Lambeth Conference 2022:
God’s Church for God’s World
Lambeth Conference 2022: God’s Church for God’s World
The Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
The Lambeth Conference is a gathering of all active bishops of member churches of the Anglican Communion. It was first held in 1867 and takes place approximately every ten years at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Conference affords the bishops the opportunity to meet, pray together, discuss common concerns and seek a common mind.
The next Lambeth Conference will be hosted in Canterbury from 27 July to 8 August 2022. With the theme of ‘God’s Church for God’s World – walking, listening and witnessing together,’ the conference will explore what it means for the Anglican Communion to be responsive to the needs of a 21st Century world. The event is organised and run by the Lambeth Conference Company assisted by staff from Lambeth Palace and the Anglican Consultative Council. The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion serves as conference secretary.
As the Lambeth Conference explores the theme of being ‘God’s Church for God’s World’, the Biblical focus for the event will be the book of 1 Peter. Each day the conference community will listen to a Bible Exposition and take part in a Bible study. The Bible study groupings will mix bishops from different dioceses around the world, so that they can hear more about one another’s contexts.
Programme themes will include Mission and Evangelism, Safe Church, Communion, Reconciliation, Environment and Sustainable Development, Christian Unity, Interfaith Relations and Discipleship. Wider themes will also be considered including ongoing response to a world changed by COVID-19 and the relationship of the Church with the increasing role of science and technology in our lives. The conference will also include a seminar and evening programme. The Spouses’ Programme mirrors much of the bishops’ programme, apart from during the Bishops’ retreat or discussion sessions for Lambeth Calls.
Common commitments agreed will be ‘sent out’ after the conference, inviting and calling the Anglican Communion to enact them in their communities in the generation ahead.
Please pray for the wellbeing and enrichment of all the attending bishops and their spouses; for the volunteers and stewards that are sharing their time to support the event; for the chaplaincy and worship teams who will provide spiritual guidance and pastoral support throughout the conference; and for the speakers and contributors that will deliver sessions and the wider conference staff.
For more details on Lambeth 2022 visit www.lambethconference.org
It’s my prayer that, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Lambeth Conference will reinvigorate the Communion with the vision and resources to bring the transforming love of Jesus Christ to every level of society across the world. It will be a time of addressing hurts and concerns; of deepening existing relationships and building new ones; of grappling with issues that face the Church and the world. We will listen to each other; we will seek God’s wisdom to find ways to walk together; we will build each other up as leaders.
Published in Messenger July 2022