Diocesan Synod took place on Saturday 14 March at St Andrew's Paddock Wood.
In his Presidential Address, Bishop Jonathan, reflected on the increasing polarisation of opinions in society and the need for us to be willing to approach our differences in the spirit of Christ by, "counting others better than ourselves, listening to and seeking to understand others’ anxieties and concerns, but also being willing robustly to challenge hatred and injustice wherever they are found."
Read his address in full below.
Bishop's Presidential Address
I am conscious of course that many of our minds will have been taken up in recent days with events in the Middle East, following the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran. Our concerns will no doubt be about numerous aspects of what is happening, including the impact on civilians in nations across the region.
Some of us, me included, will have relatives living in one or other of the states affected. The apparently increasing willingness of major nations to use military force in seeking to achieve their goals, including of course Russia in Ukraine, rather than diplomacy, is itself a matter of grave concern.
And the unintended (if not entirely unforeseeable) consequences of such action on the world economy demonstrate just some of the ways in which such action has a far wider impact than those initiating military action may have considered.
I have deliberately chosen my words carefully and have sought to avoid attempting to make any definitive judgements about the rights and wrongs of what is going on. I am somewhat wary of religious leaders turning themselves into geopolitical pundits, rushing in where even angels might fear to tread.
But I would urge us all to consider the spiritual dimension of what is taking place, and to ask ourselves questions about what has been driving this shift away from a more rules-based approach to world order, including an apparent need to reassert a sense of identity in the face of a changing and challenging world.
You can insert whatever name you like into the slogan, “Make (our country) Great Again”, be it the USA or Russia or whoever else, but such slogan always seems to be predicated on putting someone else down, in the hope that we can come out on top.
And we need to be aware that the same kind of attitudes and the sense of insecurity that contribute to these issues on the international scene can also play out in the realm of local and national politics.
Here in the United Kingdom, we have seen increasing concern about the rise in immigration and the effects this has been perceived to have on some of our communities, including in this diocese.
We need to hear and seek to understand those concerns, but we also need to hear and understand the impact this has had on many UK citizens of Global Majority Heritage, including perhaps some of us here today, as they have experienced a significant rise in ethnic and racial stereotyping and abuse.
This is just one small part of why our consideration today of our Diocesan Racial Justice Strategy is so important.
This strategy is a key part of our wider Diocesan Vision and Strategy, which has at its heart our commitment to seek first the kingdom of God and whose number one objective is to grow safe and healthy cultures for all.
In our second main item of business, we will receive an update on the Diocesan Vision and Strategy, as many of the workstreams get under way, and later in the morning Archdeacon Allie will report on both Safe and Healthy Culture and on Safeguarding.
Synod, these items of business are integral to our work as the people of God in the Diocese of Rochester. They are an essential part of what it means for us to seek first the kingdom of God, which is to do with bringing people to faith in Christ, growing Christian communities that bring his light and truth into the darkness of our world, and making a positive difference in the lives of the people and communities among which we serve.
And may I say that I am seeing huge encouragements as I go round visiting parishes and churches week by week, with wonderful testimonies of people coming to faith, growing as disciples and doing great things in their communities.
And these signs are borne out in the recently released preliminary 2025 statistics for mission for the Diocese of Rochester, which show a significant increase in Usual Sunday Attendance of 8.6% among children and 3.8% among adults.
Synod, this really is good news!
We will also hear later about the proceedings of the General Synod last month in London. It was the first opportunity for Archbishop Sarah to address the Synod since her Confirmation of Election, and I am sure we will all be praying for her as she is installed as Archbishop at Canterbury Cathedral later this month.
I will leave it to Trudi and Jim to share their perspective on what else went on, but, needless to say, the business of Synod is not always pretty, and it can feel as though we spend a good deal of time going round in circles!
But the reality is that Synod is one of the key places where the Church of England has to work out its shared future, whether it’s over contentious issues like Living in Love and Faith or over issues where there is almost unanimous agreement, such a growing new worshipping communities or encouraging more diverse vocations.
As we approach Holy Week and Easter, may I encourage us all to reflect once more on the central events of our faith, and on the willingness of the Son of God to lay down his life for our sakes. Here was the very antithesis of self-assertion, the supreme embodiment of self-giving for the sake of others.
It appeared utterly foolish to those who looked on, not least to the powers-that-be of the day, but it was of course gloriously vindicated by our Lord’s resurrection from the dead, on Easter Day.
The lesson of history is that self-assertion almost always leads to defeat and destruction in the end. That was what Jesus warned when he foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, which was razed to the ground following a failed rebellion just a generation later.
Of course, there can be times when the use of force to resist and overcome aggression is absolutely necessary, as it was in Europe and across the world in the 1940s. But those times are few and such action should only be undertaken when all the options for achieving a peaceful resolution have been exhausted, because once the genie of war has been released, the consequences can never be predicted or contained.
And that is not just the case in the sphere of international relations. It also applies in local and national politics and indeed in the life of the Church.
The increasing vehemence of political rhetoric and the increasing polarisation of opinions, not least when amplified in the out-of-control arena of social media, should be a huge concern for all of us.
I am shocked by the way in which even Christian leaders at times speak of those with whom they differ, with disdain and disrespect, which to me falls far short of the standard to which we are called as disciples of Christ.
If we are to help find a way through the challenges we are facing both as a nation and as a Church, then it will only be through our willingness to approach our differences in the spirit of Christ, counting others better than ourselves, listening to and seeking to understand others’ anxieties and concerns, but also being willing robustly to challenge hatred and injustice wherever they are found.
Synod, our calling and our vision is to seek first the kingdom of God, with courage, compassion and creativity. I pray we will be willing to approach all we do in that spirit, not only today but every day.
Thank you very much.
The Rev Dr Jonathan Gibbs
Bishop of Rochester
14 March 2026