If you are a serving Church of England priest (with licence or PTO) or distinctive (permanent) deacon, we invite you to add your name to our list of those who would be willing to solemnize the marriage of same-sex couples in church, when it becomes possible to do so within the laws of England and its established Church.
The list is fully secure and confidential, and will be used solely to calculate diocesan and provincial totals for use in the Equal Campaign. Your personal data, including your name and email address, will never be shared with bishops or other senior clergy, or indeed with anyone else (apart from our trusted independent auditor – see ‘How are the names on the list verified?‘ below).
To add your name to the list, please click the ‘Next‘ button below, fill in your details in the form, and click the ‘Add your name to the list‘ button to submit the form. See the Quick Guide in the panel for more information.
Want to know more?
Invitation sent to Equal Supporters and others
We sent out this invitation (PDF) to our verified Supporters and to others who we think might want to add their names to the list. Please feel free to pass it on to other priests as widely as possible.
What if I'm not a priest?
If you’re a bishop you are of course still a priest and can add your name to the list.
If you’re a first-year deacon, we’re afraid you’ll have to wait until you have been priested; deacons normally require the permission of their incumbent to solemnize a marriage. However, permanent deacons that are in the National Register of Clergy can add their names to the list.
If you’re a lay person, you can’t add your name to the list – sorry. Please encourage any inclusive priests you know to add their names to the list; if it’s appropriate you can send them our invitation.
What if I'm not a serving priest?
If you’re a priest but don’t have a current licence or PTO, unfortunately you can’t add your name to the list. We’re sorry about this, especially if your licence/PTO was withdrawn because you married your same-sex partner – such penalties are part of the injustices that we are working to abolish.
How are the names on the list verified?
There are two stages to verification:
- After you’ve submitted the form to add your name, an email is sent to the address you have given. You have to click a Private Link in the email to verify your email address.
- We will check your name and diocese against the C of E National Register of Clergy, which should contain all the current serving clergy (with licence or PTO). However, the NRC may not be completely up to date, so if this check fails we will check your name against your diocesan list of clergy or Crockfords. If these fail too, your name will be removed from the list; we will let you know, and if you believe there is a mistake you can ask us to look into it. Our trusted independent auditor will check that our verification is accurate.
How can I update my details?
You will be able to update and correct your information at any time after adding your name to the list. This can be done by using a special Private Link that will be emailed to you. You will get further details about this when you have added your name.
If you can’t find your Private Link you can ask to be sent it again by going to the Private Link reminder request page.
Suppose I decide I don't want to stay on the list?
Please use your Private Link to change your answer to the relevant question in your record. If you can’t find your Private Link you can ask to be sent it again by going to the Private Link reminder request page.
Your personal information
Our storage and use of your personal information is specified in our Privacy Policy, as required by the GDPR.