The first round of Lambeth Conference Bishops’ Conversations start today

On the 6th and 8th July, the first round of Lambeth Conference Bishop’s Conversations will begin. Meeting online, the sessions are going to be part of the ‘listening phase’, that leads up to the face-to-face event being planned for the summer of 2022.

The first session is called ‘Called Together’ and will focus on ‘Gathering’. Bishops will meet via Zoom, in groups of around 20 – and will continue with their group for the duration of the six-month programme. Through Bible Study and facilitated discussion, the bishops will also be invited to share how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting them in their context.

Anglican Bishops work across the Anglican Communion – which is based in over 165 countries. Whilst many will meet often through different Anglican networks and initiatives, the Lambeth Conference online sessions will provide an important opportunity for new connections and relationships to be formed.

All active bishops in the Anglican Communion have been invited to take part in Bishops’ Conversations and at the time of writing, almost 500 bishops have registered from around the Anglican Communion.

In some parts of the world, accessing a reliable internet connection can be more challenging, making participation in the online sessions more difficult for some bishops. In such cases, the Lambeth Conference have made small bursaries available to support with technical needs.

The sessions have been designed by a Working Group, who include: Bishop Emma Ineson (Chair); Bishop Anthony Poggo (Adviser to the Archbishop of Canterbury on Anglican Communion Affairs; Reverend Professor Joseph Galgalo (Anglican Church of Kenya) , Bishop Pradeep Samantaroy (Diocese of Amritsar, North India), Lord Stephen Green (Chair of Trustees) and Matthew Frost (member of the Archbishop’s Council).

Bishop Emma Ineson said: ‘Planning, praying, and preparing for the Bishops’ Conversations has been a real delight and privilege. Over the last few months, the conference Working Group and wider planning teams have worked hard to create a programme that is designed to help bishops get to know one another more, pray, study the Bible, and discuss key issues in church and world affairs. We welcome all that are participating – and pray that God’s spirit will guide our discussions.’

In a recent series of films, members of the Working Group and planning teams have shared their hopes for Lambeth conference Bishops’ Conversations, in a panel discussion with The Archbishop of Canterbury.

For more information about the programme click here.

open to all:
the Phase 3 webinars