Diocesan / NATIONAL & DIOCESAN NEWS - AUTUMN/WINTER

NATIONAL & DIOCESAN NEWS - AUTUMN/WINTER

Deanery Term Limits – The Outcome

Update on the matter discussed in Runnymede Deanery Synod June 2019
General Synod in July 2021 passed the Amending Resolution to the Church Representation Rules to remove the term limits for lay members of deanery synods.
The Amending Resolution needed a two thirds majority in each of the three Houses and this was achieved.
The Amending Resolution, once passed through Parliament, will mean that APCMs will have the flexibility to impose term limits of variable lengths according to local circumstances – 2, 3 or 4 terms etc. The default will be no limit at all. Term length remains at three years.

 

Church Related Abuse Support

The Diocese of Guildford is currently reviewing all its records, across all 162 parishes, to ensure that all safeguarding concerns and allegations have been identified, reported and appropriately actioned. Critical to this is the voice of survivors and victims. The Diocese of Guildford wants to listen to and to learn from your experiences and ensure that your voices are heard throughout this review process.

Coming forward

Anybody who would like to give

information or make disclosures about church-related abuse is asked to contact Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor, Jackie Broadfoot ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 07918 559387).

Support is available

The Diocese recognises that coming forward may be extremely difficult and dedicated support has been set up for you. Two confidential listening services have been set up, for those people who have experienced church related abuse but who might want to talk through their experiences and feelings before taking any next step. To find out more about the support available click here.

Building the safest community we can

Bishop Andrew, Diocesan Bishop for the Diocese of Guildford explains why they are doing this: “It is important we do everything we can to make our churches the safest places they can be. Safe means different things to different people but this review will help us to ensure that the concerns reported to our churches have been dealt with properly, and the care taken and the support given is of the high quality that people rightly deserve. We have learnt from a previous review that survivors and victims’ voices are critical, and I would urge you to come forward.”