In November 2020 the Church of England published a landmark set of resources drawing together the Bible, theology, science and history with powerful real-life stories as it embarked on a new process of discernment and decision-making on questions of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.
Christians in Hereford Diocese are being invited to “listen and learn together” using the Church of England’s Living in Love & Faith resources looking at these questions.
They include a book, study guides, podcasts and a powerful series of real-life personal story films.
We hope that most churches across our Diocese took the chance to run the Living in Love & Faith course by the end of April 2022. People who completed the course were invited to offer feedback by completing a survey. The feedback will be discussed at a national level in the Church of England in 2022/23 with a view to discerning a way forward together. You can view the LLF timetable here.
Andrew's Testimony, Leominster Priory
Can I still run the course?
If you decide to run the course in your church or group please let us know, we are offering formal training and support and have appointed advocates in each Deanery to help you with planning. Although the opportunity to offer feedback as part of the national process of discernment has now ended, the resources remain available for people to use.
Who can I contact?
If you would like to get in touch with The Bishop of Hereford you can email or phone his office directly. However it should be noted that the official period of consultaiton for LLF has now ended.
Who do I speak to if I have concerns?
We have a team of advocates supporting people across our Diocese in each Deanery area. These individuals will be able to signpost you to the most appropriate support including counselling, raising a safeguarding concern or an opportunity to chat to someone in confidence about any concerns you may have about the subject matter. The full list of our deanery advocates is in this document If you find that this raises concerns that you feel require a deeper investigation, please contact our safeguarding officer directly.
What are the next steps for rolling out LLF in Hereford Diocese?
The official period of consultation closed on 30 April 2022. Thank you to all those who provided feedback using the national online forms and who wrote to the Bishop of Hereford. You can view the LLF timetable here.
What happens next?
A detailed breakdown of the next stages of discernment and decision are laid out on the national Church of England website. Please visit the Living in Love and Faith Next Steps for more information.
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Discerning what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church today.
The House of Bishops will engage with LLF in small groups with creative and reflective elements. They will finalise proposals and reflect on what is needed to support the decision-making processes in General Synod.
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→ December 2022
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Deciding how discernment is translated into a way forward for the Church.
General Synod will consider proposals from the College and House of Bishops and agree a clear direction of travel.
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→ February 2023
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