Nominations for the election of clergy and laity members to the Diocesan Synod are now open.
Those elected will serve for the period 1st August 2024 to 31st July 2027, in accordance with the membership scheme approved by Diocesan Synod in October 2023. Those elected to the Diocesan Synod will also form the membership of the Board of Finance.
All clergy and laity members of deanery synods (except co-opted members) can vote in the elections and make nominations. Please note that only clergy may nominate and vote for clergy, and only laity can nominate and vote for laity.
All nominations must be seconded and the person nominated must indicate his/her willingness to stand for election.
If nominating a lay person, the proposer and seconder must both be members of the House of Laity of the same deanery by which the candidate is to be elected.
If nominating clergy, the proposer and seconder must both be members of the House of Clergy of the same deanery synod by which the candidate is to be elected.
There are different conditions for clergy and laity to be able to stand for election:
- Clergy are eligible to stand in elections to Diocesan Synod, so long as they are ‘Any clerk in Holy Orders who is a member of a deanery synod…providing that no clerk shall stand for election by more than one deanery synod.’
- Lay people are eligible to stand for election to Diocesan Synod even if they are not members of a deanery synod. To stand for election, a lay person must be ‘an actual communicant… of 18 years or upwards and whose name is entered on the electoral roll of any parish in the deanery or who is a lay person declared by the dean to be an habitual worshipper at the cathedral church of the diocese and to be associated with the deanery.’
Nominations can be made only by those entitled to vote and must be made on an official form, which can be found below. Please ensure you fill in the correct form for whom you are voting, whether that be clergy or laity.
House of Laity nomination form
House of Clergy nomination form
Once completed, forms can be scanned and emailed to: elections@manchester.anglican.org. Alternatively, forms can be posted to: St John’s House, 155-163 The Rock, Bury BL9 0ND.
Nominations for both clergy and laity must be received by no later than 12 noon on Monday, 24th June 2024. A full timetable can be found here:
2024 Timetable - Diocesan Synod Elections
Candidates are invited to provide a factual statement (of not more than 100 words) describing their qualifications, present office and any other relevant experience. If an election is necessary, the statements received will be circulated with the voting papers. The election will be decided by simple majority.
Later in the year elections will take place for the various diocesan boards and committees. In a number of cases, candidates for elections to boards and committees must be members of Diocesan Synod. Please bear this in mind when considering whether to stand for election to Diocesan Synod.
If you have any questions regarding the election, please do not hesitate to contact: elections@manchester.anglican.org