General Synod Elections
The General Synod of the Church of England is the governing body or ‘parliament’ of the Church of England. It was created in 1970 to replace the older Church Assembly.
The General Synod elections this autumn are important because they will determine the membership of the Synod for the next five years.
Deanery Synod Members – your vote counts
Thank you for serving as a deanery synod member. Your vote is critical to the General Synod elections.
Here are three things we’d love you to do:
- Please use your vote. Every single vote counts and we urge you to use yours.
- Be clear about who to vote for. Do you know who you will vote for? Have you received a recommendation as to who to vote for through your DEF or Alliance link? If not please contact your DEF or charmainemuir@ceec.info and we will put you in touch.
- Be clear about how to vote in a Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. If you’re wondering how to vote in an STV system, then it is really important that you vote for all of the people who have been commended to you by the DEF/Alliance links and do not vote for anyone else.
General Synod has the power and influence to make laws (called ‘measures’), shape the policies and practices of the Church, and oversee certain budgets and appointments. It is elected every five years (often referred to as a quinquennium). The Synod usually meets twice a year (a working week in London in February, a long weekend in York in July) and occasionally in London for three days, including at the start of each ‘quinquennium’).
The Synod has three Houses:
- House of Bishops – senior bishops of the Church
- House of Clergy – elected priests and deacons
- House of Laity – elected lay (non-ordained) members
Here is short Church of England film explaining more about the General Synod and the forthcoming elections.
During the last twelve months, a large number of issues have been debated, including:
- New safeguarding structures for the Church of England
- Living in Love and Faith
- Mental health and welfare
- Clergy discipline
Elections to the General Synod 2026
General Synod membership elections take place every five years. Elections for membership of the General Synod from 2026 to 2031 will take place in the early autumn of this year.
- Clergy members are elected by other clergy in their diocese
- Lay members are elected by the lay membership on deanery synods (find out more about why deanery synods are so important and how you can be involved).
- Every diocese has its own elections.
So while ordinary churchgoers don’t vote directly in most cases, they influence the process through church representation structures. You can find out more on the Church of England website.
Key dates for elections to General Synod in 2026
*Source: Church of England (PDF)
How the Voting Works for General Synod
The Synod has three Houses (Bishops, Clergy, Laity) and the process differs slightly for each.
Synod elections use a Single Transferable Vote System.
