Synod met online for 90 minutes on a sunny but bracing Saturday morning on the Ides of March.
The meeting had been re-shaped a fortnight ago following delays at February’s General Synod to the expected national consultation exercise on proposals for the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) and related areas being considered by the House of Bishops.
Accordingly the March York Diocesan Synod meeting was considerably shortened and moved online; the July meeting will now be in person and extended to accommodate the PLF material, assuming it is available in good time beforehand.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
Archbishop Stephen reflected on the story of the feeding of the five thousand in John Chapter 6.
“That small boy allowed what he had to be taken and blessed and multiplied and used.
“He gave Jesus all his lunch, not just one small bit of it. So why are we often so mean? How have we failed to realise that generosity isn’t measured by the amount we give, but by how much is left over after we’ve finished giving, that widows’ mites are worth more than millionaires’ millions? And who were those other people in the crowd who kept their lunchboxes hidden? And are we more like them than we realise?
“Lent is a season for repentance.
“Lent is a season for giving.
“Lent is a season for learning what matters. What is basic and what is fundamental.
“It is about giving things up, not because God likes it when we are miserable, but because, in the end, everything is secondary to God, and in the end, everything must be relinquished. And in the end, there will be that day when God invites us to give up breathing itself. And on that day, there really is nowhere else to go. And there really is only one thing we need to know, and it is not the meals and banquets and riches and ever bigger barns of the world, but what we do with them and we how we offer them that matters.”
GENERAL SYNOD REPORT
The Revd Jake Madin described the busy February sessions which had included discussion of the Makin Report into the church’s response to the abuse perpetrated over many years by the late John Smyth; proposals to reform the structure of Safeguarding in the Church of England following the report and recommendations by Professor Alexis Jay; and an update on continuing work to implement initiatives emerging from the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) programme, including provision for the oversight and care of those in ministry who are impacted by LLF and its many implications.
QUESTION TIME
Seven questions had been put down by five Diocesan Synod Members, within the Standing Orders that define Questions as concerning matters of fact rather than opinions.
Questions included numbers of those in ministry training in the diocese (answered by Director of Mission & Ministry the Revd Canon Ian McIntosh), the conduct of Chairs of Diocesan Synod in debating subjects on which they acknowledge strong views of their own (answered by the Archbishop of York), diocesan measures for the protection and support of clergy unable in good conscience to implement proposals made under the Living in Love and Faith process (answered by the Archbishop of York), the possible inclusion of Safeguarding as a standing item on Diocesan Synod agendas (answered by Diocesan Secretary Canon Peter Warry), and the cost implications for parishes and hence for the diocese of implementing the Church of England’s ambition to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030 as determined by General Synod in 2020 (answered by Diocesan Secretary Canon Peter Warry).
ANNUAL REPORTS
Synod received and approved 2024 Reports from the Diocesan Property Sub-Committee (concerned with clergy housing and more), and the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches (the DAC). Reports from the Audit Committee, Board of Finance, Board of Education and Mission and Pastoral Sub Committee will be delivered to the July 2025 meeting along with the annual report on Safeguarding.
FAREWELLS
Archbishop Stephen noted the final Synod appearances of the Ven Sam Rushton (Archdeacon of York, moving to a new post in Lichfield); the Revd Dr Jenny Wright (Archbishop’s Chaplain, moving to a new post in Ely) and HH Canon Peter Collier (retiring from the role of Vicar General for the Province of York), leading Synod in thanking each for their service.
NEXT MEETING
Saturday 5th July 2025 at Huntington School, York.
