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Diocesan Synod

 

 
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Diocesan Synod
 
 
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In the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches. There is no single "Anglican Church" with universal juridical authority as each national or regional church has full autonomy....
, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod
Synod

A synod is a council of a Ecclesia , usually a Christianity church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. An ecumenical council is so named because it is a synod of the whole church ...
', meaning that a diocese is governed by a bishop acting with the advice and consent of representatives of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In much of the Communion the body by which this representation is achieved is called the Diocesan Synod. (In the Episcopal Church in the USA, the corresponding body is called a Diocesan Convention.)

The precise composition of a diocesan synod is subject to provincial and local canon and practice.

The Church of England
In the Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
 diocesan synods exist under the terms of the Synodical Government Measure 1969.






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In the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches. There is no single "Anglican Church" with universal juridical authority as each national or regional church has full autonomy....
, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod
Synod

A synod is a council of a Ecclesia , usually a Christianity church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. An ecumenical council is so named because it is a synod of the whole church ...
', meaning that a diocese is governed by a bishop acting with the advice and consent of representatives of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In much of the Communion the body by which this representation is achieved is called the Diocesan Synod. (In the Episcopal Church in the USA, the corresponding body is called a Diocesan Convention.)

The precise composition of a diocesan synod is subject to provincial and local canon and practice.

The Church of England


In the Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
 diocesan synods exist under the terms of the Synodical Government Measure 1969. A diocesan synod consists of three Houses, as follows:

  • The House of Bishops consists of the diocesan bishop
    Bishop

    A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
    , together with any stipendiary suffragan bishop
    Suffragan bishop

    A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop....
    s or area bishops, and assistant bishop
    Assistant Bishop

    A bishop of the Anglican Church appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Usually they are retired diocesan or suffragan bishop bishops, though occasionally active bishops are appointed....
    s as nominated by the diocesan bishop with the agreement of the archbishop
    Archbishop

    In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and others, this means that they lead a diocese of particular importance called an archdiocese, or in the Anglican Communion an Ecclesiastical Province, but this is not always the case....
    .


  • The House of Clergy consists of clergy representatives chosen by the clergy in each Deanery Synod, together with a number of ex officio members -- any other assistant bishops working in the diocese; the dean
    Dean (religion)

    A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church....
     of the cathedral; the archdeacon
    Archdeacon

    A position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop....
    s of the diocese; the clergy elected to the General Synod
    General Synod

    The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations....
     for the diocese (known as Proctors to the Lower House of Convocation
    Convocation

    A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.In some Universities for example, the term "convocation" refers specifically to the entirety of the alumni of the university, which function as one of the university's representative bodies....
    ), and some others.


  • The House of Laity consists of representatives of the laity, elected from each Deanery
    Deanery

    Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Catholic Church and the Church of England....
     by the members of that deanery's Deanery Synod. There are also ex officio members, including the lay representatives elected by the Diocese to the General Synod
    General Synod

    The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations....
    .


Clergy and lay elected representatives are elected for a three-year term of office. The first Diocesan Synods met in 1970, and elections have been held every three years since, most recently in spring 2006. Election is by the members of the Deanery Synods of the diocese, and the number of representatives of each deanery is in proportion to the total number of 'members' of the churches in that deanery, compared with the diocese as a whole. The House of Clergy and the House of Laity should have approximately the same number of members. The method of election may be by simple plurality ('first past the post') or by Single Transferrable Vote, and each Diocesan Synod may choose between these two.

In general the three Houses of the Diocesan Synod meet together, debate together and vote together, and a majority is assumed to be a majority of each of the three Houses. However, a vote by Houses can be requested, and in certain cases is required. In a vote by Houses, the consent of each of the three Houses is required in order for the assent of the Synod to be given. In addition, the diocesan bishop may declare that the House of Bishops shall only be deemed to have assented if the assenting majority includes the bishop. This means that the diocesan bishop may exercise a veto over the Diocesan Synod if they so wish.

See also

  • How the Church of England is organised
    Church of England

    The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....