Synodical Government in the Diocese

2011 Deanery Synod Elections

Deanery Synod membership changed on 31st May 2011 and the current new representatives elected at Annual Parish Church Meetings will serve for the next three years. Once elected, these representatives became ex-officio members of their PCCs while they remain Deanery Synod members.

All clergy, beneficed or licensed to any parish in the deanery, are automatically members of the Deanery Synod.

Each parish is assigned a number of representatives according to the formula approved by the Diocesan Synod, which relates to the number of Electoral Roll members each parish declared at its Annual Meeting in 2010, as follows:

Electoral Roll Size	Number of Deanery Synod Representatives
1-50	1
51-100	2
101-200	3
201-300	4
301-400	5
401-500	6
501-600	7
601-700	8
701-800	9
801-900	10 (maximum)

Any queries relating to the rules and regulations can probably be answered by your Area/Rural Dean or Lay Chair - or contact the Diocesan Office.

Diocesan Synod

The Diocesan Synod is a body formed of the Bishops of the Diocese along with elected representatives of clergy and lay people from across the Diocese. The total membership of the Synod is about 180, divided equally between clergy and laity. It is elected every three years by members of the Deanery Synods and meets twice a year on a Saturday in May and October.

It considers all aspects of church life: initiatives being referred to it from the national church; diocesan issues over priorities of work; sharing of information on the life of the church at a local level - and makes decisions, along with the Diocesan Bishop, on key policies affecting the Church in the Diocese. Its agendas and the reports on its business show the breadth of its work.

The members of the Diocesan Synod are also members of the Diocesan Board of Finance and they elect representatives to other Diocesan committees. The Synod's work is managed by the Synod Standing Committee and the Diocesan Secretary is its chief officer.

The Diocesan Synod exists by virtue of the Synodical Government Measure (1969) and replaced the Diocesan Conferences which had existed for the previous century. Its creation gave legal rights to lay people and clergy to be involved with the setting of policies affecting the life of the Church in the Diocese which had previously been the sole right of Bishops.

2011 Statistics for Mission

Synod Papers Pack

Directory Order Form

Statistics for Mission Notes

Statistics for Mission Form