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FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 No: 6270NOW AVAILABLE ON � NEWSSTAND

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Southwark clergyrebuke ‘partisan’ bishopBy George Conger

ONE IN 10 of the Diocese of South-wark’s stipendiary clergy have signed aprivate letter to their bishop, the Rt RevChristopher Chessun, rebuking him forhis partisan management of the diocese.

Delivered last week, the letter is under-stood to take issue with the bishop’s pref-erence of clergy living in same-sex civilpartnerships to senior posts within thediocese, while marginalising traditional-ists.

The letter, accompanied a public state-ment endorsed by 60 priests and nineparish councils, affirms the doctrinalprinciples of the Church of England,which also urged the bishop to ensurethat clergy he has appointed to highoffice conform to these teachings.

The “Southwark Declaration” and pri-vate letter comes amidst a sharp financialcontraction and declining church atten-dance in Southwark, coupled with theappointment of clergy living in same-sexcivil partnerships to the posts of cathe-dral dean, diocesan director of ordinandsand canon chancellor.

Complaints of bias in Southwarkprompted evangelicals in 2012 to formthe Southwark Ministry Trust to divertparish funds from the diocese to anorganisation that would support parishministry costs. While Bishop Chessunhas recently appointed a Canon for FreshExpressions ministries to reach theunchurched, as of year’s end the diocesehad only one plant.

The decline in income and attendanceled a November 2012 diocesan task forceto call for the elimination of one in 10 ofthe diocese’s stipendiary clergy posi-tions. The Strategy for Ministry reportrecommended the diocese eliminate 30stipendiary clergy posts over five years,10 from each Episcopal area, reducingthe total number of positions from 290 to260.

In the cover letter soliciting signaturesfor the declaration, the authors statedthat in November 2014 “five of us” metwith Bishop Chessun to “to share with

him our concerns” including the appoint-ment of a new Canon Chancellor, whoannounced to the second year curates inOctober that she was in a same-sex part-nership with another woman; and the“developments at St John’s, Waterloo”where the priest-in-charge allegedly con-ducts services of dedication and thanks-giving for couples after their same-sexcivil marriages are performed.

The organisers hoped the declaration“will make the Bishop listen in a way thatnothing hitherto seems to have done.”

The Southwark Declaration is“designed to be a positive statementabout what we believe the Bible and theChurch clearly teach about marriage,”the organisers told The Church of Eng-land Newspaper.

“Over the last few years, a number ofus have spent a lot of time trying to per-suade Bishop Christopher to act in agodly way as a Bishop – right from a

warm welcoming meeting to him as soonas he was consecrated. We have also hadthree or four open face-to-face meetingswhere we have been very frank withhim, including one in Holy Week 2012with 120 clergy and laity following theappointment of the Bishop of Croydon.And also a number of letters back andforth. None of this has made any differ-ence.”

The Bishop’s Press Officer, the RevCanon Wendy Robins confirmed BishopChessun had received the SouthwarkDeclaration and was “grateful for thecontribution that conservative evangeli-cals make to the life of the Diocese.

“As you may be aware there is anopportunity for the whole of the Churchof England to discuss these issuesthrough the Shared Conversations andthe Bishop of Southwark welcomes this.”

Southwark Declaration, page 8

By Ashley Prevo

PARLIAMENT was the venue for areception celebrating Black and Asianenrichment of the Church of England.The event was organised by GeneralSynod member Vasantha Gnanadossand was hosted by the Speaker’s Chap-lain, the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin.This was a follow-up to the Synodfringe meetings that occurred duringthe London and York sessions lastyear.

“This was an evening that affirmedthe enrichment that has taken placeand strengthened confidence aboutfurther enrichment in future.”

Former Metropolitan Police Com-missioner Lord Blair of Boughtonpresided over a programme of speak-ers. The Rev Calvert Prentis, TeamRector of Horley and SouthwarkDiocesan Minority Ethnic VocationsChampion, highlighted the impor-tance of the contribution of Black andAsian people in the present and contin-uing into the future.

