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Synodical Government Measure 1969

The Synodical Government Measure 1969 No. 2 is a Church of England measure passed by the National Assembly of the Church of England replacing the National Assembly with the General Synod of the Church of England.

Background

In 1919, the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed an act establishing the National Assembly of the Church of England.[1] After the measure was passed, the previous state of arrangements was referred to as "paralysis" in the Ecclesiastical Law Journal.

Until this measure passed there were "many complications" with having the National Assembly and the Convocations side-by-side, and it was deemed that the laity had too little share of power in the National Assembly.[2]

Provisions

Most of the powers of the Convocations of York and Canterbury were transferred to the General Synod, consisting of:[3]

The measure established deanery synods which would be the lowest rung of the Church's hierarchy. To be eligible to be elected to the House of Laity you need to be elected to a deanery synod first.[4]

Electoral roll

Originally, the measure established the voting age as 17.[5] This has since been reduced to 16 through the passage of the Church Representation and Ministers Measure 2019.

Channel Islands

The Measure applied to the Channel Islands, through Synodical Government (Channel Islands) Order 1970.[6]

Amendments

In 1971, the measure was amended so that "special majorities" would be required to change the relationship between the Church of England and another church.[5]

In 1974, the measure was amended so that the constitutions of the Convocations of York and Canterbury would be required to change the relationship between the Church of England and another church.[5]

In 2003, the measure was amended so that there would be a regular review of the arrangements for pastoral supervision.[5]

Legislation passed by the Church must now comply with the Human Rights Act 1998.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 23 December 1919, 1919 c. 76, retrieved 16 September 2024
  2. ^ "Synodical Government Measure". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 302. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Lords. 16 June 1969. col. 843–848.
  3. ^ "Convocations of Canterbury and York". Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 16 September 2024. With the Synodical Government Measure of 1969, most of the powers of the convocations, including the power to legislate by canon, passed into the hands of a general synod composed of members of the houses of bishops, members of the houses of clergy, and a house of laity. Although the convocations continue to meet, their transactions are for the most part formal.
  4. ^ "Synodical Government". Oxford Reference. doi:10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100547675. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "Synodical Government (Special Majorities) Measure 1971". legislation.gov.uk. National Archives. 17 February 1971. Retrieved 16 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "The Synodical Government (Channel Islands) Order 1970", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1970/1117
  7. ^ Slack, Stephen (5 December 2011). "Synodical Government and the Legislative Process". Ecclesiastical Law Journal. 14 (1): 43–81. doi:10.1017/S0956618X11000755. ISSN 0956-618X.