Latest news updated on 29th July 2026 from Revd Dr Andrew Manson-Brailsford:
Since my appointment as the LGBTQIA+ liaison officer for the Diocese I have been asked by several people to update the Living in Love and Faith page on our website, so here is my update:
Well done to the Church in Wales!
Whilst many people will be overjoyed by their decisions around Living in Love and Faith, there will be others who are concerned about the path which they have chosen.But it is not the decision, but the pastoral care which they have emphasised and put in place around the implementation of their plans which should be celebrated.
After debate in September 2021 it was decided that the Church in Wales would agree to a marriage service recognising same sex unions, and they are now looking to have such a service entered into the Welsh Prayer Book.
Alongside of that The Church in Wales has issued pastoral guidance for individuals and parishes on how to cope with such change: “Held Together in the Love of Christ: Pastoral Principles for living well together”.It is pastoral guidance given around the LGBTQIA+ communities, but it could equally be employed around many other difficult debates.
It looks at six areas on which it gives guidance:acknowledging prejudice; casting out fear; speaking into silence; admitting hypocrisy; addressing ignorance and paying attention to power.
If you have not already had chance to read it, then I recommend that you take a look here.
Why is this important to congregations and people within our Diocese?
Since my appointment as LGBTQIA+ liaison officer, and before, I have been acutely aware that we have to begin by recognising that this is a very uneven playing-field.For those who are outspoken, and are sincerely following their faith and conscience, in their opposition to same sex marriage it is easy to have their say and then return to their parishes and particular ways of life. With the debate and the outcome having very little impact on their parishes and the lives they lead.
That is not so for members of the LGBTQIA+ communities:
- The debate can be a considerable hinderance to evangelism
- It can provide problems in terms of self-esteem and mental health
- It can present problems in terms of safety and wellbeing.
For many of us faith is not a choice but an inevitable way of life. For someone who is a member of one of the LGBTQIA+ communities, then a lack of care and acceptance from their local Christian communities – even if we agree to disagree – is very harmful.
What the Church in Wales has done is an example to us all: treating each person as a child of God, valuing them accordingly, and making provision for their wellbeing. I commend this approach to all Christian people whatever their views on sexual identity and sexuality.
For the Church of England a different pathway from the Church in Wales has been chosen. At a meeting of Synod in February 2026 the formal process of Living In Love and Faith was brought to an end.
The Bishops issued a statement.
The debate will continue with the Bishops calling together a working group to continue looking into the matters raised by Living in Love and Faith.
At the present time:
Prayers for Love and Faith remain as the additional prayers for same sex couples which can be used in Eucharistic services or within the liturgy provided for evening prayer.
The process for adopting a free standing service was considered both difficult and needing further exploration.
No clergy person will be obliged to use Prayers of Love and Faith.
Clergy who have entered into acivil partnership following 2014 have received an informal rebuke.They are not allowed to take onnew roles.Those who have entered into civil marriages are subject to individual Bishop’s pastoral provisions.It is clear that there is some flexibility on same sex clergy relationships.
Ordinands who are in same sex civil partnerships, or same sex civil marriages, are not to be considered for ordination training.
Both clergy and ordinands partnership status are matters for ongoing debate.
No provision for pastoral care outside of the diocesan structure is considered necessary at this point.
The Bishops’ statement sets out the following to enable further work in this area:
“36. The House of Bishops therefore commits to commissioning a Working Group which will enable it to:
a. undertake the necessary legal and theological preparatory work to explore the approval process under Canon B2 for bespoke services of Prayers of Love and Faith;
b. define further the appropriate formal legislative changes and any further theological work which would be required to enable clergy to enter same sex marriage;
c. continue to explore, in dialogue with the wider church, any pastoral episcopal provision and reassurance which would be proportionate to any further changes proposed;
d. report back to the General Synod with recommendations within the first two years of the new General Synod quinquennium;
e. establish a Pastoral Consultative Group as a subgroup of the Working Group to advise bishops and archdeacons on specific cases in the interim and facilitate consistent practice across the Church of England.
37. The House of Bishops has asked the LLF Programme Board to continue to meet until the new structures in paragraph 36 are in place”.
No specific directions are given on the wider parts of the LGBTQIA+ communities, such as trans or intersex people, other than a general call to love and respect.
This continued debate has the potential for causing continued anxieties on both sides of the debate.
I highly recommend that the pastoral guidance from the Church in Wales, or similar becomes a provision that is used by all structures within our Diocese, including our parishes.
Establishing a Pastoral Consultative Group as a subgroup to the working group as indicated in statement e above would provide a strong lead.
More information here:
- Draft Prayers of Love and Faith
- A response from the Bishops of the Church of England about identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage
- Read the full agenda for the February 2023 group of sessions
Background
Living in Love and Faith sets out to inspire people to think more deeply both about what it means to be human, and to live in love and faith with one another.
It tackles the tough questions and the divisions among Christians about what it means to be holy in a society in which understandings and practices of gender, sexuality and marriage continue to change.
Living in Love and Faith is supported by films, podcasts and other resources, available for free at the Living in Love and Faith Learning Hub (registration required).
In Bishop Martin's Ad Clerum issued on January 13 2022 he said, 'The engagement with the Living in Love and Faith resources by people in deaneries and parishes, and individually, across this diocese has been significant, and possibly more extensive than in some other parts of the country.'
Following up on that engagement, the diocesan Synod on Saturday 5 February at St Mary’s, Horsham focused on what those resources mean to us and reflected on the personal, scriptural, and theological issues that emerge from the LLF resources.
In order to ensure that all discussion of LLF resources takes place in a safe space, Bishop Martin commended the Church of England’s Pastoral Principles for living and learning well together. The 6 principles are: addressing ignorance; paying attention to power; casting out fear; acknowledging prejudice; speaking into silence; admitting hypocrisy. Further details are on the Church of England website here
To find out about the four stages of how The Living in Love and Faith resources are to enable the whole Church to embark on a journey together click here