New guidance for gender transition services is published

New guidance for parishes planning services to help transgender people mark their transition has been published by the Church of England. However, the Bishop of Birkenhead has joined others within the Church of England to express "concern" about the guidance.

The pastoral guidance, which will be incorporated into Common Worship, encourages clergy to be “creative and sensitive” in using liturgy to enable people to mark a major transition in their lives.

It formally commends the incorporation of the existing rite for the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith into services which mark gender transition.

It details how elements including water and oil can be incorporated into the service and, crucially, makes clear that trans people should be addressed publicly by their chosen name.

The guidance adds, that the occasion should have a distinct “celebratory character”.

The document - approved by the House of Bishops - follows a motion overwhelmingly adopted at General Synod in 2017 recognising the need for transgender people to be welcomed and affirmed in churches. It was produced in consultation with the Revd Dr Tina Beardsley, the Revd Sarah Jones and the Revd Canon Dr Rachel Mann, who have a personal interest in this matter and who have also consulted widely with those directly affected, and their clergy.

They said: “Collectively, we have sought to ensure that these new Pastoral Guidance notes provide a rich and generous space for trans people to locate their lives in the existing liturgy for the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith.”

As a central part of the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith, the minister lays their hands on the candidate or candidates, addresses them by name, and prays for them. The guidance notes: “For a trans person to be addressed liturgically by the minister for the first time by their chosen name may be a powerful moment in the service.”

However, the formal incorporation of a transgender service has been questioned by some in the Church of England, including the Bishop of Birkenhead, Keith Sinclair. He says he has concerns with the guidance and is supporting the Church of England Evangelical Council's request for clarification and review. 

Bishop Keith says: “I share the concerns and questions expressed by the CEEC Working Group and Officers in their statement about the House of Bishops Guidance and support their requests for clarification and review. I also agree with the Bishop of Maidstone’s comments on his website about the Guidance and his support for any move that will change its status so that it is seen as a contribution to the ongoing Living in Love and Faith (LLF) project, rather than the finished product of the House." 

The LLF project is commissioned by the House of Bishops with the purpose of exploring how relationships, marriage and sexuality fit within the bigger picture of humanity. The LLF project aims to explore these matters by studying what the Bible, theology, history and the social and biological sciences have to say. It involves bringing together many minds, voices, areas of expertise and different skills.

One of the stated goals of the LLF project is to produce a set of resources by early 2020. The hope is that the resources will be used at the Lambeth Conference in July 2020.

 

Page last updated: Wednesday 2nd January 2019 11:55 AM
Privacy Notice | Powered by Church Edit