Synodical Government and the Legislative Process

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SYNODICAL GOVERNMENT IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

In the Anglican Communion, synodical government has for more than 100 years been understood as taking a particular form, in which representatives of the clergy and laity have joined with the bishops in overseeing the affairs of the Church. This experiment in vesting significant authority in a body consisting of bishops and representatives of the clergy and laity can be seen as a distinctive Anglican characteristic. ¹

Though some would see synodical government as offering practical advantages within the life of the Church, that is not its rationale. Rather, in the form it takes in its own governance, the Church of England sees it as reflecting important theological principles, as follows:

(i)'... the ultimate authority and right of collective action lie with the whole body, the Church'; ... and the co-operation of Clergy and Laity in Church government and discipline belongs to the true ideal of the Church.

(ii)Subject to (i) above in an episcopal Church the matters relating to the formulation of doctrine and the sacraments and services of the Church should be submitted for Final Approval by the General Synod in terms proposed by the House of Bishops.

(iii)Under the law of the Church and State, each province and every diocese has pastoral authority within its own territorial area.²

In the light of the embodiment of these principles in the governance of the Church of England, it has often been said that the Church is 'episcopally led and synodically governed'. However, more recently that way of describing the position has, rightly, been the subject of criticism. Characterising it as 'one of those superficially attractive but ultimately misleading pieces of shorthand', the report of the Review of Synodical Government (the Bridge Review) went on to observe in 1997 that

It is misleading because it overlooks both the particular role of individual bishops and the House of Bishops in the Church's government (especially in relation to matters of doctrine and worship), and the potential leadership role of representative clergy and laity. It suggests that episcopal leadership is exercised outside the context of synodical government whereas it is often (though by no means solely) exercised within it. It ignores the subtlety...