Wot? Trust The CofE?

Is it any wonder that trust levels are falling in the Church of England?

Susie Leafe  12 July 2024.

(Photo: Church of England)

"The fight for trust is the battle that defines our age." So said Sir Keir Starmer to his supporters moments after Rishi Sunak conceded defeat.

Keir Starmer's speech to supporters in full Sir Keir Starmer delivers a victory speech at a rally in London. Here it is in full.

This was not news to those who attend or follow General Synod. It used to be that you would hear a few mutterings of dissent in the corridors, but more lately members have articulated their concerns publicly in questions and speeches. That the number of written questions submitted by members has more than doubled over the past five years is a tangible manifestation of these decreasing levels of trust.

In 2023, the Rt Hon Sir David Lidington, Chair of the Project Board examining the governance of the Church of England, told General Synod, "Let me be frank, having never previously been involved in Church governance, I have been personally shocked by the depth of resentment and mistrust that pervades relationships between different organisations, traditions and people within the Church family. Governance reform will not on its own deliver the cultural change needed, but it can help. Without governance reform, I believe it will be very hard to overcome mistrust."

He pointed to the 2022 Governance Review Group's

The day after Keir Starmer took office, the Church of England's General Synod listened to a presentation from Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, Dean of the University of Bristol Business School. She is a co-author of the recent report, "Trust and Trustworthiness in the Church of England".

Professor Hope Hailey offered four criteria by which people judge the trustworthiness of leaders: ability, benevolence, integrity and predictability. Of the four, a breach of ability or competence is the easiest to repair, because no one expects anyone to be perfect. However, when there is doubt about whether those asking you to trust them have your best interests at heart or share your values or when they give conflicting messages, trust quickly vanishes.

which he said set out "a confusing lack of clarity over who was responsible for decisions ... pervading everything, a lack of transparency with a plethora of committees, subcommittees, commissions and boards, a bureaucratic tangle in which it was almost impossible to take even urgent decisions clearly and quickly, or to hold decision-takers to account". CT.