Can you stand (for) Synod?

This is my very first blog entry ever, so here goes.

I think I am going to stand for the General Synod of the Church of England again. The General Synod has been described as the Church of England's 'parliament'. This is largely because it is the Church's decision-making and law-making body, although the structure of authority in the Church is somewhat different from the structure of authority that characterises our political system. The General Synod is divided into three 'Houses': the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and House of Laity. The House of Bishops is largely unelected. The diocesan bishops are automatically members, but seven suffragan bishops are elected by all the other suffragan bishops to represent them. The Houses of Clergy and Laity are made up of elected members. I will stand for election as one of three 'Proctors in Convocation' to represent the Coventry Diocese in General Synod. The word 'Proctor' is an archaic word that has different meanings in law, the church and education. In the church it means someone who represents the clergy in Church of England Diocese. Each 'Synod' lasts for a fixed five year term called a 'quinquennium' which is divided up into 'Sessions' which usually take placy twice a year in February (London) and July (York) and occasionally in November (e.g. the inaugural Synod and when pressure of business demands an extra Sessions).

I liked being a member of the last Synod. Although there is dull legislative work to consider (although as a former practising lawyer I don't find it that dull), there are also interesting, various and important subjects to debate (developments in human genome science, whether women can become bishops, whether the Church of England is investing ethically, whether the BBC is scaling down its religious broadcasting). The standard of debate is usually very high and it is fascinating to discover the wonderful things going on at  'grass roots' parish level in other parts of the country. I would warmly encourage anyone who is thinking about standing for election to set about doing so. The Synod's work is important work and some of the decisions it makes does actually change lives.

Clergy representatives are elected by the licensed clergy in the diocese in which they themselves are licensed. Lay representatives must be lay persons who are actual communicants of the Church of England over the age of 18 who are on the electoral roll of any parish of the diocese. If you would like further information, contact your diocesan office, and they will put you in contact with your dioceses' presiding officer.