Women Bishops: Enough Waiting – Mark Russell’s message to General Synod

Monday 29th October 2012

In talking about the of word ‘respect’ in the Measure, Mark says:

‘… I know there are people who cannot in conscience accept the mission and ministry of women as bishops – I understand that, I respect that. These are my friends, I love them and I desperately yearn for them to be able to grow and flourish in the Church of England in years to come. But I say this: the measure says that your views will be respected. Respect isn’t a small word, it’s a significant word. It means your views will be more than listened to - they’ll be acted on and respected. No Bishop, no leader can act without due respect to you and the views you hold.’

He speaks about how throughout the Church of England women are ‘making a colossal contribution to the Gospel and to the Kingdom. I believe that the House of Bishops would be so much enhanced with the voice of women in that House’.

“If we say no, we condemn this to the long grass, and years more discussion and years more synodical debate and more reports and more meetings – to get exactly to where we are right now.”

“So I think this is the right time to make a decision, and to say yes.”

 

The full transcript of his video message is below:

My name’s Mark Russell, and I’m Chief Executive of the Church Army and until recently, a member of the General Synod.

This November the General Synod will make a huge decision in making a final decision on whether women can become bishops in the Church of England. I passionately believe that it is now the right time for women to become bishops in the Church of England.

As we look at our Church, we see women serving right across this nation – women clergy serving in schools, in hospitals, in communities, in parishes, deaneries, dioceses up and down the land – making a colossal contribution to the Gospel and to the Kingdom. I believe the House of Bishops would be so much enhanced with the voice of women in that House.

I think as our nation looks at the Church and how long it’s taken to make this decision, there’s a sense of bewilderment and perhaps bemusement at the Church of England. But I think it’s right that we’ve taken this time; right that we’ve listened to so many different voices, right that we’ve taken care over the wording of the legislation. But I believe now is the time for us to make a decision, and to make a positive decision.

I think if we say no to women bishops it will have a huge detrimental effect on our credibility as a Church, and on our witness to the nation. But by the same token if we say yes, I believe it will greatly enhance our mission as a Church to this nation.

What happens if we say no? If we say no, we condemn this to the long grass, and years more discussion and years more synodical debate and more reports and more meetings – to get exactly to where we are right now. So I think this is the right time to make a decision, and to say yes.

In one of the debates on women’s ministry and whether women should become bishops in General Synod some years ago, I remember James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool, very movingly talking about the women going to the tomb to anoint the Body of Christ, to tend the Body of Christ. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali frequently calls these women ‘The first Spice Girls’. But I remember listening to Bishop Jones, and how he described the role of a bishop as being to tend the Body of Christ, and how here in the Easter story we see women doing just that.

In a nation where division so often follows difference, where people divide and don’t walk together – what a prophetic statement our Church could make to the nation, that we could say ‘yes we disagree on this, but we will walk together as Christ’s Church because we are Christ’s disciples’. And I know there are people who cannot in conscience accept the mission and ministry of women as bishops – I understand that, I respect that. These are my friends, I love them and I desperately yearn for them to be able to grow and flourish in the Church of England in years to come. But I say this: the measure says that your views will be respected. Respect isn’t a small word, it’s a significant word. It means your views will be more than listened to - they’ll be acted on and respected. No bishop, no leader can act without due respect to you and the views you hold.

As I travel the country in the job I do, and meet people from all different parts of the Church, I meet many people who are passionately in favour of women being consecrated as bishops, and I meet some who can’t accept that - and every time I meet them they tell me they’re frightened. They’re frightened that they won’t be welcome in the Church they love, or they won’t be welcome in the Church of England anymore. I say this: what is the most repeated scripture in the whole Bible? It’s ‘Fear not’. Don’t be afraid, don’t be frightened – because God says not to be, but also because we love you and we value you and we cherish you, and we yearn for you to be part of our Church in the years to come.

I’m no longer a member of General Synod, so I won’t be in the debate in November, but I’ll be listening and watching and praying for you – that you will make the right decision. But you know, my prayer is that you will vote yes, and if you’re not able to vote yes, that in conscience you can’t, then I pray you’ll be able to feel you can abstain. That together we can make a decision, and put this issue behind us, and together whether we’re in favour of women’s consecration or opposed, get on with the real job of mission and evangelism and communicating the unchanging message of an unchanging God to a fast and changing world. That’s our job, brothers and sisters, let’s get on with it.

© Mark Russell 2012

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