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DEANERY SYNODS

Membership

24. (1) A deanery synod shall consist of a house of clergy and a house of laity.

(2) The members of the house of clergy of a deanery synod shall consist of -

(a) the clerks in Holy Orders beneficed in or licensed to any parish in the deanery;

(b) any clerks in Holy Orders licensed to institutions in the deanery under the Extra-Parochial Ministry Measure 1967;

(c) any clerical members of the General Synod or diocesan synod resident in the deanery;

(d) such other clerks in Holy Orders holding the bishop's licence to work throughout the diocese or in more than one deanery and resident in the deanery subject to any direction which may be given by the members of the house of clergy of the bishop's council that, having regard to the number of parochial and non-parochial clergy in the deanery, such clerk shall have membership of a specified deanery synod other than the deanery where he resides provided that no person shall thereby be a member of more than one deanery synod in the diocese;

(e) one or more clerks in Holy Orders holding permission to officiate in the diocese who are resident in the deanery or who have habitually attended public worship in a parish in the deanery during the preceding six months. One clerk may be elected or chosen for every ten such clerks or part thereof, elected or chosen in such manner as may be approved by the bishop by and from such clerks.

(3) Where an extra parochial place is not in a deanery it shall be deemed for the purposes of these rules to belong to the deanery which it abuts and if there is any doubt in the matter a determination shall be made by the bishop's council and standing committee.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph 2(e) of this rule the relevant date shall be the 31st December in the year immediately preceding any election of the parochial representatives of the laity, and as soon as possible after that date the rural dean of the deanery shall inform the bishop of the number of clerks in Holy Orders who are qualified for membership of the deanery synod by virtue of that sub-paragraph.

(5) Not later than the 1st July following the election of parochial representatives of the laity to the deanery synod the secretary of the said synod shall send to the diocesan electoral registration officer appointed in accordance with rule 29 a list of the names and addresses of the members of the house of clergy, specifying the class of membership, and shall keep the said officer informed of subsequent changes in membership.

(6) Subject to the provisions of rule 1(4), the members of the house of laity of a deanery synod shall consist of the following persons, that is to say -

(a) the parochial representatives elected to the synod by the annual meetings of the parishes of the deanery;

(b) any lay members of the General Synod or a diocesan synod whose names are entered on the roll of any parish in the deanery;

(c) if in the opinion of the bishop of the diocese any community of persons in the deanery who are in the spiritual care of a chaplain licensed by the bishop should be represented in that house, one lay person, being an actual communicant member of the Church of England of sixteen years or upwards, chosen in such manner as may be approved by the bishop by and from among the members of that community;

(d) the deaconesses and lay workers licensed by the bishop to work in any part of the deanery;

(e) such other deaconesses or lay workers holding the bishop's licence to work throughout the diocese or in more than one deanery and resident in the deanery subject to any direction which may be given by the members of the House of Laity of the bishop's council that, having regard to the number of deaconesses or lay workers in the deanery, such person shall have membership of a specified deanery synod other than the deanery where they reside provided that no person shall thereby be a member of more than one deanery synod in the diocese.

(7) The house of clergy and house of laity of a deanery synod may co-opt additional members of their respective houses, being clerks in Holy Orders or, as the case may be, lay persons who shall be actual communicant members of the Church of England of sixteen years or upwards:

Provided that the number of members co-opted by either house shall not exceed five per cent of the total number of members of that house or three, whichever is the greater.

The names and addresses of co-opted members shall be sent by the secretary of the deanery synod to the diocesan electoral registration officer appointed in accordance with rule 29.

Election and choice of members

25. (1) … The parochial representatives of the laity elected by annual meetings shall be so elected every three years, and shall hold office for a term of three years beginning with the 1st June next following their election.

(2) The numbers to be so elected from the several parishes shall be determined by resolution of the diocesan synod not later than the 31st December in the year preceding any such elections, and those numbers shall be calculated by reference to the numbers of names on the rolls of the parishes as certified … under rule 4 or the number of parish churches or districts in each parish or a combination of both such methods, in each case in such manner as the diocesan synod shall determine provided that such resolution shall not make it possible for a parish with fewer than twenty-six names on the roll to have more than one representative.

(3) Not later than the 31st December in the year preceding any such elections, the secretary of the diocesan synod shall certify to the secretary of each parochial church council the number of such representatives to be elected at the annual meeting of the parish … and shall send to the secretary of each deanery synod copies of the certificates and information relating to the parishes of the deanery.

(4) … Any person to be chosen as mentioned in rule 24(2)(e) or 24(6)(c) shall be so chosen every three years and shall hold office for a term of three years beginning with the 1st June next following the date on which he is so chosen.

(5) A direction by the appropriate members of the bishop's council making provision under rule 24(2)(d) or 24(6)(e) for the membership of the clerks in Holy Orders or the deaconesses or lay workers therein mentioned may provide for the choice by a class of such persons of some of their number to be members, and for the term of office of persons so chosen.

