General Synod of the Church of England
- The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England and is made up of the Houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity (although the first two Houses are technically the ancient Convocations of Canterbury and York). It needs to pass important legislation in the coming months – including provision to implement recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse.
- Primary legislation made by the General Synod is called a ‘Measure’ and requires Parliamentary approval and Royal Assent.
- Like Parliament, the General Synod is elected for a five-year term (unless dissolved sooner). That five-year term is prescribed in primary legislation: the Church of England Convocations Act 1966 (an Act of Parliament) and the Synodical Government Measure 1969 (a Church Measure). The General Synod was last elected in the summer of 2015 and fresh elections were accordingly due to take place this summer.
- Elections to the General Synod are conducted in each diocese of the Church of England (a diocese being the geographical area under the authority of a particular bishop). The officials in the dioceses who have the responsibility for conducting elections have informed officials at Church House, Westminster, that as all diocesan offices are now working remotely, some with skeleton staff, it will be impracticable to prepare for and conduct elections in the present circumstances.
- As matters stand, there is no legal power that enables the lifetime of the General Synod to be extended beyond five years. Under the Church of England Convocations Act 1966, the Convocations of Canterbury and York automatically stand dissolved at the end of five years (unless dissolved by Royal writs earlier than that). When the Convocations are dissolved, the General Synod is automatically dissolved under the Synodical Government Measure 1969. There is no mechanism in existence to enable dissolution to be postponed beyond the five years prescribed by the 1966 Act.
- The Act addresses that problem. It creates a power enabling Her Majesty, by Order in Council, at the joint request of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, to postpone the date on which the Convocations of Canterbury and York – and therefore the General Synod – automatically stand dissolved under the Church of England Convocations Act 1966.
- Once the relevant Order in Council is made, and the postponement is in place, it will be possible for the Church to re-schedule the elections that were due to take place this summer.
