Diocese of DS 18/06

Coventry Diocesan Synod Minutes – 17 March 2018 Minutes of a meeting of the Diocesan Synod held at the Church Centre.

The took the chair.

1. Welcome and opening worship Bishop Christopher welcomed everyone to the Synod and the Revd Peter Walker led the opening worship.

2. Welcomes and apologies Bishop Christopher welcomed the Revd Canon Miles Baker who had joined the diocese as the Rector of Allesley and the Revd Richard Suffern and the Revd Simon Betteridge, who were present to speak during his presidential address. He also welcomed and briefly interviewed the Revd Canon Sue Field, who would be installed as Archdeacon Pastor the following day and led the synod in praying for her.

3. Minutes of the last meeting The minutes of the meeting on 4 November 2017 were approved and signed.

Mrs Helen Simmonds, Chair of the House of Laity, took the chair.

4. Presidential address Bishop Christopher began by expressing sympathy for everyone caught up in the recent attack on two Russians in Salisbury diocese, along with admiration for their fortitude, and leading the synod in prayer for them.

Bishop Christopher spoke about a recent diocesan mission visit he had led to the Diocese of Kapsabet in Kenya. Simon Betteridge and Richard Suffern also spoke about their experiences during the visit. Bishop Christopher told the Synod that, following the visit, he and others had had a sense that the Spirit was encouraging this relationship and he had been considering how it might develop. He told the Synod that his intention was to ask the Business Committee to put to the June Synod a motion to form a companion link with the Diocese of Kapsabet.

5. General Synod report Charlotte Gale gave the Synod a report on the February 2018 sessions of the General Synod. Much of the focus had been on ordering the life of the church, including a debate on how bishops are chosen, a lot of discussion around safeguarding, a debate on the progress of the Anglican Methodist Covenant and on embracing religious communities. There had also been debates on food waste, Down’s Syndrome, digital evangelism, an address by the Archbishop of Canterbury and a debate on companion links within the Anglican communion.

1 of 10 6. Promulgation of Amending Canons 36 and 37 Charlotte told the Synod that General Synod had also enacted two pieces of legislation changing canon law, one which changed the requirements for clergy to wear vestments in services and one which changed the rules for burials of people who had taken their own lives. To come into effect new canons have to be promulged and so Charlotte promulged Canons 36 and 37.

The Revd Charlotte Gale, Chair of the House of Clergy, took the chair.

7. Diocesan Safeguarding Policy Ruth Marlow spoke to the Synod about the proposal to adopt a new safeguarding policy in line with Promoting a Safer Church.

She explained that Promoting a Safer Church was a national Safeguarding policy statement issued by the national Church. It had a similar structure to the policy adopted by the Diocese in 2015, with a concise policy document supported by a number of separate guidance documents. The new policy had six overarching policy commitments, which Ruth highlighted: - Promoting a safer environment and culture; - Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the Church; - Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation; - Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons; - Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons; and - Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.

She said that while adopting a new policy could appear daunting, it was clear that none of these commitments could be dispensed with, and also that they added very little to what the Diocese had already been promoting.

Ruth spoke about the work being done on how parishes could be supported in implementing this policy. A range of resources was being produced, including a template for a parish action plan, which was a new requirement of the national policy, and a dashboard system to help PCCs monitor their safeguarding arrangements. A group of parish safeguarding officers was trialling the new resources and improvements were being made, before they were launched more widely. Ruth said that the Diocesan Office would continue to provide practical support and training and with that in mind, she invited the Synod to consider the motion:

“This Synod approves the adoption of Promoting a Safer Church (2017) as the Safeguarding Policy for the .”

Roderick Clarke ( and Leamington) proposed that there should be a 2 minute speech limit for this item. This was seconded by John Roy and passed with three abstentions.

Jim Perryman () asked what the timescale for parishes to adopt the policy would be once the Diocese had adopted it. Ruth said that the policy could be adopted at any time, but that 2 of 10 the expectation would be for parishes to have adopted it and to have an action plan in place by the end of 2019.

