The chairs for two new groups taking forward questions of relationships, sexuality and gender have been appointed as the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith (LLF) programme comes to an end.
The Bishop of Sodor and Man, Tricia Hillas, will chair the new Relationships, Sexuality and Gender Working Group (RSG WG), which will, among other things, explore legal and legislative questions around special services involving Prayers of Love and Faith.
Meanwhile the Bishop of Winchester, Philip Mounstephen, will chair a Relationships, Sexuality and Gender Pastoral Consultative Group (RSG PCG) supporting bishops and archdeacons by offering pastoral advice and guidance on individual cases and promoting consistent practice across the Church.
Both appointments were made by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and confirmed by the LLF Programme Board. Membership of both groups is currently being finalised and will be announced in due course.
It follows a vote taken by General Synod at its last meeting in February on a motion to commend the establishment of the two new groups.
LLF was originally set up in 2017 to explore the Church’s approach to identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.
It led to the introduction, following a key Synod vote in 2023, of public prayers of blessing, dedication, and thanksgiving for use with same-sex couples –known as the Prayers of Love and Faith (or PLF).’
The Prayers of Love and Faith are now in use as part of regular Church of England services but the House of Bishops confirmed last year that special or ‘bespoke’ services for same-sex couples would need full formal authorisation under canon law.
The Working Group will explore the approval process for bespoke services under canon law as well as what legislation would be needed to license or ordain same-sex married clergy. It will report back to the General Synod within the first two years of the new Synod, which is being elected in the autumn.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, Chair of the LLF Programme Board, said: “I am delighted that both Tricia and Philip have agreed to chair these groups, and am deeply grateful to them for their willingness to serve.
“I know both of them will undertake this work with integrity, sensitivity and great care.”