Living in Love and Faith

Since 2017, the Church of England has been engaging with a range of questions around identity, sexuality, relationships, and marriage, through the Living in Love and Faith process.

On this page you can find information about:

The Living in Love and Faith process
The Prayers of Love and Faith
Resources on the Prayers of Love and Faith
Pastoral support available
Engagement with LLF in Rochester Diocese

The Living in Love and Faith process

Following a seven-year process of listening and engagement, on 12 December 2023, the House of Bishops of the Church of England commended a selection of readings and prayers of thanksgiving, dedication, and asking for God's blessing for same-sex couples.

They are called the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF).

Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Rochester, shared a pastoral letter following the commendation of the prayers.

Read it here

Find out more about how Living in Love Faith was engaged with in Rochester Diocese. Click here

Since the Prayers of Love and Faith were commended
In January 2026, the House of Bishops shared a letter with the wider Church of England setting out an agreed position as it prepared to bring the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process to a conclusion.

Their decisions followed their reviewing of advice both from the Church of England’s Legal Office and the Faith and Order Commission.

Based on this legal advice, the House of Bishop's confirmed that:

New special or ‘bespoke’ services using Prayers of Love and Faith would need full formal authorisation under canon law
Acknowledged that general permission for clergy to be in a same-sex civil marriage would require a formal legislative process and agreed to explore what legislation would be needed
Made clear they could not agree to placing some parishes under the care of bishops with “separate and independent jurisdiction” as a result of the Prayers of Love and Faith at this stage

The bishops also recognised and regretted the deep hurt, particularly to LGBTQI+ people, caused by the decisions.

Read the full update on the Church of England website
Click to view the legal advice reviewed by the House of Bishops

The Prayers of Love and Faith

The Prayers of Love and Faith, have been commended (with effect from 17 Dec 2023) for use in:

regular public worship
or private prayer

They are accompanied by pastoral guidance which outlines:

how a church may decide if to start using the Prayers of Love and Faith
how they may relate to couples enquiring about the Prayers

Commendation of the prayers is permissive rather than prescriptive. This means they may be used, rather than must be used.

The Prayers of Love and Faith and the Church's understanding of marriage
The Church’s understanding of marriage – or Holy Matrimony – remains as a lifelong, faithful, and exclusive covenant between one man and one woman.

The Prayers allow for those who may wish to recognise the commitment same-sex couples make to each other and publicly pray for God’s blessing on them.

Resources on the Prayers of Love and Faith

There are several resources available to help clergy and churches work out how they may use the Prayers.

Any incumbent or parish needing further assistance with a decision around using the Prayers of Love and Faith or not should please contact their relevant archdeacon.

Contact your archdeacon

Pastoral support available

Anyone experiencing a personal pastoral need in relation to Living in Love and Faith, is welcome to contact:

Living in Love and Faith Diocesan Advocate - The Rev Jane Winter is the LLF Diocesan Advocate - jane.winter@rochester.anglican.org
Living in Love and Faith Chaplains
The Rev Jim Charles (jimrcharles@me.com)
Supporting people holding a traditional view of marriage, sexual relationships, the bible and Christian teaching
The Rev Gordon MacBean (gordon.macbean@rochester.anglican.org)
Supporting people holding a traditional view of marriage, sexual relationships, the bible and Christian teaching
The Rev Steve Padfield (steve.padfield@rochester.anglican.org)
Supporting LGBTQI+ people
The Rev Joss Walker (joss.walker@rochester.anglican.org)
Supporting LGBTQI+ people

You can also email all the chaplains on: llf.chaplain@rochester.anglican.org

Other support networks within the diocese
There are other groups within the diocese who can offer support, dialogue, and engagement around LLF.

Download a list

Engagement with LLF in Rochester Diocese

Our bishops encouraged the listening and conversations in this diocese to be ones of grace and compassion:

"These issues go to the heart of what it means to be human, and especially touches upon the lives of people who feel marginalised by the Church.

So, we should debate with compassion and sensitivity, seeking prayerful wisdom from God and aiming at all times to show the fruit of the Spirit as St Paul describes it in Galatians 6; that is, with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

Bishop James Langstaff (former Bishop of Rochester), and Bishop Simon Burton-Jones, Bishop of Tonbridge

A consultative group representing different aspects of Diocesan life and experiences was set up to support engagement with the Living in Love and Faith resources.

Throughout this time, many conversations happened at an individual, parish, and deanery level.

The Rev Jayne Shillito, previously a curate in the North West Kent Group of Churches, was one of those who engaged with the Living in Love and Faith process.

In this short film, along with others from across the Church of England, she shares her experience of doing the course: