes a government inspectorate to ensure that standards are met.

Home Office Minister Paul Goggins explained that clergy will be asked to take part in a national 'snapshot' of burial grounds later this year. The Government wants to know how much spare space there is for new burials in our churchyards, and what the Churches are planning to do in the future. Paul Goggins said that many closed churchyards are "unsafe places, ...not pleasant places to visit."

The document suggests that after 100 years, or possibly less, human remains could be reburied at a greater depth, to make room for new graves to go in on top. Even gravestones could be re-used, with additional inscriptions for the dead buried at the different levels.

An average of 600,000 people die in the UK each year, 70 per cent of whom are cremated. For more details: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/whatsnew.asp

Generous Baptists

Baptists gave the most amount of money to Home Mission, ever, during 2003.

At £3,456,550, the final total was 96.96 per cent of the target of £3,565,000. It is an 8.4 per cent increase over 2002, and the highest rise since 1992.

The money means that the Baptist Union of Great Britain will be able to balance the books, and may have a surplus to replace reserves.

The Rev David Coffey, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, has written to all BUGB churches saying, "these figures represent generous, and even sacrificial giving, on the part of many of you."

No room on the ship

The magnificent new QM2, the pride of the Cunard fleet, has casinos and swimming pools and restaurants and even a theatre on board – but no chapel and no chaplain. One Christian minister has said: "How many Christians who own shares in the shipping company are prepared to raise the matter at the annual general meeting? Matters will only change if Christians care enough to make their voices heard."

Cuts for historic churches

The Churches Conservation Trust, which cares for and promotes the use of more than 300 historic church buildings no longer used for worship, has been forced to streamline its work following government cuts.

Figures show a shortfall of more than £500,000 for the financial year ending in March 2003, as compared with March 2002. The Church Commissioners cut its funding, which is linked to the amount given by the government Department for Culture, Media and Sport. For more details, please visit www.visitchurches.org.uk

Cathedral entrance charges

Cathedral entrance charges look set to become a fact of life. This follows news that about half of all English Cathedrals are facing a deficit, and others are balancing their budgets only by postponing urgent maintenance work.

The financial crisis, blamed partly on the reluctance of American tourists to travel abroad after 9/11, has driven English cathedrals to seek greater funding from the Church Commissioners. In Parliament the Worcestershire MP, Peter Luff, has warned that the triple responsibility of maintaining a living heritage of worship, maintaining the buildings, and offering witness was proving "an intolerable burden for many cathedrals." He went on to call for a national debate on cathedral funding.

Scots fail to listen to Baptists

Baptists in Scotland have the least influence of all Christian denominations over political decisions taken at Holyrood and Westminster, according to a new report.

Just 12 per cent of MPS and MSPs felt Baptists had an effect on legislation, compared to 17 per cent for the Church of Scotland and 26 per cent for the Episcopalians.

In contrast, a staggering 95 per cent of politicians said the Roman Catholic Church wielded influence over what happened in the two parliaments, blaming a 'lack of leadership and beliefs' in the other denominations.

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