Black andAsiancontributionto Church iscelebratedThe Rt Rev Christopher Chessun

As clergy and lay people in the Diocese of South-wark:

We affirm the divine inspiration of the HolyScriptures and their supreme authority in all mat-ters of faith and conduct. We affirm with CanonA5 that ‘the doctrine of the Church of England isgrounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in suchteachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils ofthe Church as are agreeable to the said Scrip-tures.’’

We affirm, with Article XX, that ‘it is not lawfulfor the Church to ordain any thing that is con-trary to God’s Word written.’

We affirm the teaching of Scripture (Genesis2.24, Mark 10. 7, Matthew 19.5), the Book ofCommon Prayer, and Canon B30 (‘Of Holy Matri-mony’) that marriage is the union of one man andone woman for life. We affirm it is the one God-ordained context for sexual intercourse. Weaffirm resolution 1.10 on human sexuality of theLambeth Conference (1998).

We call upon all the Bishops, Archdeacons, andthe senior staff of the Diocese, alongside all cler-gy and licensed lay ministers, to affirm thesetruths, live by them, and to teach in accordancewith them.

We call upon the Bishops to appoint to positionsof teaching authority only those who hold to thesetruths in good conscience.

Signatories include:The Executive Committee of the Southwark

Diocesan Evangelical UnionThe Parochial Church Councils of Morden

Team Parish; St Michael, Blackheath Park; StJohn’s, Felbridge; St Stephen’s, South Lambeth;St Nicholas, Tooting; Holy Trinity Wallington;Holy Trinity with All Saints, Wandsworth;Emmanuel, Wimbledon; St Luke, WimbledonPark.

And the following clergy and laity of the Dio-cese of Southwark:

Mojee Ajeneye, Janet Arnott, Rev Hugh Balfour, Christ Church Peckam,Revd John Birchall, Christ Church, Surbiton, Kevin Bover, Nikki Bover, MollyBridges, Colin Campbell, Revd Sandy Christie, St Michael & All Angels, Black-heath Park, Elizabeth Coe, Rev Steven Coe, Holy Trinity, Wallington, Rev SueClarke, Furzedowm Team, Revd CJ Davis, St Nicholas, Tooting, Gloria Dean,Rev Jos Downey, St James & St Anne, Bermondsey, Michael Edser, Mary

Edser, Rev Bart Erlebach, Emmanuel, Tol-worth, Revd Jonathan Fletcher, Revd MarkFrancis, St John’s, Felbridge, Revd FrancisGardom, Revd Ian Gilmour, Holy Redeemer,Streatham, Peter Gray, Suzanne Gray, JuneHallsworth, Revd David Heath-Whyte, StLawrence, Morden, Revd John Hall, RevdMick Hough, Holy Trinity, Redhill, RevChristopher Idle, Revd Stephen Kuhrt, ChristChurch, New Malden, C Lazzeri, Revd CanonAndy Lines, Mission Director Crosslinks,Revd Tim Linkens, St Nicholas, Kidbrooke,Revd Canon Gary Jenkins, St James & StAnne, Bermondsey, John W Martin, Gillian EMiller, Norma Mason, Marion Maynard,Revd Dan McGowan, St Martin’s. Morden,Revd Charlie Moore, St Mary’s, Bermondsey,Geoff Nunn, Anthony Reeves, Jackie Pass-more, Sylvia Stockbridge, Mary Orpin, PeterOrpin, Revd Paul Perkin, St Mark’s, BatterseaRise, Revd James Paice, St Luke’s, Wimble-don Park, Revd Rob Powell, St James, WestStreatham, Revd Greg Prior, All Saints withHoly Trinity, Wandsworth , Revd Peter Ron-ayne, Revd David Ruddick, Emmanuel, Mor-den, Rev Roger Ryan, St Mary,Summerstown, Revd Robin Thomson, JillTijou, Maurice Tijou, Jeanne Vernette, KeithWalshe, Revd Robin Weekes, Emmanuel,Wimbledon, Revd Leslie Wells, St George’s,Morden, Revd Bill Wilson, St Stephen’s,South Lambeth.

www.churchnewspaper.com Friday March 13, 2015 Feature8

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The Church of England Evangelical Council:New vision, new structures and new leadership

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By John DunnettCEEC

The Church of England EvangelicalCouncil (CEEC) was founded in 1960by John Stott and key personnel fromCPAS and Church Society. Its“calling” was to be a body that unitedevangelicals within the Church ofEngland for the sake of the wholechurch and nation.

