I was recently at an excellent CEEC day on evangelism. Lots of great things were shared during the day, but I was personally struck by one comment, from one of the speakers, based on 2 Tim 4:5. In short, he challenged those of us who are church leaders to ‘lead as if we were evangelists’. Of course, we may not be gifted evangelists (I’m not), nor may we even be very willing evangelists (it varies in my life). But, Paul in 2 Timothy 4:5 calls us to an act of sanctified imagination – and even temporary godly impersonation. He wants us to hold out before the ourselves ‘the work of an evangelist ..read more

The Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) has today launched ‘Together in Prayer’, a day of prayer involving evangelical churches across the dioceses praying for the Church of England on Sunday 12 May. CEEC has highlighted its deep concerns about the trajectory of the Church of England regarding Living in Love and Faith (LLF) and has invited churches across England to collectively pray for the national church as part of normal services/intercessions on 12 May. “One of CEEC’s chief concerns in 2024 is that we continue to pray into the current Church of England situation regarding Li ..read more

The Church of England is fundamentally divided over the issue of sex and marriage. For too long we’ve been trying to put sugar and salt in the same pot. We need to be honest and say, look, we have actually got two different visions of the future we wish to build (in reality, I suspect we actually have two gospels – it certainly is the case that the question ‘what does repentance and faith look like’ will elicit divergent answers).    In response to this, the CEEC is working to secure a future for those committed to biblical and Anglican teaching, primarily through a permanent structu ..read more

In his article ‘Finding a Way Through’ published on the ViaMedia.News website on 1 March Charlie Bell writes as follows about the request made by CEEC and the wider Alliance movement for ‘legally secure structural provision’ for conservatives in the Church of England who cannot in good conscience accept same-sex marriages, same-sex blessings, or the ordination of those in  sexually active same-sex relationships: ‘Simply shouting ‘legally secure structural provision’ doesn’t, frankly, do the trick, and is getting tiresome. For many – me included – these are questions not just abo ..read more

The meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England concluded on Tuesday. Commenting on the debate on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process, Revd Canon John Dunnett, National Director, Church of England Evangelical Council, CEEC, said: “The decision taken by General Synod to move to next business [before the end of the debate] is demonstrative of widespread dissatisfaction with how the bishops have been progressing the LLF process. The one thing that Synod could largely agree on was that neither side could support the proposals that would emanate from the motion, as tabled at Synod ..read more

Monday 12 February 2024, London, UK: CEEC has expressed ‘profound concern’ at one of the papers published ahead of February’s meeting of the General Synod. The paper entitled ‘Living in Love, Faith and Reconciliation’ (GS2346) is being brought to the Synod by the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow. In response to the paper, Revd Canon John Dunnett, National Director, said: “CEEC wholeheartedly welcomes the commitment in this paper to pursue openness, humility, honesty and transparency in the Living in Love and Faith process. At the same time, we are profoundly concerned by th ..read more

The Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) welcomes today’s publication of a ‘theological vision’ of Christian life and discipleship by a group of orthodox bishops. These bishops, writing on behalf of a wider grouping in the House and College of bishops, say that the affirmations included in the vision are designed to ‘bring greater clarity to our points of convergence and divergence’ and to ‘encourage and equip’ those who continue to hold to the Church’s historic teaching.  The vision comprises affirmations in four areas: credal orthodoxy, universal church, supernatural faith and s ..read more

In December 2023, the House of Bishops commended the suite of prayers for the blessing of same sex couples, as part of Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF). This watershed moment marked a departure from the biblical, historic and apostolic teaching of the Church of England on the place for sexual intimacy, the abandonment of the authority of Scripture in its teaching about relationships and the embrace of today’s culture on marriage. The result is a divided Church at every level – from the House of Bishops to General Synod, to the local parish. There are a lot of people who are angry, sad, shocked ..read more

Evangelicals in parishes the length and breadth of the Church of England are finding that their concerns regarding the trajectory of the Prayers of Love and Faith continue to grow. For clergy, it’s the realisation that they might not be able to rely on their wardens and PCC for support should they decline to use the Prayers of Love and Faith. For lay people, it’s the realisation that change is becoming a reality at the local level and if clergy can marry same-sex partners, then things could change very quickly beyond recognition. And for those outside the Church of England, ther ..read more

In December 2023 article, Nic Tall (Secretary of the General Synod Gender & Sexuality Group) wrote an article on the liberal blog ‘Via Media’ which argued that the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) has been “Plotting the Division of the Church of England”. While he documents some of the CEEC’s activity, Tall is selective with what he includes (and excludes) and positions the piece with a strong bias towards the revisionist agenda. So in response to this, Revd Dr Andrew Goddard has written a piece from his personal perspective, which critiques Nic Tall’s article. Goddard conclude ..read more