Proposals for reform of episcopal appointments to be debated

Mouse previously commented on the failure of the Church Nominations Commission to conclude on two successive vacancies for senior bishops. This has left two dioceses without permanent leadership for extended periods and raised the prospect that the process is ‘broken’. Many (including Mouse) speculated that this could be due to a stalemate in the Commission with positions hardened following the proposals for prayers of blessing for gay couples, although the activities of the Commission itself are conducted under strict secrecy.

Following the second failure, for the Diocese of Ely, Justin Welby commented that this is a serious issue and would be looked at. Mouse can only report that the efficiency with which proposals have been brought forward has shocked this observer. Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, has reviewed the position and is bringing proposals for reform to the House of Bishops at their meeting on 18 September, a hastily arranged meeting called specifically to discuss this issue. Should agreement be found there, proposals will be presented to Synod for adoption.

Bishop Sarah’s paper sets out only at a very high level the problems and presents a series of proposals for change. There are some changes proposed in the short term, obviously designed to reduce the likelihood of further deadlocks, alongside the recommendation to follow those with a longer-term review. The key elements are:

1. Remove the secret ballot and make voting within the CNC open to other CNC members
2. Reduce the threshold required for an appointment by one vote - notionally reducing the majority required from 71.4% to 64.4% for diocesan appointments
3. Give the presiding Archbishop an extra casting vote where a conclusion has not been reached after three rounds of voting
4. Introduce a code of conduct for CNC members
5. Change the rules for Vacancy in See Committees (the group from the diocese which sets out its requirements to the CNC) to prevent more than one clergy or lay person from sitting on the ViSC and in the reps they elect to the CNC from the same parish or church community and to ensure there is at least one female clergy and lay representative on the ViSC

At this point these are just proposals to be discussed in the House of Bishops, so we will wait to see what emerges from that and the final proposals that are put to Synod, most likely in February 2025. For those who studied Mouse’s piece on this topic, this is all very much in line with his suggestions. Making more fundamental changes may well be desirable, but given the need to ensure we can function and make appointments now and to prepare for the expected retirement of Justin Welby when he turns 70 in around 18 months, it is sensible to make some immediate short-term changes.

Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London

Of the list that Bishop Sarah has put together, Mouse would broadly endorse them, although I expect there will be further tweaks to these proposals before they come to Synod. The one which caused Mouse’s eyebrows to rise was the proposal to prevent multiple representatives from a single parish on a ViSC. I understand that this has happened in previous ViSCs, so there may be some specific history there. 

It is also quite pertinent. The CNC is currently deciding on nominations for the next Bishop of Coventry. The six CNC members selected from the Diocese’s ViSC include Rev Jonathan Jee, vicar of St Paul’s, Leamington Spa, and Chair of Coventry Diocese Evangelical Fellowship, alongside Alicia Sampson, PCC member at St Paul’s Leamington Spa. The Coventry Diocese Evangelical Fellowship which Jee chairs holds to the CEEC basis of faith and recently issued a statement condemning the decision of Synod to move forward with the blessing of gay couples. In his maiden speech in Synod, Jee said that the LLF debate reminded him of a youth group asking what sexual acts they could ‘get away with’ and that the Synod debate was asking “how far can we go with flirting with blessing sexual immorality?” 

So next time round the votes of 14% of the CNC will come from a single evangelical parish and Mouse wouldn’t be betting against another failure to make an appointment.

This aspect of the proposals is also somewhat more complex to put into practice. It is clearly an attempt to fix an underlying problem of activist parishes dominating local elections within dioceses and deaneries by rigging the outcome of a supposedly democratic process. I expect this will need some working through in practice.

The only additional proposal Mouse would encourage the Bishops to consider is the idea of a fall-back mechanism should the CNC fail to conclude entirely. Other provinces in the Anglican Communion have such mechanisms, such as the reversion of the appointment to the House of Bishops with ratification by Synod. This acts as both a means to make an appointment in a more timely manner and an incentive for the CNC to conclude and avoid the issue being taken out of their hands.

Mouse will, of course, be on hand to update you as this develops.