As such, its vision echoed the voiceof a previous generation ofevangelicals including Bishop Rylewho in his address to the IslingtonConference in 1868 imploredevangelicals of the time to cometogether in order to strategicallycontribute to the life and witness ofthe church.

Over the intervening years CEEChas supported National EvangelicalAnglican Congresses (NEACs),resourced evangelicals for Synodicaland other debates, and issuedstatements (eg the St Andrew’s andSt Matthew’s Day statements).

During that same time,evangelicals have grown in numberand presence in the Church ofEngland and as a consequencebirthed a number of other networksand organisations (including NewWine, Reform, Fulcrum,Proclamation Trust, Awesome andothers). One unintendedconsequence of this bourgeoning ofevangelical life and interest hassometimes been an increased‘distance’ between evangelicalgroups: something that Ryle, Stottand others could be forgiven for notpredicting.

The 21st century is likely topresent evangelicals with a numberof challenges – the primary one ofwhich must be how to present thegospel afresh in a postmodern andunchurched society.

In order to address this keychallenge a number of CEECmembers have been working overthe last 18 months to bringevangelical groups together and toclarify how CEEC might strategicallycontribute to the evangelisation ofthe nation at this time.

The outcome of this has been there-launch of CEEC with newleadership, new structures and a newvision.

The Council has elected the Rt RevJulian Henderson (Bishop ofBlackburn) as its new President andthe Rev Hugh Palmer (Rector of AllSouls, Langham Place) as Chair andthe Council membership nowincludes groups such as Awesomeand Fulcrum. All of this signals thepositioning of CEEC to be a ‘networkof networks’ fit for purpose in the21st century.

Top of the recently endorsedstrategic vision is a commitment tosupport the flourishing of missionand evangelism by helping keep it apriority in churches. This will involveCEEC in facilitating nationalconferences and gatherings onmission and evangelism in order toshare good practice and celebratesuccess, promoting church planting,defending and advocating anapologetic for conversionism,partnering with the EvangelicalAlliance and other national networksand various other initiatives.

The second ‘strand’ of the newvision is derived from the continuingevangelical passion for scripture andits study and preaching. In order tosupport a resurgence of thisnationally, CEEC is intending tocommission resources on live issuesfacing local church leaders, tofacilitate the establishment ofworking/study groups on key issues,to provide reading/resource lists fordifferent audiences across the

dioceses and to facilitate ‘road show’evenings around theregions/dioceses re relevant issues.

Thirdly, CEEC will advocate thepresence and engagement ofevangelicals in the structures and lifeof the Church of England. Whetherin Synods, senior posts orCommittees, evangelicals havemuch-needed gifts to bring to theChurch and CEEC is intending tosupport, advocate and mentorindividuals to enhance evangelicalministry at every level and in everycorner.

The fourth component of the newvision is to promote and pursue unityamongst evangelicals in order thatmutual mission and evangelismmight flourish.

This will involve facilitatinggatherings of evangelical leaders inregions/dioceses and encouragingmore interchange amongst existingnetworks. It will lead to thecoordination of national prayeraround evangelical concerns, thedevelopment of a strategy foroffering support for evangelicalsexperiencing discrimination and/oropposition from church or othersources, and the nurturing of linkswith the Evangelical Fellowship ofthe Anglican Communion.

In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus isrecorded as saying: “The harvest isplentiful but the workers are few. Askthe Lord of the harvest, therefore, tosend out workers into his harvestfield”.

It is CEEC’s conviction that theharvest remains and that now is thetime for evangelicals to worktogether with fresh vigour for thesake of the gospel and in order tobuild the Kingdom.

The Rev John DunnettMember of CEEC and General Synod,

General Director of CPAS

The SouthwarkDeclaration