THIRTY-TWO members of the General Synod have expressed a “lack of confidence” in the Shared Conversations on sexuality, which concluded in York this month.

In a statement published online on Wednesday, they “express our lack of confidence in the process of the shared conversations. Whatever their stated purposes, the outcome has not led to a greater confidence that the Church will be guided by the authoritative voice of the Scriptures, and its decisive shaping of traditional Anglican teaching, in any forthcoming discussions.”

A majority (26) are lay members, and 19 dioceses are represented. No bishops signed. A note on the Anglican Mainstream website says that a majority of the signatories took part in the conversations, although some did not, “having already decided that the process was flawed; the majority of those on the list did take part”.

Among the Evangelicals who have not signed are three of the four clergy members and two of the four lay members of the committee of the Synod’s Evangelical Group.

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