CofE Dioceses on Anglican Communion Covenant

Response to the Anglican Communion Covenant in the Church of England

The Anglican Communion Covenant has been referred to the dioceses (the process is explained here with the relevant information about the covenant process here).

In order to be considered again by General Synod, more than half of the Diocesan Synods need to support the covenant in both the House of Clergy and the House of Laity by the end of April. They do so by voting for the motion ‘That this Synod approve the draft Act of Synod adopting the Anglican Communion Covenant.’

This means that, as there are 44 dioceses, 23 dioceses need to pass this motion for the covenant to return for discussion and a final decision in General Synod.

Fulcrum will seek to keep this page up-to-date with information about the discussion of the covenant in the Church of England. If you are aware of the process, resources or results in your diocese please send the information to cofecovenant [at] gmail.com

The current situation as of February 6^th is

FOR – 5 (Bristol, Canterbury, Durham, Europe, Lichfield)

AGAINST – 6 (Birmingham, Derby, Gloucester, St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, Truro, Wakefield)

Resources and Results By Diocese

Bath & Wells

Birmingham - AGAINST

Voted against on 19^th November 2011 – defeated in house of laity.

Bishops 1 for. (Suffragan bishop absent).

Clergy 17 for, 17 against, 1 abstention.

Laity 12 for, 25 against, 1 abstention.

Blackburn

Bradford

Bristol - FOR

Voted for on 3^rd December 2011 – Result announced, Not referred to Deaneries

Bishops 2 for

Clergy 14 for, 9 against, 1 abstention

Laity 17 for, 3 against, 3 abstentions.

Canterbury - FOR

Resources for debate on 6^th July 2011

• Letter from Bishop Trevor - October 2011
• ‘Anglican Communion’ (Powerpoint)
• Briefing paper GS Misc 966
• Questions and Answers

Voted for on 4^th February 2012 – Result announced,

Bishops 1 for

Clergy 26 for, 14 against

Laity 39 for, 13 against

Carlisle

Chelmsford

Chester

Chichester

Coventry

Derby - AGAINST

Voted against on 4^th February 2012 –

Bishops 1 against (Suffragan absent)

Clergy 1 for, 21 against, 2 abstentions

Laity 2 for, 24 against, 2 abstentions

Durham – FOR

No details available

Ely

Europe – FOR

Voted for on 31^st May 2011

Received presentation by Alyson Barnett-Cowan, interviewed here (MP3) and see summary report with figures here

Bishops 2 for

Clergy 21 for, 1 against, 2 abstentions

Laity 20 for, 3 against

Exeter

Gloucester – AGAINST

Resources posted for debate on 4^th February 2012

GS Misc 966 The Faith and Order Commission (7.3 MB)

The Anglican Covenant: a briefing paper

GS Misc 971: The Anglican Communion Covenant Draft Act of Synod (2.24 MB)

GS Misc 971: The Anglican Communion Covenant Draft Act of Synod

GS 1809: Draft Act adopting the Anglican Communion Covenant (474.01 KB)

GS 1809: Draft Act adopting the Anglican Communion Covenant

Three point summary of the Anglican Covenant (30.69 KB)

By Modern Church (www.modernchurch.org.uk)

What is the Anglican Covenant for? (128.58 KB)

By Modern Church (www.modernchurch.org.uk)

The case against the Anglican Covenant (131.38 KB)

By Modern Church (www.modernchurch.org.uk)

The Anglican Communion Covenant - Study Guide (77.53 KB)

Produced by the Anglican Communion Office this document is intended for parishes, deaneries, dioceses or groups of individuals wishing to explore the Covenant and the way it describes Anglian identity. Website: www.anglicancommunion.org

The Anglican Communion Covenant - Question and Answer document (67.52 KB)

Produced by the Anglican Communion Office. The document seeks to address some commonly asked questons. It is not a definitive commentary.

Annex 1 to the Faith and Order Commission Briefing Paper (55.69 KB)

Introduction to the Covenant Text

Presentation on the Anglican Communion Covenant (468.35 KB) Given to Clergy Diocesan Chairs June 2011

Voted against on 4^th February 2012

Guildford

Hereford

Leicester

Lichfield – FOR

Voted for on 19^th March 2011 – Result announced. Not referred to Deaneries. Presentation by Andrew Goddard.

Bishops – 4 for

Clergy – 39 for, 11 against, 1 abstention

Laity – 57 for, 9 against, 1 abstention

Lincoln

Liverpool

London

Manchester

Newcastle

Norwich

Oxford

Peterborough

Portsmouth

Ripon

Rochester

Salisbury

Sheffield

Sodor&Man

Southwark

Southwell

St Albans

St Edmundsbury & Ipswich - AGAINST

Resources made available

In order to assist the debate the following two papers are available:

Paper DS(11)P14a - The Anglican Covenant – A Positive View - FAQ’s prepared by the Rt Revd Gregory K. Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph, Secretary of the Covenant Design Group, 2006-2009.

Paper DS(11)P14b – 10 Reasons Why the Proposed Anglican Covenant is a Bad Idea – prepared by the Rt Revd Peter Selby, the retired Bishop of Worcester.

Voted against on 5^th November 2011 – Report of debate

Bishops – 2 for

Clergy – 9 for, 29 against, 4 abstentions

Laity – 8 for, 33 against, 9 abstentions

Truro – AGAINST

Voted against on 19^th November 2011 – Report and Result, Presentation by Joanna Udal, Speech against by Perran Gay

Reported that bishop and 2/3 of both clergy and laity against but no figures available

Wakefield – AGAINST

Voted against on 12^th March 2011. Referred to Deaneries.

Bishops – 2 for

Clergy – 16 for, 17 against, 1 abstention

Laity – 10 for, 23 against

Winchester

Worcester

York