Alternative Spiritual Oversight (ASO)

Alternative Spiritual Oversight (ASO) is informal, temporary spiritual oversight, facilitated by CEEC, within the Church of England. It provides support and spiritual oversight from and for people continuing to hold to the biblical and Anglican doctrine of marriage and sexual ethics within the Church of England. 

It does this while continuing to recognise the ongoing formal and legal role of serving bishops.

Request ASO


Is ASO for you?

ASO is for you if you are a church or church leader feeling in impaired relationship with your bishop. We know many are feeling isolated, weary and longing for oversight from a bishop who holds to biblical and Anglican doctrine, especially around marriage and sexual ethics. Is this you?

ASO could help, while we seek permanent structural provision within the Church of England for those who hold to the biblical and Anglican view of authority in all matters of faith and conduct, including relationships and marriage.

It’s part of our wider provisions for orthodox believers in the Church of England. 

The Background

Some clergy and/or PCCs now feel in impaired fellowship with their bishops as a result of their bishop’s support for the Prayers of Love and Faith and for the general direction of travel towards same sex marriage.

While they recognise the ongoing formal, legal and safeguarding role of their bishops, the reality is that many people (both lay and clergy) are feeling isolated, and long for support and spiritual oversight from people continuing to hold the biblical and Anglican view of authority in all matters of faith and conduct, including relationships and marriage.

CEEC is therefore facilitating the provision of such support in order to help clergy and parishes receive spiritual oversight without having to look outside of the Church of England. This provision is both informal and temporary but could be a stepping-stone to the formal and permanent provision which we hope and pray will be agreed as part of a new structural arrangement and settlement.

Clergy and/or parishes, seeking alternative spiritual oversight, must continue to be accountable for safeguarding to their diocesan bishop and safeguarding officers.

ASO Panel

CEEC has appointed a diverse panel of experienced leaders from across the evangelical constituency (spanning charismatics and conservatives, egalitarians and complementarians) to discern whom God might be calling to be Overseers. This panel is chaired by CEEC President Julian Henderson (the previous Bishop of Blackburn) and comprises:

  • Rt Revd Pete Broadbent – former Bishop of Willesden
  • Rt Revd Julian Henderson (chair), former Bishop of Blackburn
  • Busola Sodeinde – General Synod and Church Commissioner
  • Revd Elaine Sutherland – Vicar, Holy Trinity Leicester
  • Rt Revd Rod Thomas – former Bishop of Maidstone
  • Jane Patterson – member of General Synod and 10 years on Crown Nominations Commission (CNC)
  • Brian O’Donoghue – Pioneering and Operations Director, Renew
  • Revd Canon John Dunnett – National Director, CEEC and chair of Evangelical Group on General Synod
  • Revd John Coles – Ambassador, New Wine
Clergy/PCCs – Request ASO

Overseers

CEEC continues to invite suggestions of people who might be called to this overseer ministry. View the overseer role description.

Current Overseers

We have commissioned a diverse group of experienced leaders from across the evangelical constituency (spanning charismatics and conservatives, egalitarians and complementarians) to be spiritual overseers:

  • Revd Christabel Ager
  • Revd Simon Austen
  • Revd David Banting
  • Right Revd Pete Broadbent
  • Revd Mark Burkill
  • Revd Kieran Bush
  • Revd Mike Cain
  • Revd John Coles
  • Revd Anita Colplus
  • Revd Paul Darlington
  • Revd Ian Dowsett
  • Revd Paul Harcourt
  • Revd David Heath-Whyte
  • Right Revd Julian Henderson
  • Revd Paul Jump
  • Revd Angus MacLeay
  • Revd Phil Moon
  • Revd Jane Morris
  • Revd Richard Moy
  • Right Revd Rob Munro
  • Revd Mark Pickles
  • Revd Mark Redhouse
  • Revd Steve Rees
  • Revd Vaughan Roberts
  • Right Revd Henry Scriven
  • Right Revd Keith Sinclair
  • Revd Mike Smith
  • Revd William Taylor
  • Right Revd Rod Thomas
  • Revd Donna Williams

Do you know someone who might be called to be an overseer?

