The Living in Love and Faith journey

The overview

The Living in Love and Faith resources are to enable the whole Church to embark on a journey together. The journey has four stages:

*Learning* together about the subject matter, about each other, about God and about our calling as a Church.	→ 30 April 2022
*Listening* to what is emerging from our learning together about identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage and about our life together as church communities and as a national Church.	→ September 2022
*Discerning* what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church today.	→ December 2022
*Deciding* how discernment is translated into a way forward for the Church.	→ February 2023

The roadmap

Here is a more detailed road map of the journey, including how members of General Synod will be invited to engage:

Sep 21	College of Bishops	Bishops committed themselves to a series of conversations in regional groups, ‘Centred on Christ: Conversations on the Way’, to prepare for discernment and decision-making regarding Vision and Strategy, Organisational Change, and LLF.
Nov 21	General Synod	Provide a guide to LLF for new members; an update; ‘Passing the Baton’ reflections from Synod members of the previous quinquennium; the LLF Road Map.
Dec 21	House of Bishops	Reflect on the extent of church-wide engagement and consider how to prepare for the discernment process.
Feb 22	General Synod	Reflect on and engage with the Pastoral Principles.
Spring 22	Diocesan Synods	An opportunity to reflect on engagement in dioceses so far and the role of Diocesan Synods in shaping the Church’s discernment process. Resources and a process will be offered.
30 Apr 22	‘Listening to the Whole Church’	Feedback closed
May 22	House of Bishops	Reflect on Diocesan Synods’ engagement and its implications for the process of discernment.
Jul 22	General Synod	Engage with LLF in small groups with creative and reflective elements.
Sep 22	‘Listening to the Whole Church’	The findings of ‘Listening to the Whole Church’ and the resource, ‘The Gift of the Church’, are published in a variety of media.
Sep 22	College of Bishops	Begin the discernment process in the light of the LLF Book, the findings of ‘Listening to the Whole Church’ and ‘The Gift of the Church’.
Oct 22	College of Bishops	Work on proposals for a way forward, indicating the implications for formal decision-making.
Dec 22	College & House of Bishops	Finalise proposals and reflect on what is needed to support the decision-making processes in General Synod.
Feb 23	General Synod	Consider proposals from the College and House of Bishops and agree a clear direction of travel.

The vision for the LLF process: What is our hope?

Recently, the Next Steps Group considered what it would look like for our deepest hopes for the LLF journey to have been met. They are:

Participation

There has been the widest possible participation across the whole Church. We have engaged in deep learning together about God and about being human.

Relationships

We have learned to be kinder, understanding one another’s perspectives better. We have become more at ease with ourselves as a Church.

Outcome

Everyone can see that they have been listened to, heard, loved, and taken seriously. The Spirit’s work among us has resulted in a revelation of something new, unexpected.

The Future

Our deeper understanding and love will enable us to face new questions in a better way. We are hopeful as we move into the future together in love and faith.

The Next Step Group

A Living in Love and Faith Next Steps Group has been formed, led by the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally. The task of this group is to:

Encourage participation in using the LLF learning resources as widely as possible
Listen attentively to what is emerging from the learning across the diocese
Explore possibilities for our life together as a Church
Plan into the future as discernment leads to decision-making in 2022.

The Next Steps Group will support dioceses:

with facilitation resources and training to help churches create safe spaces for learning
in promoting the creative sharing of feedback and reflections from churches’ learning together
by coordinating initiatives and sharing good practice
by helping bishops and their senior staff to capture and listen to the emerging learning across their diocese.

The Next Steps Group will encourage each diocese to appoint one or more ‘LLF Advocates’ who will be supported by the Next Steps Group and whose responsibility will be to encourage as much participation as possible in their diocese.

Finally, the Next Steps Group will rely on a Reference group of diverse people across dioceses to assist them with their work.

Who are the members of the Next Steps Group?

The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally (Chair)
The Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev Jonathan Baker
The Bishop of Grantham, the Rt Rev Nick Chamberlain
The Bishop of Sherborne, the Rt Rev Karen Gorham
The Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley
The Bishop of Warrington, the Rt Rev Bev Mason
The Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen
The Bishop of Bradwell, the Rt Rev Dr John Perumbalath
The Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Rev Rod Thomas

The terms of reference for this group are available online.

The Next Steps Group will rely on a Reference group of diverse people across dioceses to assist them with their work.