Following the Synod motion in July 2024 (see GS 2358), the LLF team, Working Groups and the Episcopal Reference Group (ERG) of the Faith and Order Commission (FAOC) have been working on two parallel areas of work with the following aims:

• Allowing the House of Bishops and the General Synod to vote on a complete package comprising both proposals for ‘bespoke’ (standalone) Prayers of Love and Faith, and appropriate pastoral reassurance, with clarity on the theological underpinning of these proposals. 
   
• Allowing the House of Bishops to agree a timetable for consideration of the question of clergy entering same-sex civil marriages. Any decision on such a timetable will be informed by work being undertaken by the ERG on any doctrinal issues this question raises. Any decision on a timetable would also likely need to be discussed at a General Synod,

In January 2025, the House of Bishops requested to extend the timetable for formal decisions on the LLF proposals to enable the LLF Programme Board to make further progress on these two aspects of work. The aim is to bring proposals for debate and decision to General Synod in February 2026. 

Episcopal leadership of the LLF Process

The LLF Programme Board has recently reviewed this work in the light of Bishop Martyn Snow’s resignation as Lead Bishop for LLF. The LLF Board and Programme Team remain committed to bringing proposals for a settlement on work stemming from the February 2023 General Synod motion to the House of Bishops in October 2025.

Bishop Martyn has provided an ‘invaluable contribution’ and ‘insightful and considered stewardship’ in his leadership of the LLF Process, as the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of London expressed in their statement following his resignation. Their full statement can be found here. Similar words of thanks have also been offered in public comments from Stakeholders and LLF Working Groups members.  

The role of Lead Bishop for LLF was established at the invitation of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to steer the implementation of proposed work on Living and Love and Faith initiated by the February and November 2023 motions of the General Synod. As outlined in their earlier statement, the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of London (as Dean of the Province of Canterbury) do not intend to appoint a new Lead Bishop for LLF at this time. The bishops on the LLF Programme Board will take collective responsibility for leading the process of developing a proposal as this works continues into the autumn. Whilst having responsibility for shaping draft proposals to be brought to the House of Bishops, the decision on what goes to Synod rests with the House of Bishops.

LLF Programme Board

The Programme Board members include the Rt Revd Pete Wilcox (Sheffield), the Rt Revd Ruth Worsley (Liverpool) and the Very Reverend Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol Cathedral. The Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Steven Croft was invited by the Archbishop of York to join the Programme Board following the retirement of the Right Reverend Martin Seeley, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The Bishop of Stockport, the Right Reverend Sam Corley stepped down in April 2025 due to diocesan commitments. A replacement is being sought. 

Ex Officio members of the Programme Board include Canon Dr Jamie Harrison, Chair of the House of Laity, Canon Alison Coulter, Vice-chair of the House of Laity, and The Venerable Luke Miller and The Reverend Canon Kate Wharton, Prolocutors of the House of Clergy. The Board is supported by staff from the National Church Institutions (NCIs).

The Terms of Reference for the Programme Board can be found here. 

The LLF Programme Board is chaired by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell. It was formed in 2024 to support the Lead Bishop by collectively monitoring and overseeing the process of developing proposals around work initiated by the February 2023 General Synod motion. This includes receiving and bringing together proposals developed through the LLF Working Groups. The Board is responsible for providing the House of Bishops with clear integrated proposals that stem from this work. The House of Bishops, and the General Synod are the governance bodies that decide on the formal basis and implementation of any proposals. In developing these, the Programme Board will also receive and consider feedback from wider stakeholders and assess any implications for the emerging proposals. 
 

LLF working groups

The LLF working groups are continuing to meet, with a focus on scrutiny over updated material and indication of confidence in the overall proposal. They had a constructive in-person meeting earlier in June and have further scheduled gathering in July. The Programme Board is very grateful for the ongoing dedication and commitment of the working group members. 
 

Informal Diocesan Consultations

To help inform development of the proposals diocesan synods have been invited to provide feedback on the draft proposal through a series of informal consultations. Sixteen dioceses scheduled time to engage with this process before the end of July, with more due to be held in the autumn.

When the diocesan consultations were first planned, the Programme Team were confident that the suggested framework for discussions would provide helpful insights. Responses from some dioceses that have already held their informal consultation identified challenges in holding these consistently.

Some dioceses who were due to hold their consultations before the summer have now decided to postpone these to a later date. Some dioceses are opting to hold conversations in Synods around LLF but without the detailed consultation and formal feedback. The Programme Board recognises that different dioceses will take different approaches and that some dioceses may choose to pause holding these. However, the Programme Board would value feedback, in whatever form, to help with the task of developing proposals.

Looking ahead

The LLF Programme Board remains committed to bringing proposals for a settlement on work stemming from the February 2023 General Synod to the House of Bishops in October 2025. Such a proposal will be shaped by dialogue with members of the LLF working groups, feedback from wider consultations, and engagement with Stakeholders. The LLF team and Programme Board will also continue to work on a range of scenarios and associated risks that might arise if no agreement can be reached on the current draft proposals.  A fuller update on the development of the proposals, and accompanying theological work, is anticipated by September 2025.