A leading campaigner against bullying and abuse in the conservative evangelical constituency in the Church of England has urged the chief executive of a major UK safeguarding charity not to participate in the upcoming ReNew Conference.
Justin Humphreys, chief executive (safeguarding) of Thirtyoneeight, is due to speak at the online conference of Anglican conservative evangelicals in the ReNew network scheduled for September. The conference organisers plan to hold a session on safeguarding called ‘Safe churches in an unsafe world’ led by the conservative evangelical Bishop of Maidstone, Rod Thomas.
Kate Andreyev, wife of the Revd Michael Andreyev, who was subjected to a campaign of church bullying in which the serial abuser Jonathan Fletcher took part, today urged Mr Humphreys via Twitter:
‘Please don’t speak at the ReNew conference with Jonathan Fletcher’s close friends who “managed” that abuse. You will give them credibility with the ReNew constituency.’
The ReNew Conference of Anglican conservative evangelicals, launched in 2013 under the ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ catch-line, is a joint initiative between the Church Society, whose members belong to the Church of England, and the Anglican Mission in England, which is part of the GAFCON movement and operates independently of the CofE.
In a widely-read article on Surviving Church last December, Mrs Andreyev described her family’s experience at the CofE conservative evangelical church where her husband was vicar, now on leave. She said that leaders of the ReNew movement, who were close associates of Fletcher, supported bullies in the church who wanted to drive her husband out of the parish.
Of Fletcher’s involvement in the bullying she wrote: ‘Jonathan Fletcher is a powerful influence in our constituency. In letters and phone calls, Jonathan intimated that we were to blame, for what independent observers could see was harassment and bullying.’
Mr Humphreys’s charity is currently conducting a lessons learned review into the Fletcher abuse scandal, commissioned by Emmanuel Wimbledon, the south-west London church where Fletcher was vicar until his retirement in 2012.
So far Mr Humphreys has not responded to Mrs Andreyev’s plea not to speak at the ReNew Conference.
Julian Mann is an evangelical journalist based in Morecambe, Lancashire, and author of Christians in the Community of the Dome
O my goodness; I’ve just followed the links in the above piece which reveal a very disturbing picture about some leading figures in the ReNew/Church Society/Gafcon/Jonathan Fletcher/Iwerne constituency. There could be another side to the story; but their collective silence suggests either contempt or conspiracy. That’s not an encouraging way to handle things among Christian brothers and sisters.
My own doctrinal position is firmly biblical, but I have no affinity with those whose interpretation of the Bible has then to be conformed to the class based outlook of 1960s English public schools. I went to such a school, had a great education, but learnt a great deal more about real life and real people from working on the local farm during school holidays and then a year after leaving school.
The sense of entitlement and superiority fostered at some English public schools is unnecessary and foolish. Real talent and strength of character do not need to rely on the vain aspects of class hierarchy for their fulfilment. And for Christians to follow down that sterile route is seriously damaging to the gospel – in fact it is directly opposed to a biblical narrative where all are one in Jesus Christ.
For several years I wondered why ‘Reform’ (led by Rod Thomas) appeared to be maintaining a kind of Masonic aloofness from the need to get stuck in to the fight to save the Church of England from the revisionist onslaught which, under Welby, was taking over the church. Since the Iwerne and Fletcher scandals have come to light, it’s clear that we’re looking at a group which polices its own turf, in its own way, to suit its own interests. I’m sure we’re looking at some very gifted and faithful people. But it’s more than sad that, while they’re not above a bit of questionable behaviour to save their own position, they’re not prepared to get their hands dirty to save the Church of England.
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