Inside Synod - one member’s view

Since 1970 General Synod has been the central governing body of the Church of England. Made up of Bishops, clergy and laity, members are newly elected every five years and their remit ranges from debate and decision on the church's position on major issues of our modern society to legislation, liturgy and central church finances. The Revd Moira Astin, Team vicar of St James Church in Southlake, was first elected onto the General Synod as a representative of our diocese in 2000 and re-elected in September last year. Here she takes us behind the scenes at the inaugural meeting.

OUR first task as a new Synod was one I always very much enjoy. The inaugural service in Westminster Abbey was a reminder of the seriousness of our proceedings and that all we do is about seeking God's will for his Church of England.

At the service we were reminded by HM The Queen that the Church of England still plays an important role in the life of our nation, and were encouraged to keep upholding the Christian faith confidently.

After lunch it was straight down to business with a thoughtful debate on the 'Challenge of Terrorism' emphasising that the General Synod is not just about dealing with Church housekeeping but is one of the ways through which the Church gives a moral lead to the nation on the issues we face together. 

Later, another important issue. We had a seminar on what it means to have 'bishops' in the church.  This was not a  common way for Synod to conduct its business, but it was a useful tool to ensure we all know what we are talking about as we discuss the issue of women bishops in future meetings.

Wednesday's business started with another reminder of our role as an established church as the Archbishop of Canterbury moved a motion for us to present a loyal address to the Queen. 

Then came his presidential address in which he gave us a steer for our years ahead as members of Synod. He called on us to ensure that our debates led to specific actions and not just lofty aspirations, and asked us to be patient where needed, but also impatient where needed. The wisdom is, as ever, in discerning the difference. In all, five practical priorities were laid before us:

Divisions in the communion - He argued that debates were often complicated by ignorance of the other view and challenged us to all find someone from another province, whose views we would expect to differ from our own and get to know them.  We should also find someone on the Synod with different views and pray with them.  In resolving the issues he hoped we would adopt interactive pluralism, accepting differences but keeping the boundaries open.

Fresh Expressions - Over 300 initiatives have been registered with the Fresh Expressions website and we were encouraged to keep hearing about them in our Synod meetings. Our part as a Synod is to encourage this move, and to loosen legal structures to help them thrive.

A learning community - It was hoped we would model this to the church through seminars: 'We as a Synod need to show that theology doesn't kill you!  But it can be life-giving!'

How we carry through what we say - We should identify an action we can take which will change us, not just implore others to act.

Vocations to be Clergy - We should communicate the Good News to the young then challenge them to serve God in ways which include the ordained ministry.  The Archbishop suggested a target of a 20% increase in 5 years of candidates under 30-years-old for ordination,

The Archbishop concluded: 'Synods don't renew churches, and Archbishops of Canterbury don't renew Churches, God does, in unpredictable ways, we just need to get out of his way'.

Business continued with a discussion of the new draft 'Diocese, Pastoral and Mission Measure'. I believe it is good to see Mission in the title, and many of the changes it will bring are about changing structures to emphasise Mission.

We then had a first chance to discuss specific rules for admitting children to communion and agreed payments to the Churches Conservation Trust. And after vigorous debate on who would formally own parsonage houses when we have Common Tenure for the clergy, it was agreed to propose they be formally owned by the Diocesan Parsonage Boards.

The session ended with questions, which is the opportunity for members to hold all the Central Church Councils to account.

As General Synod members we represent you, as members of the Church of England. If you would like a question asked of anyone, please ask. A list of both the Deanery and the General Synod representatives for the Oxford Diocese is published in the Diocesan Year Book, a copy of which is usually held by your churchwardens and/or secretaries of your PCC.

The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England and is made up of three houses - the House of Bishops comprising all Diocesan Bishops and some elected suffragan bishops; the House of Clergy elected by fellow clergy; and the House of Laity elected by Deanery Synod representatives. Synod meets in February, July and November.