As a result of engaging with the Living in Love & Faith resources, it is hoped that people and church communities will:
Living in Love and Faith (LLF)
Through its ‘Living in Love and Faith’ (LLF) programme, the Church of England wants to understand what it means to follow Christ in love and faith given the questions about human identity and the variety of patterns of relationship emerging in our society, including marriage, civil partnership, cohabitation, celibacy and friendship.
- be inspired by scripture’s glorious and joyful vision of God’s intention for human life.
- have discovered rich biblical, theological, historical and scientific thinking about human identity, sexuality and marriage in a way that deepens their desire to know God and follow Christ.
- have a deeper understanding of the Church’s inherited teaching on Christian living in love and faith, especially with regard to marriage and singleness, and of emergent views and the Christian reasoning behind them.
- have heard the voices and encountered experiences of people who would otherwise have been invisible to them.
- have learned ways of reading scripture together well, allowing it to exert its transforming and revelatory power.
- Find help in everyday Christian discipleship in all its diversity, physicality, messiness and grittiness.
- Be alert to the interaction between the life of the church and its cultural contexts and equipped to engage in the public square about what it means to be human and sexual.
Diocese of York contacts: LLF Advocates
As Diocesan LLF Advocates, our role is not to represent a particular position or to facilitate all LLF discussions, but to assist in the process. Do contact us if you have questions or comments to make regarding LLF in the Diocese of York.
- The Revd Richard Walker is vicar of St Mary’s, Scarborough. He is married and has three adult children; he loves walking, theology and Wold Gold beer.
revrichardjwalker@gmail.com - Helen Lawrence is assistant manager at Wydale Hall, the York Diocesan Retreat House near Scarborough. She is single and doesn’t have children; she loves word play, cliff paths and seafood.
helen.lawrence@wydale.org
Here in the Diocese of York, with our vision of Living Christ’s Story, we have an opportunity to contribute to this understanding by learning with and from one another's experience of God working in our lives and in our relationships.
Issues of love and faith are deeply personal and can be challenging topics for conversation. Living in Love and Faith provides a framework within which a courageous environment can be fostered and these topics can be addressed in safety. This framework is built on clear pastoral principles, and we have made a series of short videos to introduce each one:
Living in Love & Faith in your church or group
The Living in Love & Faith website at www.churchofengland.org/llf contains all the resources you will need to engage with the course. Simply register for the Learning Hub and enjoy unlimited access to video sessions that will take you step by step through each part of LLF, as well as extensive leaders’ notes for each session, tips on how to create an environment where participants are empowered to engage bravely and safely, and what to do if the discussions take a difficult turn.
Pastoral Support
If engaging with these topics is particularly difficult for you for any reason, and your usual route for pastoral support isn’t appropriate, do feel free to contact the Revd Andrew De Smet, the Co-ordinator of Pastoral Care in the Diocese, for confidential pastoral support: andrew.desmet@yorkdiocese.org.
Safeguarding
If at any point during engagement with LLF you have safeguarding concerns, contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor without delay: 01904 699524 or safeguarding@yorkdiocese.org.
Results and Responses from church wide engagement
The feedback from the national church survey has been analysed and brought together in the following reports:
- Listening with Love and Faith, a summary report
- A more detailed, technical report
- Friendship and the Body of Christ, a reflective essay
Church of England publishes Living in Love and Faith resources:
9 November 2020