What are the Prayers of Love and Faith and why do they matter?

The House of Bishops have confirmed that they will shortly be commending the Prayers of Love and Faith for use in churches, and that they understand these prayers to be blessings on same-sex couples. It is extremely important that lay people understand what these prayers are and why their introduction matters so much. Some people will assume that opposition is simply homophobia, and others will just be confused by the whole thing.

The attached file can be printed or shared digitally with everyone in your church, to help them understand what the Prayers of Love and Faith are, why some people support them and others are opposed to them, how the church can and should welcome and love all people, and what actions we can take. The sheet could be used as a starting point for PCC discussions. You could distribute it to the whole congregation and then invite anyone with questions or concerns to a meeting about it. You might want to take time in a Sunday service to explain what is happening and then let people take the sheet away afterwards to consider more carefully. It is a deliberately simple introduction to the current situation, so you may need to explain some of the context that has led to this point, and you may wish to give more details about the proposed process over the next couple of years.

Please feel free to share this wherever you think it may be helpful.