Deanery Synod Representative Elections 2023

DEANERY SYNOD REPRESENTATIVE ELECTIONS 2023

This year your Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) must include the election of Deanery Synod Representatives. The Deanery Synod is an important part of the governance of the Church of England, and shares the mission of the Church in local areas.  They are places for sharing good practice between the Parishes of a Deanery, and act as a communication line between the Diocesan Synod and the Parishes.  It is really important that Parishes are well represented at Deanery Synod, and we would strongly encourage people to stand for election.

The number of deanery synod representatives that your parish can elect is based on your electoral roll numbers:

May we kindly draw your specific attention to the following link to the Diocesan Membership Scheme 2023-26, as approved by Diocesan Synod in October 2022 which provides the Electoral Roll allocation for each parish based on their respective Electoral Roll returns to the Diocese.

A person is qualified for election as a parochial representative of the laity to the deanery synod or PCC if:

(a) the person is aged 16 or over,

(b) he or she is an actual communicant, and

(c) his or her name is on the roll of the parish and, unless he or she is aged under 18 at the date of the election, has been on the roll for at least the preceding six months. 

Once elected, deanery synod representatives are ex officio members of your Parochial Church Council until the next election (at APCM in three years’ time).  There were some changes to the Church Representation Rule in 2020 in relation to terms of office for deanery synod representatives. The current rule states that: the annual meeting may, by resolution, decide to impose a limit on the number of successive terms which can be served, but this is a matter for each respective annual meeting to determine.

Note to PCC Secretaries:

Once elections are over, please remember to notify your local Deanery Synod Secretary of your newly elected representatives and please provide their contact details including email addresses; newly elected representatives will hold office from 1^st July 2023 until 30^th June 2026.

Please also refer to the Church Representation Rules here for full details or contact the Revd Alan J. Simpson via email at: elections@manchester.anglican.org if you have any questions or queries.

Deanery Synod Lay Chairs:

It will also be necessary, before the first meeting of the Deanery Synod after the triennial election, for the House of Laity to hold a special meeting to elect the Deanery Lay Joint Chair of each respective Deanery Synod for the triennial period 2023-2026.