Bishop Jonathan has written to the Diocese ahead of General Synod, and to share details of a paper that he has contributed to on the Doctrine of Marriage, alongside a number of other bishops.
This paper seeks to support clergy and congregations as they think and pray through the important issues and questions arising at this time in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process.
Download the paper: The Church of England Doctrine of Marriage
Read his message to the Diocese below:
Dear Friends,
A good many people have been in contact with me since the publication of the House of Bishop’s proposed material for the next steps with Living in Love and Faith, which will be discussed at the General Synod next week.
As you can imagine, there has been a considerable diversity of views expressed, with people of all perspectives indicating their disappointment, concern, or even anger about the Bishops’ proposals for a variety of different reasons.
With this in mind, I am sharing with you details of a paper on the Doctrine of Marriage to which I have contributed, and that I am pleased to commend alongside a number of other bishops.
It seeks to support clergy and congregations as they think and pray through the important issues and questions arising at this time in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process, especially relating to the work being undertaken by the bishops and General Synod.
The group of bishops who contributed to the paper are drawn mainly from those in the House of Bishops.
Like them, I want to assure you that as your Bishop, I am committed to continuing to listen to and learn from those who sincerely disagree with one another, including those who believe that the Bishops’ proposal to Synod goes too far or does not go far enough.
The paper will be added to the online LLF resources on the Church of England website in due course. It is also available on the Living in Love and Faith page of the diocesan website here.
Please pray for the General Synod as it prepares to consider these important matters in its meeting from 6 to 9 February. Pray particularly for those who are most personally affected by all that is being discussed.
Additionally, I am most grateful to my colleagues in the Bishop’s Leadership Team for all their prayerful support in this process. We hold a diversity of views on these issues and are committed to working together for the sake of all those whom we serve across the Diocese of Rochester.
We will continue to pray for you, deeply thankful to God for the ministry we share as we continue to journey together in the life of the Diocese.
+Jonathan
Bishop of Rochester