York Diocesan Synod will meet online at 9.30am on Saturday 15th March 2025; the Zoom link has been sent to Synod Members.
It will be of shorter duration than originally planned due to a number of factors.
The expected substantive item on the agenda for this meeting was due to be engagement in the national consultation exercise on proposals for the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) and related areas being considered by the House of Bishops.
Unfortunately, dioceses were informed late last week that, following the delays in the process that were shared at the February General Synod, the national material will not be available in time for the 15th March meeting. Dioceses have been asked to delay discussing this item until the consultation material has been signed off by the National Steering Group and then published for dioceses.
Given the importance of these matters, the Archbishop and Chairs of Houses have agreed that enabling members to receive appropriate preparatory material well in advance of any discussions is essential, and that to try to have conversations in Diocesan Synod at this stage, without those materials, would not be helpful or appropriate.
It was also expected that a Deanery motion would be brought concerning Rural and Farming communities. That too will require further consideration within that Deanery before it can be brought to Diocesan Synod.
Having consulted with the Chairs of Houses, the Archbishop, as President of Synod, has determined that these items should both be deferred and that the PLF consultation should be included on the agenda for the July 5th meeting (subject to the materials being available in good time) which will become a full day in-person meeting.
In this light and mindful of the significant time and costs involved in travelling for a reduced length meeting, the Archbishop and Chairs of Houses have agreed that the 15th March meeting will now be held on Zoom.
A revised agenda contains the remaining items that can be taken online in order to ensure that statutory reporting tasks are completed in a timely manner, and to reduce the pressure on the July agenda. At the request of the Mustard Seed team, their presentation will be held over for a future in-person meeting.
The meeting is therefore expected to last c.90 minutes and will include input from the Archbishop whose Presidential Address will focus on some Lenten themes.
The Business to be discussed at the meeting will now include:
- General Synod members’ report
- Question Time
- Annual Reports
The York Diocesan Synod is the governing body of the Church of England in our diocese.
It considers matters sent to it from General Synod and from deaneries, formulates diocesan policy, advises the Archbishop as appropriate, and votes on the funding of stipends and administration. Lay and ordained members elected by Deanery Synods serve for three years.
All Synod meetings are open and public (unless it is a meeting in closed session for a specific item), but only members are entitled to speak or vote.