John Witcombe (), noting that the church had made progress in the vital work of caring for those who had been victims, asked what the process was for caring for those who are the subject of allegations. Ruth said that when an allegation is made the guidance sets out two particular roles, to provide support for the alleged victim and separately for the alleged perpetrator.

Margaret Antill (), Bryan Pratt (), David Spiers (Nuneaton) and Ann Tustin (Nuneaton) asked questions about the process followed when an allegation of abuse is made. Ruth explained that the diocese works very closely with the police. The first question considered when a report is made is whether the report should be passed on to the police and/or social services. Safeguarding staff in the Diocesan Office together with the incumbent and parish safeguarding officer would investigate reports, if cleared to by the police, and the outcome of those investigations would be shared with the both the accuser and the accused. If someone convicted of an offence wants to be part of a church community, Ruth said that the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor would work with the church to establish a safeguarding agreement, under which the offender could worship safely within that community. She noted that this is not always possible, particularly if the offenses were in that church.

Chris Baker () asked what was meant by the House of Bishop’s guidance. Ruth and Graeme said that this was a suite of policy practice guidance, which could be found on both the national church and diocesan websites.

Christopher Wilson (Warwick and Leamington) proposed an amendment to the motion, to clarify that Promoting a Safer Church would replace the safeguarding policy adopted in November 2015. Helen Simmonds in the chair accepted this amendment and put the motion as follows:

“This Synod approves the adoption of Promoting a Safer Church (2017) as the Safeguarding Policy for the Diocese of Coventry, to replace the safeguarding policy for the Diocese of Coventry dated November 2015.”

The amended motion was passed with no votes against and two abstentions.

The Chair thanked everyone and led the Synod in prayers for Parish Safeguarding Officers.

8. Clergy Wellbeing Charlotte Gale and Dr Yvonne Warren, both General Synod members, spoke to the Synod about work being done at a national level and in the Diocese on clergy wellbeing.

Yvonne said that she had been involved in clergy wellbeing for some time, being married to a clergyman, working as a therapist, and having done research and written a book on clergy wellbeing in the 1990s. She said she was keen to speak as a lay person to urge lay people to think and talk about how well they care for their clergy, as often this is a weak area. She led the Synod in brief prayers for the clergy in their parishes. 3 of 10 She said that in 2016 the Chairs of the House of Clergy from all the dioceses had raised the need for something to be done to address clergy wellbeing, following a rough survey which had produced some fairly shocking results. A working party had been set up, which Yvonne had been asked to join, which had led to a proposal going to the General Synod for a covenant of care. This had been debated and was supported overwhelmingly, which had led to the establishment of a larger group, which again Yvonne was part of, to develop this proposal further.

Yvonne said that the aim of this covenant was to involve all the people of God and everyone serving him in an ordained role, working from the bottom up as well as the top down. It was also about caring for the laity, as a split between clergy and laity is both common and unhelpful, and for the families of clergy, who live in a ‘goldfish bowl’.

There are a number of factors which can be detrimental for clergy. The UK is generally a fairly non- Christian society, largely dominated by consumerism. There is a shortage of clergy and numbers will continue to decrease for some time despite increasing numbers of ordinands. Dioceses are often short of money, and it is increasingly common for parishes to be put together in multi-parish benefices. There is a huge emphasis nationally on pioneer work and mission, and in the Diocese on the 8 Essential Qualities, which can lead to clergy feeling very pressurised. Relationships with laity can sometimes be hard, which is particularly difficult. The burden placed on bishops was also particularly heavy and Yvonne said that in the debate on the selection of bishops it had been noted that the demands on them leave them little time for their dioceses.

Yvonne said that there are also clergy who love their work and are very happy, aside from those who are struggling and those who are simply not flourishing. She encouraged clergy to consider the resilience groups and the Sheldon Hub, which provides a space to talk.

