The second meeting in the triennium was held on 24 June 2025 at St Paul’s Hammersmith, W6 9PJ.
The meeting was attended by over 120 members.
Report of the meeting
Opening prayers were led by the Bishop of Kensington.
There were two main items:
- Informal consultation on draft proposals for Living in Love and Faith (LLF)
This was part of an exercise being carried out by the LLF programme team inviting views from all Diocesan Synods. These views would feed into the development of draft proposals or alternative options to be put before the House of Bishops in Autumn 2025 as part of their deliberations around LLF. The House of Bishops would then determine proposals to be put to General Synod in 2026.
Nick Shepherd, LLF Programme Director, outlined the draft proposals developed by the LLF team and invited feedback on what members had seen/ read so far; members’ opinions on the proposals, with an opportunity to add their own ideas; and whether they thought their church would opt in to the pastoral reassurance described in the draft proposals.
The LLF programme team would analyse and summarise the responses and send back a summary report on the Diocese of London’s input.
Further information on the informal consultation exercise, and other LLF resources can be found on the LLF website: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/living-love-and-faith.
- A motion from St Margaret’s Deanery calling for Church financial reform.
This motion was passed by St Margaret’s Deanery Synod in 2024, an identical motion (also known as the Hereford motion) had been passed in ten dioceses with similar versions passed in two others.
The motion proposed that Church Commissioners distribute more funds to Dioceses and Parishes to reduce financial pressures. Two amendments to the motion were proposed, both recognising the work of the Triennium Funding Working Group, progress of discussions about funding, and the publication of 2026-28 spending plans since the original motion was passed. The Diocesan Synod debated the motion and the amendments, with speakers for and against.
The first amendment proposed both immediate relief and longer-term legislation to ensure a predictable and continued flow of funding. There was support for the clarity and apparent financial certainty of this proposal but also concern that detailed modelling had not been done with a risk of unintended consequences which would be ‘baked-in’ to legislation, limiting flexibility if or when needs changed. The first amendment was defeated.
The second amendment welcomed the significant increase in distributions included in the 2026-28 spending plans. This amendment proposed expanded stakeholder engagement and transparency on allocation and spending, with a full debate at General Synod early in the 2026-28 triennium on the most appropriate approach to disbursing funding from the Church Commissioners endowment. There was support for this wider engagement and debate, although the complexity, continuing lack of certainty for budgeting, and need to carefully consider potential impacts was also noted. The second amendment was passed.
The motion, as amended by the second amendment, was passed.
- The meeting also received the London Diocesan Fund’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2024. In 2024 the LDF had continued to invest in sustaining and developing parish ministry and supporting parishes and worshipping communities across the Diocese. Parishes, Bishop’s Mission Orders, grant funders and the stewardship of the LDF’s assets had together funded the range of activity. The LDF was extremely grateful to all parishes and partners who contributed to the LDF through Common Fund, payments and grants to enable ministry and mission in the Diocese of London.
- Other agenda items were a brief update on the Common Fund process for 2026 contributions, and a proclamation of amended Vacancy in See Committee regulations for noting.
The final agenda item was a response to, and brief discussions of, a range of questions raised before the meeting by individual members of the Diocesan Synod. Topics included:
- Next steps following the translation of Biship Ric (the Bishop of Islington) to Archbishop of Melbourne.
- Process for consent to exercise ministry in the parish of another incumbent.
- Timelines and inclusivity in the discernment process.
- The new posts of Area deans of mission in Edmonton and Two Cities.
- The number of parishes falling short of their Common Fund pledges due to financial difficulties
- The Assisted Dying Bill
- Net zero programme targets
- LDF staffing levels
- The potential for PLF to impact on Growing Younger
- Inclusivity in applying LLF guidelines, triennial elections, and representation on Deanery Synods.
The Bishop of London closed the meeting with a prayer.