CHURCH OF WALES SURRENDERS: Bishops Schedule Same-Sex Marriage Vote for 2027 After Listening Exercise
The Bench of Bishops of the Church in Wales released a pastoral letter on Wednesday, November 20th, announcing plans to bring proposals to the Governing Body in April 2027 to permit same sex marriage in their churches.
The announcement follows a six month listening exercise in which most participants favored offering equal marriage to traditional and same sex couples. "In seeking to discern God's will, the bishops believe that the right way forward is to offer Governing Body the opportunity to make decisions on behalf of the Church," the letter stated.
The bishops will first bring proposals in April 2026 to make the authorization of Blessings for Same Sex Couples permanent in the Church, followed by the marriage proposal in 2027.
The pastoral letter acknowledged that a strong part of the Church family finds such steps difficult to hold within their understanding of fidelity to Scripture.
"Christians differ in approach: advocates for equal marriage argue from the inclusive love of Jesus, while others highlight faithfulness to the traditional reading of Biblical texts," the bishops wrote.
The bishops stated this should not be a "Church dividing issue" and that the Church in Wales needs to take seriously scriptural injunctions to bear with one another in love.
The Governing Body authorized a five year experimental Rite of Blessing over four years ago for same sex couples who had celebrated civil marriage or partnership.
In 2021, the Church approved a blessing service, passed unanimously by the bishops, by clergy 28 to 12, and by laity 49 to 10.
The Church in Wales currently permits priests to enter same sex civil partnerships. In 2025, the Church elected Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales, making her the first woman archbishop in the United Kingdom and the first openly LGBTQ partnered bishop to be a Primate within the Anglican Communion.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
The Church of Wales has traded Scripture for sentiment.
Their "listening exercise" heard more from culture than from God.
Two thousand years of biblical teaching on marriage doesn't need a vote. It needs faithful proclamation.
Bishops claiming to "discern God's will" while ignoring His written Word aren't discerning anything except polling data.
Marriage is not a democracy. God defined it. One man, one woman, for life. Genesis 2:24. Matthew 19:4-6. Done.
The Welsh bishops say this shouldn't be "church dividing." But abandoning biblical authority always divides the faithful from the unfaithful.
When your first openly LGBTQ archbishop leads the charge to redefine marriage, you're not following Christ. You're following culture wearing a cassock.
Evangelical Anglicans in Wales face a choice: remain in a church that has abandoned orthodoxy, or depart for faithful fellowship.
The global Anglican Communion fractures further while Welsh bishops congratulate themselves for "charity."
TAKE ACTION
Support orthodox Anglicans in Wales: • Evangelical Fellowship in the Church of Wales: Research and contact for support information • GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference): https://www.gafcon.org/donate • Anglican Church in North America (model for orthodox departure): https://anglicanchurch.net
Stand for biblical marriage: • Contact Church in Wales bishops to express opposition before the 2027 vote • Support evangelical Welsh congregations considering departure from the denomination • Pray for faithful Welsh Anglican pastors and congregations facing pressure to compromise
Resources on biblical sexuality: • Evangelical Fellowship in the Church of Wales statements on marriage • GAFCON theological resources: https://www.gafcon.org/resources • Pray for the Church in Wales Governing Body members to uphold Scripture in 2027
