When was the last time that 50 people gathered regularly to study the canons of the Church of England? Face-to-face meetings were difficult throughout much of 2020 because of the measures introduced to impede the spread of COVID-19. In response, the Ecclesiastical Law Society decided to increase its range of online activities. One such initiative was the establishment of the Canons of the Church of England reading groups. Advertisement to the members of the Society resulted in 50 people gathering in four groups led by the Revd Stephen Coleman and by me. In fact there was more interest than we could accommodate, and there has been a growing waiting list. The groups meet for an hour each fortnight, using the Zoom meeting technology. Each canon is read in turn and then discussed. Biblical, theological, legal and historical questions are asked. Very often, profoundly practical questions arise: about baptismal policy in a parish, say, or the authority behind liturgical sources. We have considered some of the big questions (for example, if canons cannot bind the laity, why do so many purport to instruct lay people what they should do?) and we have gone into the detail (for example, how consistently are terms such as ‘minister’ and ‘member’ used throughout the canons?) It’s a particular joy that each of the groups is drawn from the diverse ranks of the society: lawyers, academics, clergy and lay church members all bring their varied experiences. Alongside members of the Church of England, ecumenical colleagues and those from overseas provide a very welcome broader context. Working from a text keeps the discussion focused and grounded. Reading it aloud concentrates the mind. The relatively short length of each canon enables several to be read and discussed in each hour, and we are able to cover enough ground that the topics remain interesting for a group lasting many months. (2021) 23 Ecc LJ 105–106 © Ecclesiastical Law Society

中文翻译：

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英格兰教会教规阅读小组

上一次有 50 人定期聚集学习英格兰教会的教规是什么时候？由于采取了阻止 COVID-19 传播的措施，因此在 2020 年的大部分时间里，面对面的会议都很困难。作为回应，教会法学会决定增加其在线活动的范围。其中一项举措是建立英国国教教规阅读小组。给协会成员的广告导致 50 人聚集在由 Revd Stephen Coleman 和我领导的四个小组中。事实上，人们的兴趣超出了我们的承受能力，而且等候名单越来越多。这些小组每两周会面一个小时，使用 Zoom 会议技术。依次阅读每个经典，然后进行讨论。询问圣经、神学、法律和历史问题。很多时候，会出现非常实际的问题：比如教区的洗礼政策，或者礼仪资料背后的权威。我们已经考虑了一些大问题（例如，如果教规不能约束俗人，为什么这么多人声称要指导俗人他们应该做什么？）并且我们已经深入研究了细节（例如，这些术语的一致性如何？作为整个教规中使用的“部长”和“成员”？）令人特别高兴的是，每个团体都来自社会的不同阶层：律师、学者、神职人员和平信徒教会成员都带来了他们不同的经历。与英格兰教会的成员一起，普世教会的同事和来自海外的人提供了一个非常受欢迎的更广泛的背景。从文本开始工作可以使讨论保持重点和基础。大声朗读可以集中精神。每部经典相对较短的篇幅使得每小时可以阅读和讨论几部经典，而且我们能够覆盖足够多的内容，使得这些主题对于持续数月的小组来说仍然是有趣的。(2021) 23 Ecc LJ 105–106 © Ecclesiastical Law Society