Synod – it might seem like ecclesiastical jargon, but it’s far from an arcane relic. It’s the beating heart of governance within the Anglican Church, with roots in New Zealand stretching back to a constitution agreed upon in 1857 – then updated in 1992 to introduce the three tikanga system.
“In order that our Church may grow into an holy temple in the Lord,” Bishop Selwyn said in an opening address of the first General Synod of New Zealand, “it must be fitly framed, and we must be builded together.”1
Synod is swathed in layers of formality that can seem daunting to the casual observer – like myself. But underneath is a crucial process of governance, the most definitive expression of what makes Anglicans different from other denominations: that we make decisions together – bishop, lay people and clergy.
Across the country, dioceses convene their own synods annually, while every two years, the General Synod gathers representatives from the entire province.
In our diocese, there are a few key people whose hard mahi make our annual synod happen. To ensure we’re “builded together”, you might say. I spoke with two in particular, here in the Anglican Centre: Deborah Oliver and Renata van der Wal.
Deborah: I handle things like collecting parish and committee reports, audited financial accounts, nominations for elections and motions.
Another part of my role is liaising with the hosting parish to make sure they know what's required, how we’ll arrange the spaces we need and whether there's going to be a dinner.
This is my seventeenth synod.
Renata: And this is my second!
I have more of an administrative support role – helping bind the yearbooks, putting folders together and making sure we've got everything that we need.
Deborah: We have a timeline that works backwards from the date of synod to make sure we get everything out at the right time. We usually start around March, when parishes have their AGMS and all their synod representatives are officially elected.
Everything is guided by a set of rules called Standing Orders, which are used to make sure we follow all the regulations and have information provided to synod members in a timely manner.
There are a lot of deadlines to keep, and things we need from people in order to achieve the next deadline, and so on.
We ask for things like parish directories, statistics and declarations of adherence, and then there are all the reports. If we don’t get them in time, there could be some blank spaces in the yearbook.
Deborah: I’d say to people who aren't involved or don’t know the lingo that it's a bit like an AGM for our diocese.
We gather representatives from every parish. We receive reports and financial accounts, and have elections and motions. So it’s very similar.
The difference is that we have a visioning aspect – a discernment of what the Spirit is saying to the Church – called the “Bishop's Charge”, given by the bishop as an official instruction to the diocese, and which is treated differently from other synod business.
Renata: Synod is a gathering of vicars and other people from throughout the diocese coming together to discuss what is happening in the church and make decisions about things that need to change or be improved.
Deborah: The statutes are legislative acts, so new statutes and amendments follow a legal process, which includes who has speaking rights, how long they can speak, et cetera.
It’s a democratic process. And through each diocesan synod, representation is also sent forward to the General Synod and Tikanga Pākehā Conference.
Renata: It’s a valuable gathering space where all of the clergy can get together with some of the lay members of their parishes in one space, hear encouragement from the bishop and have a chance to discuss what is going on in their parishes.
Deborah: It's important that every parish has the opportunity to be involved in the discussions and decision making which affect the direction that we as a diocese take.
Renata: The best part is on that first day of synod, before the business starts – everything’s set up on the tables and we've done everything we need to do.
Deborah: When everything has been brought together and we've been able to send things out to everyone on time. It's such a big gathering to get together, so it’s nice to achieve it. And with the host church, there’s a feeling that you're part of a bigger team.
And we've been a very united diocese over many years. Even when there have been difficult things to discuss, it's been very respectful and prayerful, which I've really appreciated.
1"Bishop Selwyn's Address at the First General Synod of New Zealand", The Church Journal No. 341, 1859. Project Canterbury.
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We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
Synod – it might seem like ecclesiastical jargon, but it’s far from an arcane relic. It’s the beating heart of governance within the Anglican Church, with roots in New Zealand stretching back to a constitution agreed upon in 1857 – then updated in 1992 to introduce the three tikanga system.
“In order that our Church may grow into an holy temple in the Lord,” Bishop Selwyn said in an opening address of the first General Synod of New Zealand, “it must be fitly framed, and we must be builded together.”1
Synod is swathed in layers of formality that can seem daunting to the casual observer – like myself. But underneath is a crucial process of governance, the most definitive expression of what makes Anglicans different from other denominations: that we make decisions together – bishop, lay people and clergy.
Across the country, dioceses convene their own synods annually, while every two years, the General Synod gathers representatives from the entire province.
In our diocese, there are a few key people whose hard mahi make our annual synod happen. To ensure we’re “builded together”, you might say. I spoke with two in particular, here in the Anglican Centre: Deborah Oliver and Renata van der Wal.
Deborah: I handle things like collecting parish and committee reports, audited financial accounts, nominations for elections and motions.
Another part of my role is liaising with the hosting parish to make sure they know what's required, how we’ll arrange the spaces we need and whether there's going to be a dinner.
This is my seventeenth synod.
Renata: And this is my second!
I have more of an administrative support role – helping bind the yearbooks, putting folders together and making sure we've got everything that we need.
Deborah: We have a timeline that works backwards from the date of synod to make sure we get everything out at the right time. We usually start around March, when parishes have their AGMS and all their synod representatives are officially elected.
Everything is guided by a set of rules called Standing Orders, which are used to make sure we follow all the regulations and have information provided to synod members in a timely manner.
There are a lot of deadlines to keep, and things we need from people in order to achieve the next deadline, and so on.
We ask for things like parish directories, statistics and declarations of adherence, and then there are all the reports. If we don’t get them in time, there could be some blank spaces in the yearbook.
Deborah: I’d say to people who aren't involved or don’t know the lingo that it's a bit like an AGM for our diocese.
We gather representatives from every parish. We receive reports and financial accounts, and have elections and motions. So it’s very similar.
The difference is that we have a visioning aspect – a discernment of what the Spirit is saying to the Church – called the “Bishop's Charge”, given by the bishop as an official instruction to the diocese, and which is treated differently from other synod business.
Renata: Synod is a gathering of vicars and other people from throughout the diocese coming together to discuss what is happening in the church and make decisions about things that need to change or be improved.
Deborah: The statutes are legislative acts, so new statutes and amendments follow a legal process, which includes who has speaking rights, how long they can speak, et cetera.
It’s a democratic process. And through each diocesan synod, representation is also sent forward to the General Synod and Tikanga Pākehā Conference.
Renata: It’s a valuable gathering space where all of the clergy can get together with some of the lay members of their parishes in one space, hear encouragement from the bishop and have a chance to discuss what is going on in their parishes.
Deborah: It's important that every parish has the opportunity to be involved in the discussions and decision making which affect the direction that we as a diocese take.
Renata: The best part is on that first day of synod, before the business starts – everything’s set up on the tables and we've done everything we need to do.
Deborah: When everything has been brought together and we've been able to send things out to everyone on time. It's such a big gathering to get together, so it’s nice to achieve it. And with the host church, there’s a feeling that you're part of a bigger team.
And we've been a very united diocese over many years. Even when there have been difficult things to discuss, it's been very respectful and prayerful, which I've really appreciated.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
