What is the General Synod, and what does it do?

General Synod is the legislative body of the Church of England. Together with the Westminster Parliament, it is the only body in the land which is entitled to make national law for England.

Legislative Measures passed by the Church of England are signed off by the Queen as Head of State. In addition to legislation, the General Synod also agrees the national Budget for the Church of England and debates a wide range of public and social issues from the perspective of a faith organisation.

Stand for Synod

New clergy and lay members are being elected to General Synod in Autumn 2026 - and you are invited to stand as a candidate. Those elected will serve for five years. Members are a mixture of bishops, clergy and lay people. 

Almost anyone who attends church regularly is likely to be eligible to stand as a lay member. You don't need to be a member of a PCC, deanery synod or diocesan synod.

We are looking for candidates who represent the whole range of people and churches in the Church of England. We particularly welcome candidates whose background may currently be under-represented. There is a supportive induction programme to help new members in their roles.

Why stand?

This is an opportunity to represent the concerns of your community and your diocese at a national level. You can have a say in national legislation that affects all parts of the Church of England. You can also raise issues and contribute to debates on social and policy matters.

Find out more here, on the Church of England website.

Do I need special skills?

You will need to show you can listen with an open mind, reflect prayerfully on issues and confidently contribute to discussions. You don't need any previous experience in making speeches. It doesn't matter if you don't know everything about how the Church operates or how General Synod works - people will help you with this if you get elected. 

You would be expected to attend each meeting of Synod for the next five years. It is possible to attend either in person or online. Each meeting lasts five days and there are usually two meetings per year - one in London and one in York. In your first year, you would also attend an additional three-day meeting in London.

I'm interested, what's the next steps?

If you would like to stand as a lay member, use the eligibility checker at www.cofe.io/StandForSynod as a guide. You can also contact Diocesan Secretary Philip Poulter here, as he is our returning officer.

How the election process works and key dates

1. Eligibility: Contact Philip Poulter here to confirm your eligibility.
2. Nominations: If you are standing as a lay member, you will then need two people who are members of a Deanery Synod to nominate you. If you are clergy, you will need two other clergy to nominate you. Your diocese will have a nominations form that you need to fill out and that will need to be signed by the people who are nominating you. Nominations open on 14 August and close on 7 September.
3. Statements and hustings: You will need to write an election statement and may be asked to record a video or give a short talk at a ‘hustings’ event. Statements and hustings are an opportunity to talk about why you want to be elected and what you could bring to the role.
4. Voting: The lay Deanery Synod members in your diocese vote for lay candidates, and the clergy in your diocese vote for clergy candidates. The voting period is 21 September to 13 October.
5. Results: If elected, you would come to General Synod for the first time at its meeting in London this November.