This website provides a gateway to details about the churches within Erith Deanery.
Erith Deanery consists of 13 parish churches within the Diocese of Rochester (Bromley and Bexley Archdeaconry), and is in the London Borough of Bexley (covering Barnehurst, Belvedere, Bexleyheath, Bostall Heath, Crayford, Erith, Falconwood, Northumberland Heath, Slade Green and Welling).
Erith Deanery provides the opportunity for our churches to work together in proclaiming God's Word and serving our communities; as well as coming together for regular Synods.
Through Erith Deanery Youth Trust we contine working together to fund a childrens and youth work Development Worker. This post provides encouragement, training and resources to youth and children's workers in our Deanery. To visit the website click here.
Synod news The following information may be of use to Synod members and other members of our churches who are interested in our up-coming Deanery Synod debate on Women in the Episcopate. Please note that this debate is about the arrangements for the introduction of women bishops, NOT a debate about whether having women bishops is a good idea or not. For more information about the debate, please speak to one of the clergy or one of your lay Synod representatives
PDF file of 'Amending Canon No. 30'
PDF file of 'Draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of women) measure'
PDF file of background notes
To aid understanding of the debate, here are links to organisations with a range of views on the issues:
- Affirming Catholicism have a page with their 2007 submission on the issue and subsequent press releases here.
- A booklet Women Bishops: Understanding the Arguments jointly produced by Affirming Catholicism and The Society of Catholic Priests is available from here.
- The Church of England Evangelical Council website has articles on the topic (see the sidebar on the left of their page).
- Church Society has a mass of articles on the topic here
- Forward in Faith has produced documents on the issue available here - (go to documents on the sidebar on the left, and select documents listed under Women Bishops?).
- Fulcrum has a large number of documents listed in their section on Women Bishops on this page.
- The GRAS website
- Inclusive Church have a page on the topic
- Reform have a resources page which includes an article and videos on Women Bishops, and Reform also point to the Latimer Trust draft publication Church, Women Bishops and Provision which is available for download from the Latimer Trust website.
- WATCH have various resources on the topic here.