Diocesan Synod met at Manor School on Saturday 18th October, and the House of Clergy elected their new Chair, the Revd Tim Robinson, Vicar of Helmsley and Upper Ryedale, and Rural Dean of Northern Ryedale.

Archbishop Sentamu gave the Presidential Address was on the good news that is heralded by Isaiah. The good news is that God forgives and forgets sin, and never gives up on us. All his purposes to us are purposes of love. The Archbishop spoke about Bishop Alfred Tucker, who shared that good news by leading a mission to Uganda in 1882, evangelising and building up the indigenous church. Under Tucker, one in five in every congregation in Uganda was a catechist, and one in four was an evangelist. As we resource our churches to be growing and nurturing disciples, can grow the same number of catechists and evangelists in our churches? Archbishop Sentamu welcomed the new Chair of the House of Clergy; the new Diocesan Registrar, Caroline Mockford; and the Archdeacon of the East Riding, the Ven Andy Broom.

Maureen Loffill, Chair of the Board of Finance, spoke about the progress of Freewill Offers in 2014, with 73% of offers received so far this year. The offers received so far for 2015 are getting toward £8 million, with 33 churches still to make an offer. That’s wonderful, but if we accept those offers, we will be going backwards from last year. 45.6% of offers are increased, 15.5% are down, 32% are the same as last year, and 6.9% are still missing. This pattern is entirely normal within the second year of a huge process of change, with great disparities in engagement and understanding. The challenge this year is whether we accept the offers given and risk going backwards. We need to challenge unacceptable behaviours, honour generosity, support growth, and move forward in mission. We will be meeting with Rural Deans, Lay Chairs and Deanery Financial Advisors this autumn to encourage local interventions, where they are needed. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but a forensic approach from those people who know their area best to change behaviours for future years.

Peter Warry spoke about the Leading Your Church Into Growth course: we will be holding a pilot course at Scarborough for September 2015, and a larger event for 2016. Pilgrim is beginning to take hold across the Diocese, but there are still some free sets of materials available for parishes.

Voltaire Alferez of Aksyon Klima, a Christian Aid partner from the Philippines, spoke to Synod about the effects of climate change. In the Philippines there is no discussion on whether climate change is real – people are suffering the effects of 20 to 25 typhoons a year brought about by the warming of the South Pacific. Temperatures in the summer are already reaching 42°c. Poorer southern countries are the ones that are bearing the brunt of the effects of climate change. We need to raise our voices as churches to put pressure on world leaders to make changes. Christians should hunger for justice to ensure a better world for our brothers and sisters, to ensure a sustainable future. Christians need to take care of one another.

The Bishop of Selby gave a report on his work as Ambassador for Rural Mission. He’s been visiting rural churches, discovering that there are great clergy and laity on the ground, who are up for an adventure. He shared preliminary strategy for vibrant, sustainable and generous churches: growth (of festivals, pilgrimage, gathering and spirituality), resources (of worship resources, theology and prayer) and transformation (of buildings, community hubs, income generation). Three rural clergy from the Diocese will be joining the national Germinate programme, and a group of people will gather together to discuss the issues above, for feedback to Synod in July 2015.

Synod passed a motion, presented by Dr Nick Land, Chair of the House of Laity, that the number of elected clerical and lay representatives from Deanery Synods to Diocesan Synod should be related to the numbers of clergy in the House of Clergy, and the number of lay people on the electoral role of Parishes in the Deanery. The Deanery should have at least two clergy and two lay representatives, and the number of clergy representatives should be close to 69, and the lay representatives 71.

Catherine Evans updated Synod on Freewill Offers, with £6.5 million received so far on offers – thank you! The forecast is projecting an underspend on stipends and salaries, on posts we’ve not been able to fill, leaving a projected surplus of £167,000. The budget for 2015 will be a deficit budget to support growth and mission, funding 180 core archdeaconry posts. There will be a 2% increase in stipends and salaries, and an increase of £84,100 to fund training and vocations. Synod approved the 2015 budget.

Peter Warry presented a report on Deanery Synod, in response the Southern Ryedale Deanery Synod motion of October 2013. One of the questions that came up in discussions with Lay Chairs, Rural Deans and Deanery Secretaries was what is our vision for Deaneries (and therefore Deanery Synods) in the role of the Generous Churches Making and Nurturing Disciples? A small working group will work on how our Deaneries can be Generous Deaneries Making and Nurturing Disciples, to give focus for Deaneries and Deanery Synods. In the meantime, new Standing Orders will be written, and guidance will be created for new Lay Chairs, Rural Deans, Deanery Financial Advisors and Deanery Secretaries. We will work on improved Deanery information on the Diocesan websites and Deanery websites and microsites, look at key contacts at Diocesan House, and a Lay Chairs meeting will take place.

The Bishop of Whitby gave a presentation on Church Schools of the Future. There are changes in government policy and aspirations of raising standards. There is a trend towards self-governing academies, a reduction in the influence of Local Authorities, and an expectation that governors and providers take more responsibility of quality of educations. A recent report on RE, Making A Difference, recommends systematic teaching of specific faiths in their own terms should be developed, rather than cherry picking of topics. RE should be a rigorous subject in its own right, enabling critical thinking and personal development. The support of effective leadership and governance is essential in enabling good RE teaching. In our Diocese, we need to value and support church schools, appreciate the variety of partnerships in a changing educational environment, encourage new foundations governors including ‘lending’ between parishes, and develop skills, knowledge and engagement of governors.

The next meeting of Synod will be at Manor School on Saturday 9th May 2015.