A prominent evangelical member of the Church of England's governing body has accused the Archbishop of Canterbury of putting "institutional" unity over true unity.

Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern and a member of the Church of England's General Synod, said in response to Justin Welby's presidential address that the recent Primates' Meeting in Canterbury was "not a success" and it is "disingenuous" to suggest it was.

She added: "It did not tackle the fundamental issue and instead it tries to keep us on a path that can never secure true unity."

The meeting failed to challenge an "overarching relativism" which allows "human ideas and current cultural trends to override God's unchanging Word."

Williams said that members of the Anglican Communion who hold opposing views on the key issue of marriage will simply continue to co-exist in deep disagreement.

"We know these conversations will continue, and we know that liberal members will continue to push their agenda under the guise of 'love and acceptance'. Yet true love and compassion does not discard or distort God's good patten for human flourishing," she said.

The Scriptures outline God's pattern for marriage as between one man and one woman, she added.

"Obedience to the Word of God is vital if the Church is to flourish."

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu has responded on his part and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury to a letter sent by Jayne Ozanne and others calling for an apology to the LGBT community before the Primates' Meeting.

Sentamu said that the apology for the way the Church had treated gay people "should not be misconstrued as to include an implicit rejection of the Church's doctrine of marriage as we have received it."

He admits: "The Christian doctrine of marriage continues to be a subject of discord, but the rejection of homophobic prejudice is undisputed. The Primates were also unanimous in their desire to continue walking together, despite their disagreements."