ReNew: abuse & healthy church

The annual conference of ReNew for conservative evangelicals in the Church of England has been held in-person again, after a virtual session last year due to the pandemic.

The event tackled issues of spiritual abuse following recent high-profile cases and the publication of the Thirtyone:eight report into Jonathan Fletcher’s time at Emmanuel, Wimbledon. It also focused on ‘establishing healthy churches’ – the theme for the gathering.

Bishop Andy Lines of the Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE) – a grouping outside traditional Anglican structures – said: ‘There were three sessions that together helped us begin to consider the impact of the Thirtyone:eight Review. These were sensitively and humbly handled, with Mark Wallace explaining the review carried out into ReNew itself, with changes made including the significantly greater transparency in leadership at regional and national levels and of the trustees; Rob Hudson leading us in prayer and lament; and Mark Burkill (Chairman of Trustees) requesting and fielding feedback on the Thirtyone:eight Review together with a panel. He requested that any further concerns about ReNew be addressed to him.

‘A particular highlight for me was the survey of Titus by David Short, as he showed how the proverbial prevailing Cretan culture had infiltrated the church and that the antidote was godly leadership imbued with and adorning the gospel.’

Jason Roach (London City Mission), Mike Smith (St John’s, Hartford), and David Short (St John’s, Vancouver) brought Bible readings.

Ed Pennington of Christ Church Endcliffe said: ‘It has been a difficult and troubling period for conservative evangelicals, with a number of cases of past abuse coming to light. Many searching questions have been asked, and many recommendations made from Thirtyone:eight lessons learned reviews – especially the one concerning Jonathan Fletcher and Emmanuel Church Wimbledon. So it was good to see a lot of time in the programme given to establishing healthy leadership in particular.’