CEEC is inviting suggestions of people who might be appropriate for overseer ministry.

Please provide us with the name and contact details of the person/people you’d like to nominate and the reason why they might be suitable for the role.

Suggest an Overseer

Frequently Asked Questions

The alternative spiritual oversight being facilitated by CEEC is a stop gap measure to enable people to stay in the Church of England while we seek a more robust settlement for the long term. It is informal and temporary – and offered as a provision for those who believe they are in ‘impaired relationship’ with their bishop(s).

In practice, this means that if a vicar or PCC doesn’t have confidence in the spiritual leadership they’re under, they can ask CEEC for spiritual oversight. That doesn’t remove their obligations in law to their diocesan bishop, nor their obligations under safeguarding to the diocese – these things remain in place as the legal structures.

The spiritual oversight being facilitated by CEEC will include pastoral counsel, prayerful support and personal accountability. We, at CEEC, have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we need a radical restructuring. The critical nature of the issue – a doctrinal issue – and the number of churches involved means this requires a new differentiated structure.

The overseer is someone who will offer spiritual counsel, advice, prayerful support, an occasional preaching visit and one-to-one time to talk through significant issues. It is unlikely to include confirmation services (though if the relevant diocesan bishop approves it could if your oversight is provided by a bishop). Informal alternative spiritual oversight has no licensing capability and doesn’t in any way replace diocesan safeguarding arrangements. It is a voluntary relationship, but which can include real accountability and support.

Curates and their training incumbents will need to think carefully before a curate applies for alternative spiritual oversight as to whether in their context/diocese there is a risk of this prejudicing their sign off.

Yes because the provisions provided by the Bishop of Ebbsfleet are directly related to a complementarian theology and it is important for everyone that the theological issues of complementarian callings and sexual ethics are not put in one and the same box/are not treated as synonymous. However, we anticipate that CEEC will refer those parishes to continue under his extended oversight where he is licensed as an Honorary Assistant bishop.

Many people find the distinction between temporal and spiritual to be helpful in thinking through the ministry received from a bishop. The alternative spiritual oversight offered through CEEC doesn’t in any way impact the temporal (e.g. legal) ministry received from a diocesan bishop.

As the alternative spiritual oversight being provided by CEEC is informal and of no legal status it is difficult to see how disciplinary sanctions could be made against it.

Alternative spiritual oversight is a voluntary arrangement and any accountability is offered by mutual agreement.

Yes, they can.

Out of courtesy we suggest clergy inform their diocesan or other bishops as appropriate. We would always encourage maximum transparency.

In communicating with your bishop, your PCC or individual clergy will need to decide whether their reason for requesting alternative spiritual oversight is primarily addressing a personally need or if it helps give them a protesting voice.

If your diocesan bishop has publicly declared and demonstrated their orthodoxy then CEEC would not normally facilitate alternative spiritual oversight. You can let us know that you would request ASO if your diocesan was not orthodox by filling out the form on this page.

The bishops that we are working with to provide alternative spiritual oversight may or may not wish to offer it if your diocesan bishop is against it. But we will also be offering alternative spiritual oversight through non-consecrated overseers who we hope will be able to offer this support regardless of your diocesan bishop.

As far as it seems possible it seems logical to make this provision on a geographic basis since that will enable local relationships to be built and supported. At the same time we are aware of theological emphases within our constituency (e.g. around charismatic and complementarian theologies) and would want to honour these in the provision of oversight as far as is possible.

While we will honour the theological convictions of those who seek alternative spiritual oversight, it is neither appropriate nor practical for people to choose the individual who provides it.

MDRs are a formal part of the oversight you receive from your bishop. We cannot replicate them in an informal provision and unless your diocesan bishop invites us to be involved in this, any equivalent we offer will only be informal.

If it is a vicar who has requested alternative spiritual oversight and they move on, then the alternative spiritual oversight comes to an end at that point. If a PCC has asked for it and received it, then it will continue, although what role it plays in an interregnum will need to be worked out at the time.

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