EFAC calls on bishops to restore confidence in their leadership

PRESS RELEASE

October 28, 2025

On Wednesday 15 October, an update was released by the Church of England on the Living in Love and Faith process, following a House of Bishops' residential meeting the previous week.

The House of Bishops reviewed documents produced by the Church of England's Legal Office and the Faith and Order Commission (FAOC) addressing outstanding questions following the 2023 General Synod's commendation of the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF).

Remaining questions included how and whether bespoke/standalone services (where PLF would be used) could be introduced for same-sex couples, and the legality of clergy entering civil same-sex marriages.

The update reports that legal advice regarding bespoke services indicates the need for a Canon B2 process. This requires a two-thirds majority in the three houses of General Synod at final approval.

With regard to clergy same-sex marriage, the update notes the legal advice to the House of Bishops, explaining that legislation would be needed to change the current position. This legislation would need to include a Measure (made by Synod and Parliament) as well as an amended Canon, both of which would require simple majorities in the three houses of General Synod at final approval.

EFAC Global, representing faithful evangelical Anglicans around the world, notes the response to the update from Revd Canon John Dunnett, National Director, CEEC*, who said: 'It is helpful that the House of Bishops has acknowledged the significant theological and legal impediments to standalone services and clergy same-sex marriage. At the same time, the update does not in any way indicate that the House has resolved not to progress things further, or that no further change will be forthcoming. This therefore leaves many questions unanswered and concerns unresolved – whatever your view of Living in Love and Faith.'

EFAC Global welcomes the bishops' decision not to proceed with further changes, such as had been previously planned. We believe that the LLF/PLF process has confirmed that the mind of General Synod in 2005 remains true: all of us who wish to 'commend continuing efforts to prevent the diversity of opinion about human sexuality creating further division and impaired fellowship within the Church of England and the Anglican Communion' must 'recognise that such efforts would not be advanced by doing anything that could be perceived as the Church of England qualifying its commitment to the entirety of the relevant Lambeth Conference Resolutions — 1978:10; 1988:64; 1998:I.10.' The PLF and the further proposed developments have clearly been widely and rightly perceived — across much of the Church of England and by the majority of the Anglican Communion — as contrary to these resolutions.

Such developments have further impaired fellowship, and caused significant pastoral damage to relationships, particularly with global south Anglicans. We are concerned that some in the Church of England, including within its leadership, have not fully recognised this fact and its implications. Efforts to claim to be upholding the doctrine of marriage while seeking to introduce bespoke services, and permitting clergy to enter civil same-sex marriages while somehow seeking to follow due processes, will not resolve the problem.

Recent failures to heed warnings as to the consequences of these actions have already generated too much pain, confusion, cost and uncertainty across the Church of England and the whole Anglican Communion, particularly among those who identify as gay, lesbian or same-sex attracted. We call on the bishops to accept that the process has gone on for far too long. In order to restore confidence in their leadership, and to maintain unity, it must come to an end.

EFAC Global calls on all Anglicans to pray for grace, humility and wisdom for all our sisters and brothers in the Church of England, and for those in leadership of the CEEC and the Alliance as they navigate whatever lies ahead. We also urge prayer for the bishops as they fulfil their episcopal calling at this time to, in the words of The Ordinal in A Prayer Book for Australia, 'heal, and not to hurt, to build up, and not destroy'.

Bishop Stephen Hale - EFAC Global General Secretary

*CEEC is the EFAC entity in England