IS THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN CRISIS?

The Rev Canon Dr Chris Sugden explains how 2025 might pan out and notes developments that could encourage evangelicals.

By Chris Sugden

www.virtueonline.org

March 14, 2025

With the resignation of Archbishop Welby, the Archbishop of York under a cloud due to a failure in safeguarding and the C of E riven with doctrinal differences, chiefly over the desire of many bishops to bless same-sex unions what might lie ahead?

At the time of writing some matters look clear.

What has taken place already is that Archbishop Welby introduced a centralized management process into the Church of England. He also sought to preserve what he called unity by making concessions to a small but powerful elite lobby pressing for same sex relationships to be blessed and recognised in church services, and for clergy to enter same-sex marriage.

Because of this step, on the global stage he forfeited the allegiance of many Anglican Primates ( the senior Archbishops in a country), representing between them the majority of Anglicans around the world, who have refused to acknowledge his office as the senior office in the Anglican Communion. It has been formally recommended by an international Anglican body that his successor as leader of the world’s Anglican Archbishops should not be the Archbishop of Canterbury but be chosen from the Primates.

In response here in England, The Alliance, a network of orthodox clergy and lay leaders from the Holy Trinity Brompton (Alpha Course) network, the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), Church Society, ReNew, New Wine, Forward in Faith (an Anglo-Catholic High Church network) and Living Out (people with same-sex attraction who live celibate lives) have come together representing a majority of the churchgoers in the Church of England.

The objective of the Alliance is to achieve a parallel province in which orthodox congregations and clergy can be ‘overseen’ by orthodox bishops who stand for the traditional Anglican and biblical teaching on sex and marriage. Despite the managerial moves in recent years the Church of England is not a centralised church. Each parish is ‘independent’ and receives oversight and fellowship from its diocese.

Some members of the Church of England have left the national church to form separate congregations, but remain Anglicans. They are part of the Anglican Network in Europe (ANIE)which has its own bishops. They are recognised by many Anglican Primates around the world. Their departure indicates significant disagreement with the same-sex blessings that have been allowed to take place and their future development. But this cannot be a complete solution. It is far from certain that the General Synod and the House of Bishops would agree to recognise them. Many parish church congregations are central to their local community life, they are in general orthodox, and many would be unhappy to receive any sort of ‘flying bishop’ other than their area or diocesan bishop. While there may be internal disagreements over same-sex blessings, they will not vote to leave the Church of England.

Up to now what the House of Bishops have been doing is to present a series of proposals to allow for same-sex blessings in a separate church service, for same-sex marriages to take place in church and for clergy to be allowed to enter same sex marriages. Up to now all that is allowed is that since December 2023 prayers for same sex couples can take place in a regular service of worship. The bishops’ plan has been to get the General Synod to vote to accept all their proposals by a simple majority.

The objection to this is that such changes represent a change in the Church of England’s doctrine of marriage. A change of doctrine requires a two thirds majority in all three ‘houses’ of the Synod, bishops, clergy and lay people. The bishops know they will not be able to secure this because at least a third or more of laity and probably of the clergy members of Synod are against such a change.

Just this last month a press release from the House of Bishops indicated a delay in their process, noting that any proposals will not be ready for presentation in July. The most likely reason for this is that the orthodox bishops in the ‘house’ have stood firm in their objections at the first meeting which will not have been chaired by Archbishop Welby.

Meanwhile speculation has developed about who will be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. The elite gay lobby is understood to be pushing the candidature of Bishop Guli Francis-Deqani, the Iranian-born British Bishop of Chelmsford since 2021, who would be the first woman Archbishop. She is known to be in favour of same-sex marriages.

What matters now is that the members of the Alliance, the orthodox bishops and clergy should remain firm in their stand for the biblical teaching and practice. Some parishes have gone so far as to only send to the dioceses the money they receive back for paying their clergy. This is causing some dioceses significant financial pressure. Some parishes have taken advantage of the overseers commissioned by The Alliance to provide oversight in place of their own ‘heterodox’ diocesan bishops.

But some evangelical clergy have been hesitant to take a stand as they want to be ‘nice’ to everyone and remain united. But as Canon John Dunnett the Executive Officer of the CEEC has written: “The question still remains as to ‘unity in or around what’. The unity that Jesus prayed for was not institutional. The unity that Jesus prayed for was not around the status quo. And unity in Scripture always goes hand-in-hand with truth. CEEC is absolutely committed to unity across cultures, continents and centuries with all those who hold to the apostolic faith as we have received it.”

The Rev. Canon Dr. Chris Sugden is chair of Anglican Mainstream, an orthodox network and website www. anglicanmainstream.org founded in 2003 to uphold biblical teaching,  especially on sex and marriage. He is a Canon in the Anglican churches of both Nigeria and Ghana. He was part of the organising team of the first Global Anglican Future Conference in 2008.