General Synod: House of Bishops Southern
Suffragan Election
(Upper
House of the Convocation of Canterbury)
Election
Address from Pete Broadbent, Bishop of Willesden
It might be thought that I’ve had too much of General Synod
(and vice-versa!). I was first elected in 1985 and served as a Proctor in Convocation
for London from then till 2001, when debarred by episcopacy. You were kind
enough to elect me to the House of Bishops in 2004. I would love to continue to
serve the Church in this way. Previously I served on the GS Standing Committee
and the Archbishops’ Council. I now represent you on the House of Bishops
Standing Committee. The fuller details of my Synodical involvement are listed
overleaf.
In
Synod
The crucial issue for the Church is how we re-engage with a
society where the tide of Christendom has gone out – and what we can do, by the
grace of God, to re-evangelise England. Planting new churches and missional
communities and resourcing existing ones better is fundamental to making this
happen. In this regard, the Reform and
Renewal Programme has a significant part to play. The five strands are:
·
Resourcing the Future – a proper distribution of
Church Commissioners’ resources
·
Resourcing Ministerial Education – giving us a
new and flexible approach to the training of clergy and laity, cutting away
bureaucracy and enabling diocesan choices about training pathways
·
Leadership Development – providing a new
framework for the identification and training of senior leaders (which many of
us will know has been sorely needed!)
·
Developing Discipleship – as a motif of our understanding of the Church
we are called to be in the Church and in the world
·
Simplification – cutting away rules and
regulations in Measures, Canons and Instruments that hinder the mission of the
Church
These are not in themselves going to make mission happen,
but they are the engine under the bonnet that will enable the institutional and
cultural change we need. I have been chairing the Simplification Group – and
would hope to continue to do so if re-elected.
This will also be the Synod of the Shared Conversations.
It’s not easy to be optimistic about outcomes, but we will need to invest
energy in trying to make them work. I’m not convinced that “good disagreement”
is a place to end up in – though it’s certainly a means of travel!
Within the
House of Bishops
§
I have been a strong advocate for suffragan
bishops and their role within the College – and have sought to represent you in
the House. We still have work to do in moving away from two-tier episcopacy to
a proper collegiality and mutual trust. The welcome situation where we no
longer have to speak of “women bishops”, but just bishops, means that we have a
real opportunity to forge a new culture within the House and the College – and prayerfully
to seek better ways of working.
§
I’m a strong advocate for the Transformations and Turning up the Volume agendas, both at Diocesan level and
nationally. Our Church must with real resolution address how we ensure that
women and BAME leaders are properly represented at Senior Leadership levels, as
well as within incumbencies and lay leadership.
In the
public realm
§
The need for the Bishops to engage with the
major political issues never diminishes. We can expect hostility and
misrepresentation, but the pre-election Pastoral Letter was asking the right
questions of government. Speaking truth to power (as for example on the “right
to die” legislation or the plight of the poor) must continue to be on our
agenda.
§
We need to help each other in articulating the
faith in a society that is both paradoxically full of faith and increasingly
secular. The context of London (Willesden is one of the most multi-cultural and
multi-religious patches in the country) forces those issues upon us. My hope is
that part of our training and mutual support will include encouraging each
other in how we proclaim Jesus Christ and his Kingdom in this exciting and
challenging context.
Previous
Form (which can be held against me!)
General Synod (Proctor in Convocation, London) 1985
– 2001
Dioceses Commission 1989
– 92
Diocesan Representative on Crown Appointments
Commission 1990, 1995.
Panel of Chairs, General Synod 1990
– 92, 2009 – 14
Central Board of Finance
1991
– 95, 1996 – 98
CBF Executive Committee 1991
– 95
Standing Orders Committee of General Synod 1991 – 95
Chair, Vacancy in See Committees Regulation Working
Party 1991
– 93
General Synod Standing Committee 1992 –
98
General Synod Appointments Sub Committee 1992
– 95
Member of Archbishops' Advisory Group 1993
– 98
Chair, General Synod Business Sub Committee 1996
– 98
Chair, General Synod Elections Review Group 1996
– 2000
Steering Committee for National Institutions Measure 1997
Member of Archbishops' Council 1999
– 2000
Chair, Business Committee 1999
– 2000
Chair, Simplification Task Group 2014
–
Standing Committee of the House of Bishops 2014 –
I hope that you’ll consider giving me your first preference
vote, please. Do be in contact if you have any questions about anything I’ve
written here.
Telephone: 020 8451 0189 or 07950 299 685
Thank you for reading
all this!