Charlotte Gale spoke about the work being done in the Diocese. A Clergy Wellbeing Group had been established, chaired by Bishop John, to think about what can be done locally to provide support. Resilience training and signposting people to online resources were both being done. Charlotte said that all clergy are different and need to be supported in different ways, and she encouraged clergy to talk to her, as in her role as Chair of the House of Clergy she wanted to know about issues which arose. She told the Synod that she had left parish ministry six months before and had been very happy with it, but had only realised through leaving it how much pressure she had been under. She encouraged the Synod to be aware of how many evenings a week they or their clergy were working, and to discourage phoning or emailing the clergy on their day off. She invited questions.

Jo King (Warwick and Leamington) asked, as Warden of Readers, for the care of readers to be considered as well as clergy, as readers are also under considerable pressure.

Christopher Wilson (Warwick and Leamington) said that the purpose of the church is not to burn people out, but that of his peer group of 8 clergy, only 2 are still in ministry. He noted that lay people can also be under considerable pressure.

4 of 10 Stig Graham (Warwick and Leamington) asked that an awareness of differing needs for kinds and patterns of rest should be maintained, saying that while days off should be taken, boundaries like that should be flexible rather than rigid.

Bryan Pratt (Southam) thanked Yvonne and Charlotte for what they had said, particularly the encouragement to love each other. Kevin Flanagan (Rugby) seconded what had been said about the support of clergy families, saying that clergy spouses in particular suffer for their partners’ ministry. Ros Wakefield (Shipston) said that she was very pleased that this work was being done and noted that the lack of support for clergy in the past had sometimes led to the breakdown of their marriages, which is very difficult for everyone involved.

Bishop Christopher responded, thanking Ros and saying that Bishop’s visitors exist to support both members of the couple in this situation. Yvonne agreed, saying that it was vital that spouses and family were cared for. She said that care was about the whole people of God, both clergy and laity, and she noted the need for laity to see their work as their vocation. The covenant of care should be about the wellbeing of the clergy and of everyone else. Helen Simmonds thanked everyone for their contributions and encouraged people to contact the clergy wellbeing group and Bishop John with further comments or for support if that would be helpful.

9. Whole Diocese Strategy Ruth Marlow told the Synod that it had been a year since Bishop Christopher had spoken about the theology of the Diocesan strategy. Since then, the concept of ‘whole diocese strategy’ had been developed and endorsed by the Bishop’s Council. Ruth explained that this concept included recognising the distinctiveness of the different parts of the Diocese, including churches, schools and the Cathedral and consideration of where mission and ministry could come together for each of them.

Within this, six priorities for the diocesan family had been identified: - Making the gospel known throughout the diocese so people become followers of Christ - Strengthening the health of churches and organisations across the diocese in the 8 Essential Qualities identified by NCD - Supporting the wellbeing and flourishing of clergy and lay people across the diocese - Equipping the whole diocese for the work of reconciliation - Promoting life-long Christian education across the diocese - Delivering positive community transformation.

An implementation plan had been drawn up to make progress on these six areas and in January Ruth said that the Bishop’s Core Staff had reviewed what had been achieved over the last year. There were a number of results to celebrate. Over 75 parishes were engaged deeply in improving their health using the NCD resources; work on improving clergy wellbeing was being led by Bishop John and a number of resilience training workshops for clergy had taken place; the diocese had been successful with two bids for Strategic Development Funding from the Church Commissioners, with the Acceler8 project having just submitted its second annual report and a number of learning mentors recently having been employed under the Serving Christ project. St Mark’s Swanswell and St Clare’s at the Cathedral were two new churches which had begun their life, and a plan to build a 5 of 10 new church building for St Catherine’s Stoke Aldermoor was ongoing. The DBF had been able to put significant levels of funding into parishes to support mission and ministry, and also into the Cathedral and Board of Education.

Ruth then asked the Synod to break into groups to discuss several questions: - Is the concept of the Whole Diocese Strategy clear? Is it understood across the churches and organisations within the diocese? If not, what would help? - What do you see as the key benefits and challenges of this approach? - What is happening in your church/deanery to support the strategy, and what central diocesan support could help with this? - What one point from your discussion would you like to feedback to the whole group?

