A carbon-neutral refit has just been completed on a City of London Grade 1 listed church. St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe reopened last week after closing for the refit work at the end of 2021. Anglican and Coptic Orthodox congregations will share the newly refurbished church. St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe’s carbon-neutral refurbishment incorporated installing energy-saving technology including air-source heat pumps, Read more
The Church of England is delaying controversial plans to bless same-sex couples, official papers reveal. In February, the Church’s lawmaking body approved blessings for lesbian and gay couples. The approval was limited to couples who were already married or had a civil partnership. The landmark vote drew ire from both sides of the Church’s same-sex Read more
The Church of England is considering renting out underused parish churches due to decreased regular worship attendance. The move aims to preserve the potential for these churches to reopen in the future rather than be sold off after merging with larger parishes. This proposal is set for discussion by the General Synod, the Church’s legislative Read more
One of the country’s top church officials is looking for a new job, so he can afford a house. Christchurch’s Anglican Dean, Lawrence Kimberley lives rent-free in a clergy house – with a stipend of $50,000 a year. He’s held the job since 2015, but has now decided to pursue a new career, aged 61, Read more
A communication breakdown led to permission being given to a group of Anglican clergy (some pictured) to celebrate the Eucharist in the pope’s cathedral, Rome’s Basilica of St John Lateran last Tuesday. Auxiliary Bishop Guerino Di Tora of Rome, vicar for the basilica’s chapter, has acknowledged and apologised for the communication problem, which led to Read more
The Church of England is considering what language and pronouns should be used to refer to God. The church’s General Synod has, however, clarified that it will not abolish or substantially revise any of the currently authorized liturgies. Nonetheless, this news made headlines and brought up questions of how religions refer to God. Is God Read more
Anglican archbishops in Africa are challenging the decision by the Church of England to allow clergy to bless same-sex couples’ marriages, a move that may lead to a split in the church. The Church of England’s General Synod voted on February 9 to permit the offering of prayers and liturgies at civil marriages. This compromise Read more
The Bishops of the Church of England are launching a new project to explore the use of gender-neutral language for God in church services. A written question posed to the Liturgical Commission, which prepares and promotes forms of service and religious worship in the Church, prompted the news. The project is expected to begin later Read more
The Church of England has approved gay-couple blessings for the first time. The approval came after bishops rejected calls to allow same-sex marriages in churches at a meeting in January. Instead, they proposed numerous options and suggested offering blessings after a civil partnership or marriage, known as Prayers of Love and Faith. The Anglican General Read more
Smaller churches have recovered better from Covid lockdown restrictions than larger ones, a new study has revealed. The study published by Anglican evangelical mission agency CPAS is based on church attendance figures at Easter this year. CPAS found that, although in-church Easter attendance was three-quarters what it had been at Easter 2019, many people were Read more