General Synod elections take place this year, and you are invited to stand.

General Synod (sometimes referred to as the Church’s Parliament) is the national assembly of the Church of England. It considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England. It formulates new forms of worship, debates matters of national and international importance, and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at a national level.

In Autumn 2026, elections are happening for new General Synod members. Those elected will serve for five years. Members are a mixture of bishops, clergy and lay people.

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.

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What is the General Synod and what does it do?

Representation Matters

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 underrepresented

The voices, gifts and experiences of people of Global Majority Heritage enrich the life of the Church. Standing for General Synod is an opportunity to serve, shape the future of the Church and bring a wider range of perspectives into national decision-making.

If you feel called to contribute to the governance and mission of the Church of England, we encourage you to find out more about the election process and consider whether this could be a next step in your ministry or leadership journey.

Further information is available here Elections to Synod | The Church of England

Standing for Synod

The election process (including nominations and voting) will be run by Civica Election Services using an online portal, however for those who wish to use a paper-based system this will still be possible; voting will take place using the single transferable vote (STV) system.

If you are interested in standing for election, please use the national eligibility checker as a guide and then contact elections@manchester.anglican.org. You will need to fill out a nomination form and have it signed by the people who are nominating you. If you are standing as a lay member, you need two people who are members of a Deanery Synod to nominate you. If you are clergy, you need two other clergy to nominate you. Nominations open on 14 August and close on 7 September.

Letters

We need to ensure that we hold accurate details for both those standing for election and those eligible to vote.

Please find two letters below, each containing instructions on how to check and update your details on CMS. One is for those who already have an email address registered on CMS, and the other is for those who do not.

Please select the letter that applies to you and follow the instructions provided.

2026 Election Timetable

More Information

For more information about General Synod, including the newly updated House of Clergy and House of Laity Election Rules, visit the Church of England website.