The Synod broke into groups and then gave feedback as follows: - Worshipping God is not explicitly amongst the priorities. Is this deliberate or accidental? - It is great to have a strategy from the centre, but it needs to be led at deanery level or trickle down quite fast. - It is good to have a whole diocese strategy, but we hope for better communication as we were not really aware of what was going on. - We felt communication was very lacking. It took us five minutes to find this discussion on the diocesan website and most of us knew nothing about it. Of the six priorities, most of us knew a bit about each but hadn’t realised they were a whole. - We highlighted communications and how strategies locally might be fed into the discussions about diocesan strategy - We felt that many people in the diocese are unaware of the strategy. A question was whether they need to be aware of it, what the purpose of that would be, how does that serve what’s going on? - Our group felt that most churches are doing parts of the strategy without being aware it is the strategy. We questioned how we can foster unity in diversity. - In talking about what could be done to help, we suggested small group resources to help us learn to apply the strategy in practical day to day resources.

Charlotte Gale thanked the groups for the feedback, saying that as the concept of the ‘Whole Diocese’ strategy is quite new, she was not surprised that communication had been highlighted as a need.

The notes from the group discussions are attached in an appendix.

10. President’s business Bishop Christopher asked Graeme Pringle to speak about the events happening during 2018 to celebrate the Diocesan Centenary, particularly the Archbishop of Canterbury’s visit to the Diocese.

Graeme told the Synod that there were six highlights within the centenary celebrations: the visit of the Archbishop, the Plumb Line Centenary Arts Festival, the cross of nails schools pilgrimage, the massive mini church challenge, a Lent course which was being piloted and would be rolled out in 2019 and a relaunch to come later in the year of The Coventry Way- a simple 6 of 10 rule of life. Graeme asked the Synod members to take postcards back to their churches, which summarised the events of the centenary, stated its three themes of reconciliation, renewal and generous relationships, and included the centenary prayer, which Graeme encouraged the Synod to use.

On 5 May the Centenary Festival would take place, which was the biggest single event of the centenary. Graeme said that an outline program for the day would be released shortly, but that there were a number of exciting plans and he strongly encouraged everyone to come. The Archbishop would also be present at the service. Graeme said that including this the Archbishop would be attending twenty different events between 2 and 5 May. Several would be public, including outreach events in Chilvers Coton and Grandborough.

Bishop Christopher thanked everyone who had contributed to the Synod meeting and led the Synod in closing prayers.

11. Date of next meeting and conclusion Bishop Christopher said that the next meeting would be on 5 June 2018 and closed the meeting in prayer.

Attendance: Bishops: 2; Clergy: 23; Laity: 34

Signed: Date:

7 of 10 Appendix 1: Whole Diocese Strategy discussion group notes

Question 1: Is the concept of the Whole Diocese Strategy clear? - Is it understood across the churches and organisations within the diocese? - If not, what would help?

Communication – Not very clear. Matthew 28 – the Great Commission

To answer the question is the strategy understood across churches and organisations: no, categorically. To answer what would help: It takes a long time to bed in to parishes etc. – need more time. It took some years for the Diocesan Mission purpose statement to be well known and this is relatively new. It needs ongoing publicity. Not perceived as connecting with all parts of the Diocese (yet?). Develop relations within and beyond deaneries and with “the centre”. Recognise that parishes also dealing with other pressing issues: finance, buildings. Could link in grants for work with the strategy!

No – they (parishes/congregations) are largely unaware of it. We are not even sure people grasp the concept of whole diocese being parishes/worshipping communities, schools and the cathedral. The Diocese is an amorphous mass. Definitely not aware of six priorities. Geographical barriers, communication barriers and financial barriers; especially paying to go into cathedral -  fragmentation. Not owned by the rank and file and many clergy/ lay leaders.

Ideas: - A diocesan day when parishes and other church bodies focus on being part of something bigger. - Do ordinary parishioners need to be aware of all the 6 priorities? What is essential for each layer of governance to be aware of their responsibilities and accountabilities? - Key things to promote: i) Mission purpose statement; ii) Total Diocese – part of something bigger.

