The Human Sexuality Task Group

Agreed by Mission Council in January 2008 this group was able to meet for the first time in December 2008 with the following remit:

  1. With regard to the 2007 report to General Assembly, to disseminate the Commitment as appropriate, to listen carefully to different voices within the church, to seek to increase mutual understanding and to strive to maintain the unity and integrity of the United Reformed Church.
  2. To explore the suggested methods of working set out in section 8 in the Assembly Report particularly in relation to the pace and manner in which different matters might be addressed.
  3. To take up questions raised in section 9 of the Assembly Report and to set in train processes for handling these issues whether by different means or grouped together, whether by the task group itself or by others and then to enable wider discussion and decision on them as appropriate.
  4. To gather and publish accessible materials as appropriate.
  5. To report to Mission Council and through Mission Council, to General Assembly regularly, so that interim progress reports are given, if appropriate to each meeting of these bodies and that a major, if not final report for General Assembly is submitted by 2010.

Members of the group are:

John Waller (Convener), Lucy Brierley (Secretary) John Bradbury, Sr Cecily Boulding (ecumenical member) Richard Church, Doreen Daley, Claire Gouldthorpe, Val Morrison.

The group met three times between December and April, reported to Mission Councilin May and have subsequently had one further meeting. The report to Mission Council was the result of the preliminary discussions of the group in which we concluded that the first part of our work should focus around three areas:

  • Unity and diversity
  • The use of Scripture in theological reflection and practice
  • Human relationships and human sexuality

We further asked Mission Council to release us from the requirement to produce a major report for General Assembly 2010, whilst leaving the option for some report to be made at that stage. Mission Council also encouraged us to work on alternative ways of continuing the human sexuality discussion.

Section 9 of the 2007 Assembly report lists eleven points and the group has not forgotten that these require further work.

At the meeting held on 19th June 2009 wediscussed the following issues and agreed the related actions

  1. Communication

There is concern throughout the church that discussions are taking place and decisions being made on a number of issuesof which the majority of people have no knowledge.

We agreed we would discuss the possibility of articles in Reform addressing the issues from personal experience and covering such topics as Singleness, Widowhood, Marriage, Cohabitation, Same-sex Relationships.

We agreed to seek to put a digest of the minutes of the meetings of the group on the website following each meeting.

We agreed to seek ways to have an ‘open microphone’ session initially at Mission Council in which people would be asked only to speak from their experience as a way of enabling the provision of safe space and encouraging a sharing of experiencesfrom all human sexuality perspectives.

  1. Timescale

There is an inevitable tension between the gradual and the urgent withconcern that the lesbian and gay community hear from Assembly 2010 that they are valued but also that conservatives hear that there is progress.

We agreed that we needed to hold those differing views, taking time, consulting appropriately and building trust but giving ourselves an ‘end date’ of General Assembly 2012 with interim reports as appropriate to Mission Council.

  1. The Commitment

Discussion at Mission Council confirmed our thinking that this had not been used in many places. Southern Synod had used it and it had generated a good discussion but others had seen it as an interim measure with more work required.

We agreed that the Commitment should stand as a statement of the United Reformed Church’s present position on human sexuality issues, be available for reference and be the basis from which the continuing discussion will begin.

  1. The 11 points

At our last meeting some time was spent deciding which can naturally be incorporated into the work which will be done on the three main areas listed, which require specific expertise and which could be left to a later part of the process.

We agreed: (the numbers refer to the numbers in the 2007 General Assembly report)

9.1 Theology – This task should be remitted to the Faith and Order Group with a request that they recommend to us accessible already-published material on the theology of same sex relationships. We are looking for a laying out of the thinking of the church, drawing on the doctrines of the church in relation to this specific situation. We are not aiming for a settled position. People are used to Bible Study and they are used to engaging with real life issues but the theology/doctrine is often missing, a framework is needed.

9.2 Advocacy – The position of the United Reformed Church is covered by the Commitment

9.3 Standards9.4 Discipline - The Ministries Committee is working on standards for ministers and elders.

9.5 Legal implications -now is not the time to seek legal advice.

9.6 Blessing of civil partnerships - The guidelines need to be reviewed

9.7 Unity & 9.8 Diversity–these are covered in the three main themes of our work

9.9 Conscience - this will be deferred for the time being.

9.10 Stereotyping - Stereotypes are often best confronted through encounters with those who are different to us. It may therefore be useful for some discussion contexts to be in settings where different perspectives are represented.

9.11 Pastoral issues - the present situation means that Moderators have to make pastoral judgments, comments have been invited from them.