Martin Sewell writes:
ON 15 February, Clive Billenness, a member of the General Synod, representing the diocese in Europe, died at Heathrow Airport on his way home from the February sessions, in which he had played a full part. He was 70, had served on the Synod since 2021, and had also been a member of the Audit Committee of the Archbishops’ Council.
Clive was born in Isleworth, west London, and attended St Paul’s School. He gained degrees in French, computer programming, and theology. His professional life encompassed a variety of fields. He started in the Civil Service as a clerk at the Lord Chancellor’s office and later became an HEO (higher executive officer) at the Home Office. His computing skills eventually took him into IT management and auditing across the public and private sectors. He later became a projects expert in digital-preservation projects across the European Union.
He married Linda in 1987. They both became licensed lay ministers and, for ten years after their retirement to the Ariège Département of France, served the English-speaking Anglican community in the Midi-Pyrénées region.
Clive brought very high-level computer skills to their ministry, complementing Linda’s interests in spiritual direction. Together, their joint skills enabled them to be very early proponents of online ministry, reaching communities where a regular Anglican priestly presence was not always available. Clive created his own television studio, producing weekly services for what became the Ecumenical Church of Occitanie. Their “virtual chapel” reached many hundreds of dispersed Christians, and they sometimes invited in contributors from Clive’s wider contacts.
Clive was very generous in sharing that resource and his skills, supporting the online ministry of the Ordinary Office which reached those estranged from the Established Church through various reasons, including disability, exclusion, abuse, or bullying. The Sheepfold Project which he developed with Dave Lucas (Obituary, 15 November 2024) and me, produced explanatory videos of both the Jay and the Wilkinson reports. His innovative mind had recently turned to artificial intelligence, and he had even developed an AI tool to interrogate Synod Standing Orders which delivered answers to complex questions within seconds.
Clive had a passion for challenging injustice wherever it occurred and became an important figure at General Synod for promoting a generous, humble and inclusive church. He was a prominent lay voice in insisting on integrity, transparency, and accountability across the senior leadership of the Church and at Church House.
He was one of the few holders of formal office within the Church of England who was trusted by the survivors’ community, and he gave generously of his time and experience to all advancing those objectives. He was also a supporter of the Save the Parish movement, which he believed to be a key part of spreading the gospel, by which he lived.
His sudden death came as a deep shock to his friends and colleagues; many survivors were deeply affected by the loss of one of their most devoted champions. Synod colleagues will mourn not only a great talent and contributor to debate, but also a good and entertaining friend who helped them unwind with a fund of improbable stories after days of debate.
Few members of Synod can be described as irreplaceable, but Clive joins that exclusive club in the memory of his colleagues. Indeed, at the commencement of the Parliamentary debate last week on safeguarding in the Church of England, Luke Myers MP paid tribute to Clive.