Need to ask PCCs – do these 6 priorities help local churches set their own priorities? What is the purpose of different people knowing about different parts of the strategy?

Not communicated, don’t recall this having been discussed in detail. Need something to present at parish level, although some don’t feel they need to know? Simplify language of strategy to make it more accessible to parishes. This applies to community.

No. Communication of the strategy could be better. Many of our group didn’t know we had one, even though it is in the Diocesan Yearbook. Although priorities have been identified and an implementation plan developed we are still uncertain as to what the whole diocesan strategy is.

Concept not considered clear: Not discussed widely in churches. Who has had it? Nobody in group has registered they’ve had it or should have done something about it! 8 of 10 Yes it is clear… but then what should we do in concrete terms. It appears to be what we all think we ought to have been doing anyway. HELP: Set of example questions for PCC and wider parish group (don’t miss interregnums).

No. One vicar said it’s so new, it’s not been thought about. Deanery Synod/chapter may help. Some are already known, e.g. 8EQs, good shift from unintentional activity to intentional activity.

Visibility in local churches limited. We know the strapline. We know we need to do the 8EQs. Rural consultation – what outcome and actions were result of it? Need time to do it all, people to do it all.

Question 2: What do you see as the key benefits and challenges of this approach?

8EQs - great but rolling out is rubbish. Too formal – needs to be in biblical framework. Should be two approaches, urban and rural.

Integration - if that is achieved. Potential for unity in diversity (please respect and affirm diversity). Challenges: getting across to laity and parish clergy. Sense that it’s about ‘them’ at the centre, not rooted in reality of life in more outlying areas. Some churches operate on different strategies.

Benefits: help to shape how we direct diocesan resources; provides some transparency; it’s ok to have priorities and direction and not do other things, however good. Challenges: 6 priorities are sometimes too broad to give clear direction. Need to be clear that diocesan central activity doesn’t detract from local church purposes, e.g. BCDM/Serving Christ training takes people away from local holistic small groups at times?

Challenge to simplify and communicate. The ‘Diocese’ / Cathedral is not uppermost in the minds of those in deeply rural areas.

A whole diocese strategy seems like a Good Thing. The challenge is to integrate disparate elements of the diocese (e.g. schools). There is a lot of paperwork – worry that a strategy will just sit on a shelf somewhere.

Benefit: Clarity of strategy, something more measurable to work to. Challenge: How much are we actually doing it? How do you apply in day to day activity? Finding the flexibility.

Worship God is not explicitly in these. We are good at “doing”, not so much at “being”. Need to think about changing culture to support priorities. In a way these are “exhaling” but we need some “inhaling” as well. Q: How do the three themes of the centenary relate to the 6 priorities?

Resources, efficiency.

9 of 10 Question 3: What is happening in your church/deanery to support the strategy? - What central diocesan support could help with this?

Deaneries seem to be irrelevant in rural areas. To make it work as Deanery need to abolish parish boundaries.

Most or all are doing parts of this without necessarily being aware of the strategy. Greater clarity about the strategy would be helpful. Varying BCDM times and venues more widely would also be helpful. Flourishing: need pastoral care training for lay teams.

LOADS – categories are very broad, most of church life is relevant.

8EQs, Mission Grants, our individual ‘bits’ probably meet aspects of this strategy. What about how Deanery strategies / church strategies will feed into rather than be directed by it?

Better communication of strategy.

Making sure the PCC/Synod business fits the strategy. Small group resources.

Promoting discipleship across the diocese will take many different forms. For some DTP would be useful, but not all would benefit from that.

BCDM – in our location. 8EQ – evaluation.

Question 4: What one point from your discussion would you like to feedback to the whole group?

Communication

Most or all are doing parts of this without necessarily being aware of the strategy. How can we foster a sense of unity (in diversity) in the Diocese?

The top table were not participating in this discussion! Communicating the strategy.

Don’t feel that we’ve heard enough about it.

Worship God is not explicitly in the priorities.

Do Deaneries need to take a lead in this? Top heavy – needs to be bottom up or feed down quickly.

10 of 10