Governance

The Bishop of Ely leads and encourages parish work across the Diocese, however, he is also supported by working groups. These direct and put into action the decisions and policies that have been made at Diocesan Synod.

This section explains the key roles and functions of those groups, linked below and to the right of this page.

General Synod

• The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England, commonly referred to as the 'Church's Parliament'.

Diocesan Synod

• Every diocese has its own Diocesan Synod which consists of the bishops and archdeacons and elected laity and clergy.

Deanery Synods

• Each Deanery has a Deanery Synod, overseen by the Rural Dean and Lay Chair.
• This draws together the thoughts of the Church's life in the Deanery and is asked to consider matters referred to it from the Diocesan Synod and General Synod. It is also a mechanism for where the thoughts of the parish are initially heard beyond the PCC. 

Ely Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd (EDBF)

• The Ely Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd (EDBF) holds the assets of the Diocese and is responsible for its finances. It is a company limited by guarantee (company no. 142183).

Board of Patronage

• The Ely Diocesan Board of Patronage is a statutory body which has the right of presentation to clerical appointments for a number of benefices in the Diocese.

Bishops' Council

• Members of the Bishops' Council act as the Company Directors and Charity Trustees of Ely Diocesan Board of Finance.
• Its members have legal duties to comply with company and charity law in terms of the running of the Diocese of Ely as a charitable business. 

Other Boards and Committees

• There are various other Boards and Sub-Committees supporting the work of the wider Diocese, more information on these can be found here.