General Synod of the Church of England
Encyclopedia
The General Synod is the deliberative and legislative body of the Church of England
. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church of England that had started in the 1850s.
, which resulted in little being done. In 1919, the Convocations
of the Provinces of Canterbury
and York
proposed that a National Assembly of the Church of England be established and be given power to legislate for the church.
This proposal was given effect through the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919
. The Act gave the assembly power to pass Measures–laws which were to "have the force and effect of an Act of Parliament" on "any matter concerning the Church of England", and included the power to repeal or amend Acts of Parliament concerning the Church.
The Act required that, after being passed by the Assembly, the measure had to be examined by a joint committee of both Houses of Parliament
and then approved by a vote of each House before being submitted to the Sovereign
for Royal Assent
. If MP
s or members of the House of Lords
were not content with a Measure then they could vote to reject it, but not amend it. Once a measure had been agreed ("deemed expedient") by both Houses of Parliament, and received Royal Assent, it was (from 1926) printed with the Acts of Parliament for the year in question.
s, the House of Clergy
and the House of Laity
. There are currently 467 members in total.
The House of Bishops is made up of the 30 diocesan
bishops in the Province of Canterbury (plus the Bishop of Dover
), the 14 bishops of the Province of York, seven suffragan bishop
s (four from Canterbury and three from York) elected by all suffragan bishops, and the Bishop to the Forces
.
The House of Clergy comprises clergy elected by the following:
Members of the House of Laity are elected by lay members of the Deanery Synod
in each Diocese every five years by a system of Single Transferable Vote
. There are:
There are two or three synodical sessions per year (4–5 days each), one or two in Church House, Westminster
, the other at the University of York
, and each session is officially opened by the monarch. Meetings are presided over by the Archbishops of Canterbury
and York
as joint presidents.
Measures or canons must be passed by a majority of the members of each house of the synod. Most other business can be passed by a majority of the members of the Synod overall. However changes to church doctrine
, rites and ceremonies, or the administration of the sacraments, can only be made in the form agreed by the House of Bishops. Also, changes in the services of baptism
or holy communion, and proposals for a union with any other church, cannot be approved unless they have also been approved by a majority of the diocesan synod
s. Some Measures do not extend to the Diocese of Sodor and Man
unless so provided by a measure passed by the Sodor and Man Diocesan Synod
and approved by Tynwald
.
The General Synod also elects some members of the Archbishops' Council
.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church of England that had started in the 1850s.
Church Assembly: 1919 to 1970
Before 1919, any change to the Church's worship or governance had to be by Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, which resulted in little being done. In 1919, the Convocations
Convocation of the English Clergy
The Convocation of the English Clergy is a synodical assembly of the Church of England consisting of bishops and clergy.- Background and introduction :...
of the Provinces of Canterbury
Province of Canterbury
The Province of Canterbury, also called the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England...
and York
Province of York
The Province of York is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England, and consists of 14 dioceses which cover the northern third of England and the Isle of Man. York was elevated to an Archbishopric in 735 AD: Ecgbert of York was the first archbishop...
proposed that a National Assembly of the Church of England be established and be given power to legislate for the church.
This proposal was given effect through the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919
Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919
The Church of England Assembly Act 1919 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that gives the Church of England the power to pass primary legislation called Measures. Measures have the same force and effect as Acts of Parliament...
. The Act gave the assembly power to pass Measures–laws which were to "have the force and effect of an Act of Parliament" on "any matter concerning the Church of England", and included the power to repeal or amend Acts of Parliament concerning the Church.
The Act required that, after being passed by the Assembly, the measure had to be examined by a joint committee of both Houses of Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
and then approved by a vote of each House before being submitted to the Sovereign
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
for Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
. If MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
s or members of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
were not content with a Measure then they could vote to reject it, but not amend it. Once a measure had been agreed ("deemed expedient") by both Houses of Parliament, and received Royal Assent, it was (from 1926) printed with the Acts of Parliament for the year in question.
Establishment
By the Synodical Government Measure 1969, the Church Assembly renamed and reconstituted itself as the General Synod of the Church of England. It also took over the powers formerly exercised by the Convocations of Canterbury and York.Membership
The synod is tricameral, consisting of the House of BishopBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s, the House of Clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
and the House of Laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
. There are currently 467 members in total.
