July Synod timetable published

26/05/2021

The timetable for what is expected to be the first full in-person meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod for a year and a half has been published.
View of computer screen inside General Synod Assembly hall

Synod will meet at Church House, Westminster, from Friday July 9 to Tuesday July 13 for what will also be the final meeting of the current Synod, ahead of elections later in the summer and autumn.

In addition to legislation and financial business, areas for discussion will include the programme to develop a Vision and Strategy for the Church of England in the 2020s.

Pastoral matters will include a presentation on bereavement and loss in the pandemic. There will also be a discussion on the role of the Church in the housing crisis, following the publication of the report of the Archbishops' Commission on Housing, Church and Community, and an update on the new Racial Justice Commission, coming after the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce last month.

Social issues also on the agenda include the wealth gap, in the form of a motion brought by the Leeds Diocesan Synod.

Synod will also spend time in small groups reflecting on how members’ engagement with Living in Love and Faith over the past four years can be handed on to the new Synod.

The July meeting has been moved to London from York as the usual venue, the University of York campus is not available for external events this summer because of the impact of the coronavirus.

Although it is expected that the final stage of the Government’s ‘reopening’ roadmap will be reached on June 21, Synod staff will ensure that all necessary health and safety arrangements are in place for everyone attending in July. 

Synod’s Business Committee has also agreed that if the lifting of restrictions is delayed, Synod could revert instead to a full remote meeting. The committee has reluctantly concluded that it will not be possible to hold a “hybrid” meeting of Synod, with some members joining remotely, given the staffing and resources available. 

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