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Good morning.

These are tough days to be part of the leadership of the Church of England as we live through a sustained and seemingly endless crisis. We have lost an Archbishop of Canterbury in the fallout from a report about a serial abuser. And then last week the Bishop of Liverpool resigned following allegations of sexual assault and harassment, allegations which he denies. A constant criticism of the church in all this is a failure to heed the voices of victims and survivors of abuse. I am part of a church that needs to relearn the art of humility.

But in the midst of this crisis in the church at a national level, the local church remains vibrant and yesterday many were keeping the Feast of Candlemas. It’s a Feast rooted in a story from Luke’s Gospel, one which has advice not just for the Church of England but, in my view, for any organisation that is going through a crisis.

In accord with tradition, Mary and Joseph carried the two year old Jesus into the Temple to offer sacrifice. And there an old man, Simeon, took the child in his arms and sang to him as the light to enlighten the nations.

In his words of prophecy, Simeon called for two responses to this child: change and trust. He challenges Mary to change and become a disciple of her own child. But what makes Mary’s change possible is trust: her deep-seated faith in the constancy of God whose long-promised salvation is now revealed in Jesus. Her trust in God is what gives her the security to change.

The Church of England needs to change. Those who lead need the courage to reform structures and processes to make them safer. Those of us who hold responsibility need to change our hearts and hear the voices of the broken and the victimised. But change can be alarming unless it comes with trust. It is the security we find from trusting in God’s justice and mercy that will drive through the radical changes that are required.

We live in a culture that won’t tolerate double standards or cover up, one where leadership no longer comes with respect and where institutions are viewed with a healthy suspicion. There are many organisations that, like the Church of England, need to change.

But change is frightening unless there is something to fall back on - something to trust. That may be faith, that may be a strong set of values, that may be the founding principles of an organisation. But for change to be embraced, people also need to know what they can trust in.

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