The House of Bishops is made up of the 30 diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
bishops in the Province of Canterbury (plus the Bishop of Dover
Bishop of Dover
The Bishop of Dover is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Dover in Kent...
), the 14 bishops of the Province of York, seven suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
s (four from Canterbury and three from York) elected by all suffragan bishops, and the Bishop to the Forces
Bishop to the Forces
The Anglican church in the British Armed Forces falls under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, however for all practical purposes the function is performed by the Bishop to the Forces. His full title is "The Archbishop of Canterbury's Episcopal Representative to the Armed Forces"...
.
The House of Clergy comprises clergy elected by the following:
- 128 elected from the Province of Canterbury,
- 54 elected from the Province of York,
- 1 elected by each of the Universities of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, - 1 elected jointly by the Universities of Durham and Newcastle,
- 2 elected by the other Universities (one from each Province),
- 6 deansDean (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 Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
elected from CathedralCathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s, plus either the Dean of JerseyDean of JerseyThe Dean of Jersey is the leader of the Church of England in Jersey. He is ex officio a member of the States of Jersey, although since the constitutional reforms of 1948 the Dean may not take part in parliamentary votes...
or the Dean of GuernseyGuernseyGuernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, - the three ChaplainChaplainTraditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s of the Armed ServicesBritish Armed ForcesThe British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
, plus the Chaplain-General of PrisonsChaplain-General of PrisonsThe Chaplain-General of Prisons is the head of the Church of England's chaplains to prisons. He is also an ex officio member of the House of Clergy of the General Synod.-List:*Percy Ashford - 1981-1985 *William Noblett - ? to present-External links:*...
, and - 2 members of religious communitiesAnglican religious orderAnglican religious orders are communities of laity and/or clergy in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and lead a common life of work and prayer...
.
Members of the House of Laity are elected by lay members of the Deanery Synod
Deanery synod
In the Church of England and other Anglican churches, a deanery synod is a synod convened by the Rural Dean . It consists of all clergy licensed to a benefice within the deanery, plus elected lay members. The Synodical Government Measure 1969 makes it a statutory body...
in each Diocese every five years by a system of Single Transferable Vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
. There are:
- up to 170 members elected by the laity of the Province of Canterbury,
- up to 80 members elected by the laity of the Province of York,
- the Dean of the Arches,
- the Vicar-General of the Provinces of Canterbury and York,
- the three Church Estate CommissionersChurch CommissionersThe Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836...
, - the Chairman of the Central Board of Finance,
- the Chairman of the Church of England Pensions Board,
- the members of the Archbishops' CouncilArchbishops' CouncilThe Archbishops' Council is a part of the governance structures of the Church of England. Its headquarters are at Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ....
who are communicants of the Church of England.
There are two or three synodical sessions per year (4–5 days each), one or two in Church House, Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, the other at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
, and each session is officially opened by the monarch. Meetings are presided over by the Archbishops of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
and York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
as joint presidents.
Functions
The functions of the synod are:- legislation:
- to pass Measures dealing with the government of the Church and its institutions,
- to pass CanonsCanon lawCanon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
, determining doctrineDoctrineDoctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
and the form of worship,
- to approve the liturgyLiturgyLiturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
, and make other rules and regulations through Acts of Synod, - to regulate relations with other Churches,
- to consider and express their opinion on any other matters of religious or public interest, and
- to approve or reject the annual budget of the church.
Measures or canons must be passed by a majority of the members of each house of the synod. Most other business can be passed by a majority of the members of the Synod overall. However changes to church doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
, rites and ceremonies, or the administration of the sacraments, can only be made in the form agreed by the House of Bishops. Also, changes in the services of baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
or holy communion, and proposals for a union with any other church, cannot be approved unless they have also been approved by a majority of the diocesan synod
Diocesan Synod
In the Anglican Communion, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod', 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...
s. Some Measures do not extend to the Diocese of Sodor and Man
Diocese of Sodor and Man
Sodor and Man is a diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger, today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets.-Early history:...
unless so provided by a measure passed by the Sodor and Man Diocesan Synod
Diocesan Synod
In the Anglican Communion, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod', 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...
and approved by Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
.
The General Synod also elects some members of the Archbishops' Council
Archbishops' Council
The Archbishops' Council is a part of the governance structures of the Church of England. Its headquarters are at Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ....
.