Synod Briefing for Diocesan Secretaries

A note for those in the Diocese of Ely

Introduction

General Synod will be meeting from 16th to 17th November.

This will be the first meeting of the new quinquennium. We wanted to use this opportunity to give you an update on the make-up of the new Synod and the discussion items that will be sent to the members.

General Statistics on the Synod Elections:

• Overall, the turnout in 2021 was 61.5%, with 70% turnout in the House of Clergy and 53% in the House of Laity. This compares to 50.5% overall in 2015, with 55% in the House of Clergy and 46% in the House of Laity, and 52% overall in 2010, with 57% in the House of Clergy and 47% in the House of Laity.
• In terms of gender, overall the split is 58% male, 42% female. However, the House of Laity now has a majority of female members, that is 53% compared to 47%. The House of Clergy remains predominately male with 68% of members, compared to 32% female members. This is compared to 2015 which had 61% male overall, 39% female, with the House of Laity almost equal with 51% male and 49% female and the House of Clergy with 71% male and 29% female.
• In terms of age, the table below shows the percentage of members born within a particular year range compared to 2015

• We are in the process of collecting statistical information on disability, race and ethnicity and will provide an update in due course.

Induction

There will be an induction day taking place on Monday 15th November. This will cover various aspects of the role of Synod members, including engagement with the legislative process. It will allow members to engage with the Vision and Strategy through group work and will give members an update on the Living in Love and Faith work. Members will also be able to visit the New Lambeth Palace Library. There will be separate meetings on the evening of Tuesday 16th November on Living in Love and Faith and the Governance Review Group Report, hosted by the Bishops of London and Leeds respectively. Details of these events will be circulated to Synod members.

Synod Business

The General Synod papers will be sent out to members on Thursday 28th October. As this is a short session (16th – 17th November which equates to a day and a half), there are only a few items being considered. The details below provide an update on each item. Although there is no specific theme for Synod, several of the papers relate to financial issues.

• GS 2232 Agenda: the usual Agenda stating the business for the Group of Session and summary of Diocesan Synod Motions. Please note as this is the start of the quinquennium, there are no Private Members’ Motions.
• GS 2233 Business Committee Report: the report from the Business Committee on how the agenda was set, and other useful information on what the Business Committee is working on.
• GS 2234 Generosity and Diocesan Finances: this debate was deferred from the July group of sessions. The proposal is for legislative proposals to be brought forward to remove existing geographic restrictions on how the Diocesan Stipends Fund (DSF) can be used, helping wealthier parts of the Church support the poorer parts in times of need. It will request that legislation be brought forward to enable more equitable sharing of historic wealth.
• GS 2170A and GS 2170B Wealth Gap: this is a Diocesan Synod Motion from Leeds. The discussion will focus on identifying and addressing the social injustice that springs from growing inequality of opportunity and resources. It will ask the Government to adopt an explicit policy to reduce the wealth gap.
• GS 2235 Archbishops’ Council Budget 2022 and Apportionment – Update Report: this is being brought back as a take note debate following the approval of the budget at the July 2021 group of sessions. It will put forward the proposal that the Council will reduce the apportionment requested from dioceses by £1.2m (3.7%) to £31.3m (5.4% below the level in 2019 and 2020). This reduction – which represents an 11.9% reduction in the sum requested from dioceses for the Council’s operating budget) – will be applied proportionately across all the dioceses.
• GS 2236X Vacancy in See Regulations Act of Synod: this is the only piece of legislative business on this agenda. It is a formal piece of business following from the amendment to the regulations in July 2021.
• GS 2237 Appointment of a member of the Archbishops’ Council: this is a formal item which requests the approval of the re-appointment of Mark Sheard as a member of the Archbishops’ Council. The approval by Synod of all appointments to the Archbishops’ Council is mandatory under the terms of the National Institutions Measure 1998.
• GS 2238 Vision and Strategy: this will be a presentation on work to date on the Vision and Strategy. The focus of the presentation at this meeting will be on ‘mixed ecology’. Synod members will be invited to engage with the Vision and Strategy on Monday 15th November as part of the induction day when there will be group work led by young people.
• GS 2239 Report by the Governance Review Group: this will be the first opportunity for Synod members to engage with the report by the Governance Review Group. This item will take the form of a a presentation from the Bishop of Leeds, the Chair of the Governance Review Group, and will be supported by an event on Tuesday evening.

As well as the papers that are linked to items to be discussed on the main Agenda, there are a number of GS Misc papers being circulated to members for information:

• GS Misc 1299 Roadmap to Net Zero Carbon by 2030: Consultation: in February 2020, Synod requested that a route map to achieving net zero by 2030 be developed. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) took on this task and a consultation on proposals will take place from 28th October 2021 to 28th February 2022. Members are welcome to engage with this consultation.
• GS Misc 1300 Activities by the Archbishops’ Council and GS 1301 Update from the House of Bishops: these papers are the usual update on discussions being held since the last group of sessions in the Archbishops’ Council and the House of Bishops.
• GS Misc 1302 Setting God’s People Free update: this is an update on the work on Setting God’s People Free, in particular how it supports the work of the Vision and Strategy.
• GS Misc 1303 Resourcing Ministerial Formation review: this paper gives an overview of the review of RMF to date. It notes that there is significant unspent money accumulated in dioceses and held in restricted funds, c.£4million by summer 2022 but spread unevenly across dioceses. It has been recommended that this be reclaimed so that it benefits all dioceses but the timing of any reclaim would need to be agreed with each individual diocese.
• GS Misc 1304 Update from Clergy Conduct Measure Implementation Group: this group is working on proposals to replace the Clergy Discipline Measure with legislation that would provide for a system to investigate and determine a broader range of clerical behaviour than simply serious misconduct (e.g. grievances/minor complaints), and without the use of formal legal proceedings in every case. A further report will be given in 2022.
• GS Misc 1305 Update from Officers of General Synod on report From Lament to Action: there was a recommendation in From Lament to Action to co-opt 5 UKME clergy and 5 UKME laity for General Synod 2021-26. This gives an update on a timetable for co-opting these members, should the Convocations and House of Laity agree to do so.
• GS Misc 1306 Living in Love and Faith: this is an update on progress to date and to help members engage with the process over the quinquennium.