Synods
Easy as 1, 2 3
In conversation recently I mentioned to a friend that I was going to General Synod in Halifax this week. (June 3-11) “Oh, really,” he said, “but why in Halifax? Isn’t Synod usually in New Brunswick?” This led me to think that there was room for an article on our three different synods.
General Synod
General Synod normally takes place every three years. It is a gathering of representative members of the Anglican Church of Canada (bishops, priests and lay people) from coast to coast to coast. At these triennial meetings decisions are made about our activities and policies as a national church. The place of meeting moves from synod to synod, the last one was held in Winnipeg in 2007.
Halifax is the venue this year for a couple of reasons — our Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, is from Nova Scotia (he was elected at the last General Synod) and the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island is celebrating 300 years of continuous Anglican worship this year. There will be a celebration of that anniversary — “A Journey Just Begun 1710-2010) — on this Friday, 6 June to enable members of General Synod to participate in the celebration.
At our last Diocesan Synod in June 2009, delegates elected four clergy, four lay people and one youth delegate to represent us at General Synod. In between General Synods the Council of General Synod (CoGS), whose membership is elected at General Synod, and its various committees meet to conduct business and ensure that decisions made by General Synod are acted upon.
Provincial Synod
Provincial Synod is a gathering of representatives of an Ecclesiastical Province. There are four Ecclesiastical Provinces in the Anglican Church of Canada, each one is a group of dioceses under the leadership of an archbishop, who is elected from the province’s bishops and called the Metropolitan. From west to east, these provinces are British Columbia, Rupert’s Land, Ontario and Canada. The Ecclesiastical Province of Canada includes the dioceses of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, Central Newfoundland, Western Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Fredericton, Quebec and Montreal.
Like General Synod, Provincial Synod also meets every three years in order to provide opportunities for fellowship, for discussion, and for co-operation in the mission of the Church in our area. An important area of interest for each Provincial Synod is theological education within its jurisdiction. As with General Synod, delegates are elected at our diocesan synod and meetings are held in different areas of the Ecclesiastical Province. At the last such meeting in Gander, Newfoundland, in September of 2009, our diocesan Bishop Claude Miller was elected Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada so he is now an archbishop. It was this event that we celebrated at the dinner held in Fredericton at the beginning of May. The Provincial Council, whose members were elected at Provincial Synod, meets between Provincial Synods.
Diocesan Synod
Diocesan Synod is a gathering of our bishop and clergy as well as lay representatives from each parish elected at their respective annual meetings. Diocesan Synods are usually held every two years (the most recent was June of last year) but may be held more often, and certainly are held whenever it is necessary to elect a new bishop.
Diocesan Synod may be held in any area of the province that has facilities able to manage more than 300 people. Overnight accommodation is also required if the synod meets for more than one day and it usually does.
Diocesan Council, a mixture of appointed and elected individuals, meets between synods to conduct the business of Diocesan Synod and to carry out the motions passed by synod.
The Ven. Patricia Drummond is Archdeacon of Fredericton
Diocesan Communications
01 June 2010
