The Rector of St Helen’s Bishopsgate, the Revd William Taylor, has revealed that he is in talks with a Church of England archbishop and three other bishops about regularising the alternative ordinations of conservative evangelical ministers by the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa (REACH SA).
In a sermon in September Mr Taylor told staff members of the conservative evangelical flagship church in the City of London that biblically-sound churches and ministers should have ‘nothing to do’ with the C of E’s House of Bishops because it has allowed same-sex blessings in existing church services.
Mr Taylor also appeared to criticise the conservative evangelical ‘flying’ Bishop of Ebbsfleet, Rob Munro, for being ‘in fellowship’ with the ‘heretical’ House of Bishops.
The Church Times reported that Mr Taylor ‘took as his text Titus 3, focusing on St Paul’s injunction to “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them”.’
He said: ‘How can you possibly be allowing somebody who is in fellowship with unfaithful, clear heretics to select your future leaders, to train your new church workers, ordain your new deacons and presbyters, and install your new incumbents?’
But after his sermon Mr Taylor told the Bible Matters podcast, hosted by former St Helen’s staff member, Leo Elbourne, that he has spoken recently to ‘an archbishop, two diocesan bishops and a suffragan bishop’ about the alternative ordination pathway St Helen’s is championing.
Mr Taylor summarised their message to him: ‘Your selection and then training and then ordination, as it goes on happening – any bishop will want to bring some sort of regularity to this and they won’t want to have a mass confrontation.’
He continued: ‘Somebody said to me just yesterday – a diocesan bishop: “You may find a kind of rogue bishop who actually wants a big punch-up but any bishop who’s been to bishops’ school will be saying, how can we make this work? rather than have a massive punch-up.” So, I think that’s the way change happens.’
In May 2025 the Law and Religion UK website broke the story of the ordination of seven conservative evangelical deacons by REACH SA bishop, Martin Morrison, to serve as ‘missionary clergy’ in C of E churches. Seven more deacons were ordained at the East London Tabernacle in June 2026, Law and Religion revealed.
According to the report by Andrew Atherstone, Professor of Modern Anglicanism at Oxford University and a member of the C of E’s General Synod, before the 2026 service the congregation was addressed by Bishop Munro’s predecessor as suffragan bishop for C of E conservative evangelicals, former Bishop of Maidstone, Rod Thomas.
The retired Bishop Thomas explained that the alternative pathway became necessary in December 2023 when the House of Bishops commended liturgy for same-sex blessings in existing services, known as Prayers of Love and Faith. Until that commendation is withdrawn, or alternative episcopal provision for biblically orthodox C of E churches was agreed by the House of Bishops, ‘we cannot pretend we’re walking together’, Bishop Thomas declared.
In the Bible Matters interview, Mr Taylor said there were ‘between 20 and 30 churches’ in the C of E willing to employ ministers who have been ordained by REACH SA.
Julian Mann, a former Church of England vicar, is an evangelical journalist based in Lancashire, UK.