Synodical Reform Committee
November 2004
SYNODICAL REFORM COMMITTEE
10 November 2004
- At its meeting on 1 th November, the Synodical Reform Working Group reviewed the proposed models for General Synod membership. The merits of each model were considered by the group and the possibility of including co-opted members and ex officio members was discussed in detail.
- One of the models considered was based on the Church of Ireland population in each diocese. In consultation with the diocesan secretaries it was established that it would be impossible to procure comparable statistics on Church of Ireland population, as statistical methods vary widely between each diocese. The difficulty of ensuring that every single parish makes a return at the appropriate time was also taken into account.
- The model based on the number of cures and other licensed clergy was also discussed. However, the problem of defining which additional clergy to include in the calculation was noted as well as the possibility of exaggerating the number of additional clergy.
- The Working Group then decided to concentrate on the model based on cures only, although there were some reservations that this model would not take account of changes in patterns of ministry in the future. The possibility of co-opting additional members was considered to be impractical.
- The inclusion of ex officio members was also addressed. It was agreed that there would be about twenty ex officio members who would have full voting rights. The Secretary is to prepare a list of possible candidates.
The next meeting of the Working Group is arranged for Wednesday 12th January 2005