- Do you want your voice and that of your Church and community to be heard?
- Would you like to make a difference in the decision-making across your Diocese?
Consider nominating yourself for Diocesan Synod.
What is the Diocesan Synod?
A Synod is an assembly of elected representatives at either a local (Diocesan) level or national (General) level.
The Diocesan Synod and Diocesan Bishop’s Council are the key governance bodies of the Diocese, and they are at the very heart of supporting the mission and growth of the church in London.
The Diocesan Synod meet three times a year to pray, debate and vote together. The membership is about 200.
The current three-year term of Synod ends this summer, so a new Synod will be elected.
Who can stand?
Diocesan Synod includes both clergy and lay members.
Any member of the church* who is over the age of 16 and is on the electoral roll can stand for election. This includes all licensed clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers.
Lay people do not need to be PCC or Deanery Synod members already.
*A member of the Church of England who is confirmed or is ready to be confirmed, and who has received Holy Communion according to the use of the Church of England at least three times during the last 12 months.
Who should stand?
It is important that the Synod reflects the range of views and opinions present in our churches, and that it goes about its business prayerfully and faithfully.
People with diverse backgrounds and lived experience should all have a voice at the table. We are aware that those of Global Majority Heritage/United Kingdom Minority Ethnic (GMH/UKME) and disabled people are currently under-represented, and we particularly encourage nominations from those that will increase this representation.
Nominations
If you or somebody you know feels called to stand in the Diocesan Synod Elections, you must come forward during the three weeks of the nomination period in June. You will need to be nominated or seconded by someone in your Deanery Synod.
If you would like to stand, please contact Monica Bolley, Head of Governance or Lizzy Millar, Senior Governance Officer, who will be able to send you the relevant nomination forms.
- 4 June – Nominations Open
- 26 June (noon) – Nominations Close
- 28 June – Elections Start
- 12 June – Elections End
- Friday 12 & Mon 15 July – Counts
Note that the methods by which nomination forms are passed for completion between the candidate, and the candidate’s proposer and seconder may include the use of email.
FAQs
The Diocesan Synod is the largest and most representative governing body in a diocese, and operates at the highest level of overview. It brings the local church into the decisions that help to shape our priorities and mission across the Diocese of London.
The Synod receives the accounts of the Diocesan administrative body, the London Diocesan Fund, and approves the total amount of Common Fund to be collected each year.
The Synod also has a role in representing the views of the Diocese of London to the General Synod and wider national Church, particularly when asked to do so by the General Synod or Archbishops’ Council. However, the Diocesan Synod may not make any statement on the doctrine of the Church – this is one of the roles of the General Synod.
Details of the full requirements can be found on the nomination forms. However, the position in brief is as follows:
To be eligible to stand for election to the Diocesan Synod a clergy man or woman must be:
- a Clerk in Holy Orders; and
- a member of the deanery synod of the deanery entered on the front of the nomination form.
To be eligible to stand for election to the Diocesan Synod a lay person must be:
- an actual communicant; and
- confirmed, or ready and wanting to be confirmed, or receiving communion as a baptized communicant member in good standing of another Church which subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity under the provisions of Canon B 15A paragraph 1(b); and
- at least sixteen years of age; and
- entered on the electoral roll of a parish in the deanery, or (in the case of the City Deanery only) is on the community roll of St Paul’s Cathedral or, declared by the Dean of Westminster to be a habitual worshipper at Westminster Abbey.
Meetings of the Synod are normally held three times each year in the evenings, normally between 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and usually at St Mellitus College, St Jude’s Church, SW5.
Saturday Synods are held at the start of each triennium.
At meetings of the Synod presentations are made on matters of concern to members, and debates held and motions voted on as required. A motion is a statement that, if a majority of the members at a meeting of Synod vote in favour of it, will be taken as indicating the view of the Synod at that time.
There is a time of prayer at the start, and a short coffee break halfway through.
Although there are set procedures involved in parts of meetings to help manage participation, we work hard to ensure meetings are participatory and accessible.
An electoral roll is the list of electors at a church. In the same way that being on the civic electoral roll allows you to vote in parliamentary and local elections and referenda, joining a church electoral roll means that you can vote on church matters, attend the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and stand for election to the PCC and Deanery Synod.
You can speak to your PCC Secretary, churchwardens or vicar about how to get on the electoral roll.
Deanery Synod members. This includes current Diocesan and General Synod members who are ex-officio Deanery Synod members.
A deanery is a collection of parishes across a wider area. In the Diocese of London, there are 21 deaneries. The Deanery Synod is the part of the synodical system between the PCC and Diocesan Synod, elected to represent parishes.
You can contact Governance Support for a list of your Deanery Synod members.
You can find out which deanery your parish is in on the website A Church Near You.
When you are on the webpage for your church, select the ‘information’ tab (left side of the screen on a desktop, top right menu on a mobile).
Elected places for Diocesan Synod are in proportion to the number of clergy and church members in that deanery. If a larger number stand than there are places for, an election is required. Additionally, the synod has bishop’s nominees, ex-officio and co-opted members.
| Issue of Notice of Election and Nomination Forms | Tues 4 June |
| Return of Nomination Forms | Wed 26 June (noon) |
| Issue of Voting Papers | Fri 28 June |
| Return of Voting Papers | Fri 12 July (noon) |
| Counts | Fri 12 & Mon 15 July |
We are keen to support individual needs and receive further recommendations. Please contact the Diocesan Disability Adviser, John Beauchamp, if you would like to discuss further: john.beauchamp@london.anglican.org
Coming up next: Diocesan Bishop’s Council
A new Diocesan Bishop’s Council will be elected from the membership of the new Diocesan Synod. The Bishop’s Council is also the Council of the London Diocesan Fund, a registered charity and a charitable company responsible for managing the diocesan Common Fund and diocesan investments; maintaining parsonage houses and many other duties.
Candidates for the Diocesan Synod are therefore invited who could contribute experience and skills to the wide range required by the Bishop’s Council. Please visit the Bishop’s Council page for further information.
The Council would be strengthened if new members could bring greater diversity to its membership – ethnicity, gender, age, disability etc.