New theological advice from the Faith and Order Commission (FAOC) and updated legal advice from the Church of England’s Legal Office on LLF has been published.
At its October meeting, the House of Bishops made provisional decisions on the next stage in the LLF Programme with final decisions to be made in December. A summary of these decisions is here. These decisions were informed and resourced by new theological advice from the Faith and Order Commission (FAOC) and updated legal advice from the Church of England’s Legal Office. This advice has now been published as GSMisc papers. Please see the bottom of this page for a short description and links to each paper.
The Bishops and the LLF Programme Board are aware that each of these documents deal in different ways with sensitive and deeply felt personal questions for the Church and especially in the lives of LGBTQI+ Christians and their families. We continue to be thankful for all those who have contributed to the conversations around Living in Love and Faith, often at great personal cost.
FAOC is a Commission of the General Synod and is established to offer theological advice to the House of Bishops, the General Synod and the Church of England as a whole. It has up to sixteen members, with a range of perspectives and experience, who are appointed by the Archbishops. The current membership and previously published papers can be found here.
The Legal Office provides professional legal services to the National Church Institutions and to the General Synod, including the House of Bishops.
The Nature of Doctrine and the Living God (GS Misc 1429)
The Doctrine of Marriage and the Prayers of Love and Faith: Texts and Contexts (GS Misc 1430)
Living in Love and Faith: Legal Advice September 2025 (GSMisc1432)