General Synod

The Diocese of Bath and Wells is currently seeking nominations to fill a casual vacancy on the House of Clergy of General Synod, following the resignation of The Revd Sue Rose. Find out more about the election process.

General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England. Decisions that are taken at General Synod shape the life, worship, financial health, ministry, and mission of our church. Representatives of the whole Church of England – dioceses, cathedrals, religious communities, universities, armed forces, bishops, clergy and lay people - usually meet three times a year to debate and decide the future direction of the church. Decisions affect the life of every parish – for example, the ordination of women to the priesthood and as bishops; and the recent commitment for the church to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 in response to the Climate Emergency.

House of Clergy (4 places)

House of Laity (5 places)

Here General Synod representative, Matt Orr shares his experience as a new member when attending his first General Synod. You can find his latest video on the February 2023 General Synod meeting on YouTube.

Download reports from other representatives below.

Timetable

10-14 February 2025 (London)
11-15 July 2025 (York)
17-19 November 2025 (London)

Who to contact

Peter Evans, Assistant Diocesan Secretary

Downloads

Sue Rose - General Synod October 2023

Roger Driver - General Synod February 2023

James Cary - General Synod February 2023

Revd Jo Stobart - General Synod February 2023

Form of return of election result - election of 5 members of the House of Laity 12 October 2021

Election of Members of the House of Laity

Election of Members of the House of Laity 2 (Excel)

Form of return of election result - election of 4 members of the House of Clergy

Election of Members to the House of Clergy

Election of Members to the House of Clergy 2 (Excel)

General Synod election 2024/25

The Diocese of Bath and Wells is currently seeking candiates to fill a casual vacancy on the House of Clergy of General Synod, following the resignation of The Revd Sue Rose.

Any qualified candidate wishing to stand for election should submit their nomination on the Civica elections portal by noon on 24 December.

A Zoom husting for candidates is scheduled to be held at 19:00 on Thursday, 16 January.

Full timeline of General Synod election

4 - 12 November - Register of Electors compiled and relevant extracts sent to Deanery Synod Secretaries for checking
19 November - submission of completed Registers to Presiding Officer and to Civica
26 November - notification to electors of the election timetable to be followed in the diocese and issue of invitations to nominate
Notification of the validity of any nomination - as soon as any nomination is received
24 December (12 noon) - closing date for nominations
Thurs, 2 January (12 noon) - submission of election address by candidates
Issue of voting invitations - Thursday 9th January
Thurs, 30 January (12 noon) - closing date for return of votes
Friday, 31 January (12 noon) - day of the count
Names and addresses of those elected and result sheet to be sent to the diocesan bishop, the Clerk to the Synod and every candidate - not later than the fourth working day after the date of the declaration of the result.

Who to contact

Jenny Hollingsworth
Presiding Officer, Diocese of Bath and Wells
Email: Presiding.Officer@bathwells.anglican.org
Tel: 01749 670777