The Church of England General Synod has voted to establish a new “relationships, sexuality and gender” working group to continue the exploration of same-sex relationships in the Church begun by their “Living in Love and Faith” (LLF) process, which is set to conclude by July 2026.
The motion passed on Thursday 12 February after five hours of debate, during which personal testimonies were shared and a number of amendments to the motion were debated and subsequently rejected.
The General Synod voted in 2023 for same-sex couples to be enabled to receive public prayers of dedication and thanksgiving, known as prayers of love and faith, as part of a regular church service.
Following this decision, the LLF process explored whether bespoke services using prayers of love and faith could be authorised and whether Church of England clergy could be permitted to enter into same-sex civil marriage, but concluded that both of these further steps would require a formal legislative process.
An amendment to remove restrictions on the use of prayers of love and faith in standalone services was rejected by the Synod in the debate on 12 February.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said, “We haven’t been able to find further ways forward that honour the consciences of those who, faithfully led by their conscientious reading of scripture and their understanding of tradition and of lived human experience, arrive at different conclusions.”
The new working group is intended as a framework for the discussions about bespoke services, clergy entering same-sex civil marriages, and other issues to continue, in a more embedded, less time-limited fashion, to “create the space where this work can breathe” and enable “fresh, purposeful thinking”, Archbishop Cottrell said.
It will work alongside a pastoral consultative group, a casework group to assess individual cases.
Archbishop Cottrell apologised to the LGBTQI+ community for the “pain and distress” of the LLF process: “Noting the pain and disappointment and tension that’s felt, as bishops, we do take our responsibility for our part in this and we do want to say how sorry we are.
“Some understandably criticise us for what seem empty apologies, but the alternative to apologising is not apologising, and I don’t think any of us thinks that would be preferable. This is not where I want us to be, nor where I hoped we would be three years ago.
“And I want to acknowledge that wherever you stand on the LLF debate, I know that many of you are feeling angry and disappointed. There is a lot of pain and that pain cuts across so called ‘party lines’ or theological convictions held.
“There have been failures of process that have caused real pain to many on all sides of this chamber. We perhaps too easily saw LLF as a project to be delivered. This was probably a mistake. Sometimes we sought solace in ambiguity, when clarity was needed. Sometimes we talked about deals before seeking God’s will for all of us.
“This has been and continues to be a long road. We are deeply divided on this; more deeply divided than I think we knew, or admitted. There is hurt on all sides. But the Bible tells us that when one of us is hurting, we all hurt.
“Therefore let us continue to reach out to one another; to recognise the face of Christ in each other; to avoid scapegoating, belittling or rubbishing one another’s conscientiously held views. Let us continue to pray that the Holy Spirt will lead us into all truth.
“The Church across all traditions welcomes and provides hospitality to all people regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexuality or any other part of their humanity that causes others, outside of the new humanity we have in Christ, to exclude them.
“Because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, we remain committed to be a Church that welcomes everyone. But we also remain disagreed on how, for some people, that welcome should be expressed; and this is particularly hard for LGBTQI+ people who are particularly vulnerable in all of this and particularly hurt.”
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally said to the Synod: “I want to thank you for the way in which you have engaged in the debate this afternoon, and also the way in which you have engaged in LLF over many years. I know that has come at personal cost for many of you. It has touched some of our deepest theological views, but also the core part of our identity.
“I recognise that LLF has been hard. It has left us wounded as individuals and also as a Church. Therefore, I am grateful that you are still here, and I would like to honour the fact that despite the wounds that many of you carry that you are still here with us.
“I know that the proposals this afternoon may well be disappointing for some, but I believe it provides us with a structured framework that will take us forward to the next steps. I would encourage you not to have hope in the Church but to have hope in God, upon whom our foundation is made.”