Synod Diocesan Synod A diocesan bishop is the Ordinary of his or her diocese, and has wide-ranging legal and administrative responsibilities. The diocesan bishop is responsible for providing leadership and direction to the diocese, alongside the governing body of the diocese which is diocesan synod. Every diocese of the Church of England is required (by Measure, 1925) to have a diocesan board of finance. This is a charitable company which holds the financial and other assets of the Diocese and is responsible for oversight of their good stewardship. In Lincoln a company for this purpose was formed in 1908 and was called the Lincoln Diocesan Trust Ltd. With the advent of the 1925 legislation the company became known as the Lincoln Diocesan Trust and Board Finance Ltd (LDTBF) and the name has remained unchanged since then. Since 2018, the membership of diocesan synod also constitutes the membership of the LDTBF. The LDTBF is a charity registered with the Charity Commission (No 249355) and a Company limited by guarantee (registration no 97256). This means that the trustees of the charity which make up the membership of the Bishop’s Council of Diocesan Trustees, are also the company’s directors and that the Trust is bound by charity and company law and regulations. The Bishop’s Council of Diocesan Trustees acts as the standing committee of diocesan synod, the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee (DMPC) and the Bishop’s Council, as well as the board of finance in order to ensure that mission and money are discussed in the same room and by the same key stakeholders. Diocesan Synod and the Bishop’s Council of Diocesan Trustees delegate various responsibilities to committees, in order for the ‘heavy lifting’ to be done away from the main trustee meeting. These non-statutory committees and working groups are combined with other statutory committees such as the Archidiaconal Mission and Pastoral Committee (AMPC) and the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) to form the governance structure of the diocese. A copy of the Nov 2018 Structure, Articles of Association, Standing Orders & Terms of Reference can be found here. Please find the meeting dates for committees for 2022. Please find the meeting dates for committees for 2021. Synod Digests Nov 2021 Sept 2021 July 2021 May 2021 Nov 2020 Deanery Synod Each deanery has its own Deanery Synod which consists of lay members and clergy. Lay members are elected at Annual Parochial Church meetings and the clergy of the deanery meet under the joint chairmanship of the Area (Rural) Dean and the Lay Chair. Members are elected for three years and address issues of concern to the church and community at the local level. Matters are sent to them from the diocese and the General Synod and resolutions passed can be sent up for discussion at the higher levels. Members are also the electors for the diocese and vote in the elections for Diocesan Synod and General Synod. Useful information can be found Here The General Synod The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England. It came into being in 1970 under the Synodical Government Measure 1969, replacing an earlier body known as the Church Assembly.The General Synod considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England, formulates new forms of worship, debates matters of national and international importance, and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at national level. There are 483 members of General Synod. Members are arranged into three Houses: House of Bishops House of Laity House of Clergy General Synod reports can be found here.