Diocesan Synod

About the Synod

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.

The Diocesan Bishop’s Council is the Standing Committee of the Diocesan Synod, and its members are the Trustees of the Diocese. The Council forms the Council of the London Diocesan Fund. This is the registered charity and company with responsibility for the diocese’s affairs, including the Common Fund, parsonage houses and a great deal more. The Diocesan Bishop’s Council is elected by and from the membership of the Diocesan Synod.

Membership

The London Diocesan Synod consists of approximately 200 members: ex-officio (e.g. Bishops and Archdeacons), elected (clerical & lay from each deanery), co-opted and nominated.

Each deanery in the Diocese elects a certain number of representatives to the Diocesan Synod in proportion to its size. The clergy representatives for each deanery are elected by the clerical members of the deanery synod (except co-opted member), and the lay representatives, by the lay representatives of the deanery synod (except co-opted members).

Details of the full requirements on how to become a member of the Diocesan Synod can be found in nomination papers circulated at the time of election. However, the position in brief is as follows:

To be elected, a person must complete and return (by the deadline specified) a nomination form, which will involve getting two members of the deanery synod to act as proposer and seconder.

Clergy

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.

Laity

To be eligible to stand for election to the Diocesan Synod a lay person must be:

• an actual communicant having received communion according to the use of the Church of England or a Church in communion with the Church of England at least three times in the last twelve months; 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.