Synod reform: Guest Post from Synod Member Alastair Cutting

There are some who feel, and I am amongst them, that doing church business in this way may not be the best. The General Synod has served well since its introduction in the 1970s, but is it fit for purpose now?

On the inauguration of the new Synod, Mouse is delighted to kick off a conversation about how General Synod could be reformed with a guest post from General Synod number 96, Alastair Cutting.

Alastair is Vicar of Henfield and Rector of Shermanbury & Woodmancote. He blogs at the General Synod blog, and on his own personal blog.
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Alastair writes:

The General Synod of the Church of England commences proper with the inauguration service in Westminster Abbey in the presence of the Supreme Governor, Her Majesty the Queen later today. The 480 or so members of Synod gather bright and early in all their finery, as the security arrangements for any major event dictate, especially one with royalty in attendance.


Clergy synod members are required to wear preaching bands with their academic gowns and hoods over their cassocks (most of these robes originating several centuries ago). Preaching bands? Whipple’s will be busy with last-minute sales on Monday, I guess, as it is rare to see clergy wearing them these days. Though directions for dress amongst the lay members are rather less prescriptive, a good number of hats are likely to be evident amongst ladies.


Isn’t there something rather quaint about all that finery & royalty? Or does it just make the Church look anachronistic and out of place for a Church in the 21st century global culture? The start of the new synod allows the opportunity for raising all the usual questions over maintaining a constitutional hereditary monarchy at the heart of the established church, with even some bishop holding republican views.

General Synod is often referred to as ‘the Church's parliament’, a nomination that does not always fit very easily, even though it clearly is the Church of England’s primary legislative body. The epithet sometimes used is: Episcopally led & Synodically governed (or managed); which, as you can imagine, humorous wags have turned into a number of variants, not all quotable on Facebook.


Yet even the layout of synod is different from parliament - in contrast to parliament’s ‘two sword distances apart’ members confrontationally facing opposing parties, the Church House chamber is designed in the round. Members may sit anywhere, though convention suggests that the bishops sit towards the middle of the circle (“enfolded with our love” as the ex-chair of the Business committee puts it), though in recent years the deaf community, and their signing interpreters have brought a graceful illumination, and a very different focus to what is being debated, sitting at the heart. Also, at voting, synod is no longer instructed by the chair to ‘divide’ - but rather ‘decide’; a positive, rather than a negative response to the debate.


There are some who feel, and I am amongst them, that doing church business in this way may not be the best. The General Synod has served well since its introduction in the 1970s, but is it fit for purpose now? Well actually, quite good at it - but it could be better... How about, for starters:


Elections - there are possibly some flaws in making the Deanery synod members (often the last positions to be filled at the Annual Church Meetings) the electorate for such an important role. Improving electoral processes will help in making sure the best people become members of the synod.


Process - the episcopally led/synodically governed bit sometimes comes a little off the rails, as the House of Bishops meets regularly outside Synod, and so can move things on - or prepare to stop - items on the synod agenda. This often is episcopal wisdom; but occasionally synodical folly. Also, perhaps not so much of synod processes need be quite so legalistic and formal in operation and execution. Simplifying these processes would make things speedier, and probably less expensive too.


Purpose - the impression most people have of synod, is that it is generally the Church of England disagreeing with itself over sex. This caricature does not account for so much of synod’s more inspirational but less newsworthy work. A church governing process that could demonstrate more of synod’s real passion for mission; and working more within consensus, as one body, would demonstrate a more wholesome purpose.


Governance - the Church of England may be ‘synodically governed’, but the Supreme Governor remains the Queen. She makes a speech at the start of each new synod, after the inauguration service. The Queen’s personal faith remains a hallmark; perhaps that is one reason that disestablishment isn’t currently seriously on the agenda of the church at the moment.


So however anachronistic the inauguration ceremonies may look, or be reported; and however much better things could yet be changed to become; even as they are now, they are not without some merit, dignity, and faithful purpose. Pray for the synod, in its current and future incarnations.