Who can vote?

Lay member of Deanery synods vote for lay members of General Synod for their diocese.

All clergy in each diocese can vote for clergy members of General Synod from their diocese.

Who can stand as a lay member of General Synod?

Almost anyone who attends a Church of England church regularly is eligible to stand as a lay member of General Synod.

If you are part of a parish church, to be eligible you simply need to be aged 18 or over, confirmed, on the electoral roll, and have taken communion at least three times in the past year.

Requirements vary for people who have been baptised in another trinitarian church, who worship in cathedral churches or other worshipping communities, or who are members of religious communities or the armed forces.
More detail is explained in Part 5 of the Church Representation Rules.

You are not allowed to stand if you are disqualified from holding office under safeguarding provisions, if you work for the National Church Institutions, or in some other circumstances.

More detail on who is disqualified is explained in Part 7 of the Church Representation Rules.

Why stand?

• General Synod is a fantastic opportunity to represent the concerns of your community and your diocese at a national level.

• You can have a say in national legislation that affects all parts of the Church of England.

• You can raise issues and contribute to debates on social and policy matters.

• You will be involved in the national governance of the Church and will have a greater understanding of how the national church functions.

• You will meet other Anglicans from across the country and the world.

• General Synod can also be enormously rewarding and even fun!

What is General Synod?

General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England. It shapes and approves laws that affect the whole of the Church of England.

It agrees new forms of worship, debates matters of national and international importance, and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at national level.

Who are General Synod members?

General Synod members are a mixture of bishops, clergy and lay people. Clergy means vicars, and lay people means anyone who is not a vicar.

How are General Synod members chosen?

All diocesan bishops are automatically members of General Synod and some suffragan bishops are elected to General Synod as well.

Diocesan bishops are the lead bishop in each diocese. They are supported by suffragan bishops.

Clergy and lay members of General Synod are elected.

What do General Synod members do?

Members speak in debates, propose and vote on motions, serve on committees and review legislation.

Members speak and vote from their own viewpoints and report back to their diocese about key discussions and outcomes that have happened at General Synod.

You can get a sense of what happens by watching previous General Synod meeting recordings.

To give you an idea of the kind of issues that General Synod handles, here are some key topics that have been debated, amended and approved by General Synod in the past five years:

• changes to the Church’s safeguarding structure
• agreement of key milestones for how the Church can reach Net Zero Carbon
• regulations enabling improvements to clergy pensions benefits
• update to how clergy discipline and complaints are handled
• setting parochial fees
• backing a diocesan motion to encourage sustainable church flowers
• establishing a day of prayer for the global persecuted church
• introduction of Prayers of Love and Faith, enabling clergy to offer blessings for same-sex couples within regular services
• modernising how Church funds are ethically invested and enhancing accountability in financial stewardship.