It's easy to say that the primary purpose of the Open Synod Group is to provide a safe and generous space in which EVERYONE can feel at home, valued and affirmed. But how easy is it to deliver that aspiration in practice – and do we in fact achieve it?

We already appeal to those who long for the whole of the Church of England (and in particular the General Synod) to be such a place—to those who strive to make their parish churches places of welcome for whole communities and
for anyone who walks through the door. I know from the village church of which I am churchwarden that although we work hard at our welcome and encouragement of all-comers, beneath the surface there are tensions. Not everyone feels equally at home; those who 'belong' feel it easier to welcome some than others. We try to please and feed everyone, but still some leave us to travel to churches which are more clearly focussed in their teaching or liturgical practice. Does trying to please everybody end up satisfying nobody? Would it be better just to accept that churches do better if they appeal to more clearly defined groups?

All our instincts shout NO! We need of course to hold fast to the truths of our faith (I am not saying that 'anything goes'), but surely the best churches have a very broad spectrum of age ranges, social and ethnic backgrounds, maturity in the faith, expectations and experience of styles of worship. To make it work takes humility, ability to listen to criticism, openness to change; constant and careful attention to detail and individuals.

And what about the Open Synod Group? Although anyone can join, and we would like to think that anyone would, the plain truth is that most members are 'people like us'. To fulfil our purpose, we need to encourage our friends and colleagues from right across the spectrum to consider joining us – and at the same time we need to commit to the listening and to the openness to change to make the OPEN Synod Group a reality. I pray that we will all feel able to commit to this process.

Caroline Spencer, Canterbury