Updated 10 November to include second circulation papers (GS 2009 and GS Misc 1128)
Papers in the first circulation both circulations for next month’s meeting of General Synod on 24-25 November are now online here in agenda order. Here is a list in numerical order, with a note of the day scheduled for their consideration.
zip file of all first circulation papers
zip file of all second circulation papers
zip file of all papers
GS 2005 – Agenda
GS 2006 – Report by the Business Committee [Tuesday]
GS 2007 – Ecclesiastical Judges, Legal Officers and Others (Fees) Order 2015 [Wednesday]
GS 2007x – Ecclesiastical Judges, Legal Officers and Others (Fees) Order 2015 Explanatory Memorandum
GS 2008 – Report of the Church Buildings Review Group [Wednesday]
GS 2009 – The Migrant Crisis [Wednesday]
The motion to be debated on this subject is contained in notice paper 4.
GS 2010 – Standing Orders (October 2015)
GS Misc 1123 – Constitutions of the Committees of the Archbishops’ Council
GS Misc 1124 – A programme for the renewal and reform of the Church of England [Tuesday]
GS Misc 1125 – A New Enabling Measure
GS Misc 1126 – Public Peceptiions of Jesus [Wednesday]
Annex: Talking Jesus Booklet
GS Misc 1127 – Released for Mission
GS Misc 1128 – Consultation on possible Statute Law (repeals) Measure
Members’ Resources
Although intended for Synod members, some of these Members’ Resources may be of wider interest – in particular the Guide to the General Synod and the Synod Survival Guide.
As I understand this New Enabling Measure, almost the first thing this new Synod is being asked to do is to give away some of its authority.
Vote it down!
A cynic might wonder whether the Enabling Measure being presented right at the start of the new Synod is deliberate because newly elected members will have less time to develop objections.
In continuation of Jeremy’s comment here on 30 October, re the New Enabling Measure: With the seeming over-riding authority of the ‘Archbishps’ Council’; Will this instrument in any way pre-empt the authority of decisions of the General Synod? As a member of the world-wide Anglican Communion, we would not want the Church of England to erect an authority that is not answerable to General Synod. After all, Pope Francis seems to be moving in the direction of synodical government. I am speaking as part of the Anglican Communion Church (ACANZP) that first enacted the principle of Synodical Government – in… Read more »
If you read the agenda a tad more carefully, you’ll see that it’s part of presentation and questions session to brief new members. Plenty of time for Synod to debate the Measure when it actually comes before the Synod for consideration. But that’s not yet.
I am yet to read an informed comment on the proposed Enabling Measure. As +Pete says, it is not coming to Synod as a draft Measure until February 2016. GS Misc 1125 is provided for information and sets out the results of the consultation. The Enabling Measure, as proposed, will deny no powers to the General Synod. If it doesn’t like a draft Order made under the Measure, it could vote it down. However, the nature of the legislative changes to be the subject of the new Measure is such that GS is unlikely to do this. The role of… Read more »
Good. May it be never.
Bishops always think that the laity should have less power. This is a habit of mind that the laity should resist, and resist strongly.
Indeed, good, and thanks for clearing that up.
“The Enabling Measure, as proposed, will deny no powers to the General Synod. If it doesn’t like a draft Order made under the Measure, it could vote it down.” If that’s what passes for informed commentary…. The first sentence is contradicted by the second! As you concede, the draft enabling measure would move legislative power away from Synod, and would shift the burden of action. That burden now lies on the proponents of a measure. Under the Enabling Measure that burden would lie with the opponents of an order, which would be fast-tracked. So no matter what you say, the… Read more »
“So no matter what you say, the Draft Enabling Measure would take legislative power away from Synod and lodge it elsewhere.” I am not sure who “Jeremy” thinks will be passing this secondary legislation! GS 1125 makes it abundantly clear. The new Enabling Measure, if passed, will make it possible to amend or repeal some primary legislation by secondary legislation, in other words by an order approved by the Synod rather than by a Measure. Such a power for the Synod would be similar in some respects to that which Parliament created for itself in the Legislative and Regulatory Reform… Read more »
I’m not sure who Mr. Archer thinks will be drafting and amending these all-too-appropriately-named “orders.” But let’s be clear: it won’t be Synod. The power to vote up or down is not the only legislative power. There is also the power to introduce, the power to package, and the power to amend (that is, to defeat the packaging effort of another). All of those powers would be taken away from Synod by this new Enabling Measure, in the novel “order” procedure that it would establish. That procedure is well named because it would result in Synod essentially taking orders from… Read more »
I don’t know whether “Jeremy” has ever served on the General Synod but the way it does business is not as he infers. Business gets introduced to Synod in many different ways. It influences its agenda, as Parliament does, and members can put down diocesan synod motions and private member’s motion etc. But the agenda of Synod is largely set by its Business Committee, an elected committee of Synod and accountable to it. In the same way the proposed Scrutiny Committee will be elected by Synod and accountable to it. Legislation introduced to Synod is never drafted by it; that’s… Read more »