(6) The diocesan synod shall exercise their powers under this and the last preceding rule so as to secure that the total number of members of any deanery synod in the diocese shall not be more than 150 and, so far as practicable, shall not be less than 50:

Provided that the maximum number of 150 may be exceeded for the purpose of securing that the house of laity is not less in number than the house of clergy.

For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that the number of 150 specified in this paragraph includes the maximum number of members who may be co-opted by each house.

Variation of Membership of Deanery Synods by Scheme

26. (1) If it appears to the diocesan synod that the preceding rules in this Part relating to the membership of deanery synods ought to be varied to meet the special circumstances of the diocese or the deaneries and to secure better representation of clergy or laity or both on the deanery synods, they may make a scheme for such variation, and, if the scheme comes into operation under this rule, the said rules shall have effect subject to the scheme.

(2) Copies of every such scheme must be sent to members of the diocesan synod at least fourteen days before the session at which they are considered, and every such scheme shall require the assent of the house of bishops and of a two-thirds majority of the members of each of the other houses of the synod present and voting.

(3) A scheme approved by the diocesan synod as aforesaid shall be laid before the General Synod.

(4) If a member of the General Synod gives notice in accordance with the Standing Orders of that Synod that he wishes such a scheme to be debated, the scheme shall not come into operation unless it is approved by the General Synod.

(5) If no notice is given under paragraph (4) of this rule with respect to any such scheme, or such notice having been given, the scheme is approved by the General Synod, it shall come into operation on the day after the end of the group of sessions during which it was laid before, or approved by, the General Synod or on such later date as may be specified in the scheme.

Representation of Cathedral Clergy and Laity

27. (1) Any diocesan synod may provide by scheme for the representation on such deanery synod as may be determined by or under the scheme -

(a) of the dean or provost, the residentiary canons and other ministers of the cathedral church of the diocese, or any of them; and

(b) in the case of a cathedral church which is not a parish church, of lay persons who are on the roll of members of the cathedral community (hereinafter in these rules referred to as "the community roll") required to be kept under section 9 of the Cathedrals Measure 1999 or, in the case of Westminster Abbey, St George's Chapel, Windsor and the cathedral church of Christ in Oxford, who are declared by the dean to be habitual worshippers at the cathedral church and whose names are not entered on the roll of any parish.

(2) The provisions of rule [21(2)]^*1 shall apply to schemes made under this rule.

Representation of persons to whom mission orders relate

27A. (1) Any diocesan synod may, at the request of the bishop or bishops who has or have made a bishop's mission order under section 47 of the Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure 2007 which is in force, provide by scheme for representation on such deanery synod as may be determined by or under the scheme of such persons to whom the order relates as may be specified in or under the scheme.

(2) The provisions of rule 26(2) shall apply to schemes made under this rule.

Procedure

28. (1) The diocesan synod shall make rules for deanery synods which shall provide -

(a) that the rural dean and a member of the house of laity elected by that house shall be joint chairmen of the deanery synod and that they shall agree between them who shall chair each meeting of the synod or particular items of business on the agenda of the synod;

(b) that there shall be a secretary of the deanery synod;

(c) that a specified minimum number of meetings shall be held by the deanery synod in each year;

(d) that on such matters and in such circumstances as may be specified in the rules, voting shall be by houses, but that otherwise decisions shall be taken by a majority of the members of the synod present and voting;

(e) that there shall be a standing committee of the synod with such membership and functions as the rules may provide;

(f) that the synod shall prepare and circulate to all parochial church councils in the deanery a report of its proceedings;

and may provide for such other matters consistent with these rules as the diocesan synod think fit.

(2) Subject to any such rules, the deanery synod shall have power to determine its own procedure.

Diocesan Electoral Registration Officer

29. (1) In every diocese, there shall be a diocesan electoral registration officer who shall be appointed by the bishop's council and standing committee of the diocesan synod and who shall record the names and addresses of all members of the house of clergy and house of laity of the deanery synods in the diocese in two registers (in these rules respectively referred to as 'the register of clerical electors' and 'the register of lay electors'); the members co-opted to the house shall be listed separately in the appropriate register.

(2) The diocesan electoral registration officer shall not later than twenty-one days before the nomination papers are circulated send a copy of the names and addresses of clerical electors and lay electors as recorded by him to the secretary of the deanery synod of which those electors are members and the secretary of the deanery synod shall within seven days of receipt certify in writing to the electoral registration officer that the names and addresses are correct or notify him in writing of any necessary corrections.

(3) The diocesan electoral registration officer shall, not later than seven days before nomination papers are circulated, send a copy of the corrected names and addresses of electors to the appropriate presiding officer in the election.

Note

*1 The correct cross-reference should be Rule 26(2).