21/05/2021
The Next Steps group spent the first part of the meeting engaging with Session 4 of the Living in Love and Faith course, as part of its previously agreed commitment to complete the LLF course together.
The group moved on to discuss the possibility of further work on questions of gender identity and transition. The group acknowledged that this is a complicated area and a first step will be to gather resources to enable the Church of England to be better informed. The group reiterated its commitment to do this together with people most affected by these questions and to do so with the utmost compassion and grace, creating as brave and safe a space for everyone as possible.
The group considered its engagement at the May 2021 House of Bishops meeting. The aim is to encourage and enable dioceses to share best practice in the rollout of LLF work, as well as to bring the question of further work on gender identity and transition to the House.
The group then considered LLF engagement at the July 2021 sessions of General Synod, noting that the location for the meeting has moved to London. The group agreed that the July 2021 Synod is an opportunity to bring members fully up to speed on LLF developments and to invite members to reflect on how this Synod can ‘hand on’ its 4 years of involvement in LLF to the new Synod in November 2021.
The meeting closed in prayer.