Synod observer

The Church of England's General Synod, its national assembly of bishops, clergy and laity, met today in Westminster for its -four-day February meeting.

After opening worship, introduction and welcomes to new members and guests, we had a debate on the report of the business committee (essentially a discussion of what is on the agenda and why) and a debate on the dates for synod in 2021-20-23.

That sounds a little bit inward looking, but it was really about synod scheduling its meetings to maximise the number and types of lay people that can attend and take part.

And this is set to be one of the most outward looking synods ever with no less than five items on evangelism scheduled for over the four days.

The first, took the form of two perspectives on evangelism and discipleship from the wider Anglican Communion, given by a bishop from the Church of North India (right) and the Church of Kenya (above).

These were moving and powerful addresses. We heard of a church in India valiantly proclaiming the Gospel of Christ in the face of sometimes severe persecution and opposition.

Our hearts were warmed by the dynamic missionary spirit of the Kenyan church which seems to be firing on all cylinders for the gospel.

And tellingly both men spoke of how English missionaries had first brought the Gospel to their lands and the sense of a real debt of gratitude that they had to these nineteenth century Anglican pioneers.

The challenge to us was clear: to take the Gospel to our own nation and work for the re-conversion of England.

And that will be the theme of much of the rest of this group of sessions of General Synod.

It was also taken up by the Archbishop of Canterbury  in his Presidential Address (read it here ). Having got us to share with our neighbours the story of our faith in one minute  - a first for a Presidential Address at synod - he concluded on this stirring note:


"We are not, in this Church, optimists or pessimists. We are those who hope because we are all followers of the risen Christ, sinners yet justified, failures, cracked pots of clay, yet with the only treasure that is the only final answer to the bleakness of a world that too often finds its despair in seeking its own answers without Christ, and needs the light and hope of the Gospel that is in our hands to proclaim. Amen"