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General Synod 2022 Preview

By the Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod


From left: Ms Hazel Corrigan, Mr Ken Gibson, Canon Malcolm Kingston, and Canon Gillian Wharton.
From left: Ms Hazel Corrigan, Mr Ken Gibson, Canon Malcolm Kingston, and Canon Gillian Wharton.

The following preview of General Synod 2022 was first published in the April edition of the Church of Ireland Gazette.

The second meeting of the 52nd General Synod will take place in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, from Wednesday, 4th May, to Friday, 6th May 2022, with the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland presiding.  This will be the first in–person meeting of the General Synod since its meeting in Derry/Londonderry in May 2019.

The General Synod Service of Holy Communion will be held in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Wednesday, 4th May, at 10.30am.  The business of General Synod will then commence at 12noon, followed by the Presidential Address.

Representative Church Body

The reports of the Representative Church Body (RCB), the Standing Committee and all other committees reporting to the General Synod will be presented for the year leading up to March 2022.

The RCB report notes that during 2021, the total funds available to the RCB increased by €41 million to €249 million.  Expenditure from General Funds, decreased by €100,000 to €7.1 million.  Allocations have been set at €3.7 million for 2022.

The initial research phase of the MindMatters COI project, to promote better awareness of mental health, was completed during 2021 and the project team will this year develop training and the application process for grants to dioceses and parishes.

Standing Committee

The Standing Committee received a report from the House of Bishops on women in ministry and reviewed the possible future use of online technology for central church meetings.  It also provided a subvention to Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise (the Irish Guild of the Church) towards the reprinting and republishing of An Bíobla Naofa (the Holy Bible) in the Irish language.

The Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development is this year celebrating 50 years of standing in solidarity with people who live in poverty.  The Church and Society Commission supported the Irish Churches Creation Care Conference, which is taking place on 8th April, and responded to public consultations on marriage law, organ donation, and the Northern Ireland Programme for Government.

The Working Group on Pioneer Ministry will bring forward proposals for pioneer ministry with the aim of reaching more people outside the Church in a way that complements existing ministry within the Church of Ireland.

Other reports

Committee reports will also be presented by the Board of Education, Church of Ireland Youth Department, Covenant Council, Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue, Liturgical Advisory Committee, Council for Mission, Commission on Ministry, and Marriage Council.

The Council for Mission is continuing its work on promoting the Anglican Communion’s Five Marks of Mission with a focus on discipleship and our care for Creation, and is completing a series of videos to raise awareness of all Five Marks.

The Commission on Ministry is undertaking the follow–up work on the Report on Women’s Ministry. In its report to General Synod, the Commission welcomes feedback and responses from members of the General Synod on the theme of rural ministry, which will form part of its work in 2022 and 2023.  The Commission is aware of the many positives of serving in rural communities alongside the challenges involved and the particular issues affecting rural areas more greatly than urban areas.

The Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue reports on a busy year with many meetings and discussions to maintain good relationships with other Churches and faiths undertaken by its working groups on Anglican and ecumenical affairs, Europe, and inter–faith matters.  The Covenant Council continues to encourage the implementation of the Church of Ireland–Methodist Covenant at every level and to consider how to best support the interchangeability of ministry.

Further information on this year’s General Synod, including Bills, notices of motion and the indicative timetable, will be made available at https://synod.ireland.anglican.org/2022

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