Q. What do we do with the data collected from the forms?
A. This data will not be made public. It is being collected in order that we can be more informed about the constituency of those supporting our advocacy of this provision. It will be kept and honoured in keeping with our privacy policy.
Q. What do we mean by the term ‘Ordinary’?
A. In order for a person to exercise ministry in the Church of England, they need to be licensed (whether that is as an incumbent, an assistant priest, or via a PTO (Permission to Officiate)/preacher’s licence). These licences are granted by the Ordinary (normally the diocesan bishop in whose diocese the individual wishes to minister). There are exceptions to this (e.g. for military chaplains who move frequently).
Q. Why does this initiative focus on diocesan bishops/Ordinaries?
A. In the Church of England, diocesan bishops exercise what is called Ordinary jurisdiction. In practice, this means that the licences for clergy and the appointment and/or ministry of suffragan/area bishops comes from them. It is also the case that many strategic decisions in the diocese are not made without the support of the diocesan bishop (even if the Diocesan Synod and/or the Bishop’s Council were of a different view).
In practice, this means that a number of decisions are within the gift of the diocesan bishop (Ordinary):
- The licensing of clergy to incumbencies.
- The ordination of deacons and priests.
- The allocation of curates.
- The granting of BMOs for church plants.
- The provision of references for clergy moving to jobs in other dioceses.
Some of these ‘giftings’ can be delegated to suffragan/area bishops, but they can also be withdrawn at the simple decision of the diocesan bishop.
In other words, the diocesan bishop is the essential and sole source of legal authority in the diocese – a position which is largely unchallengeable (e.g. in the instances given above).
Diocesan bishops committed to revisionism therefore have within their gift the ability to make a large number of decisions which could support the undermining of orthodox ministries within the diocese. For this reason, we need a guaranteed future supply of orthodox diocesan bishops, and the right of clergy and lay church members around the country to be overseen and ministered to by them.
Q. Why is it necessary to launch this initiative? And why now?
A. Contrary to what some might believe, the LLF trajectory is far from over and the House of Bishops is in the process of forming a new group to continue the work. Other synodical initiatives (e.g. private members’ motions) will continue to put the agenda on the table, and facts on the ground in the dioceses continue to highlight actions that challenge the inherited teaching and practice of the Church of England.
Given this reality, it is essential that we are able to articulate to the House of Bishops over the next 12 to 24 months the widespread and heartfelt cry in our constituency for Ordinaries (see FAQs above) who hold to, teach and celebrate a biblical position on marriage and sexual ethics as contained within C of E doctrine.
This initiative is intended to enable all those who share this aspiration to express that concern together. This is necessary because we are often told ‘you are only a small group’, whereas we believe that there are (quite literally) thousands who stand with us.
‘Isn’t this just politics? I want to focus on gospel ministry.’
Gospel ministry can be lonely and isolating, and we hope that one outcome of this initiative will be your encouragement. After Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, he was exhausted and felt isolated. God spoke to him, reassuring him that there were 7,000 others who had not ‘bowed the knee’ (1 Kings 19:18).
This initiative is about convening the 7,000, and not just politics. Whilst we will not make public the names of those who sign this initiative, we will be able to assure you that you stand with thousands of others.