Section 5 of the Synodical Government Measure 1969 provides:
5 (1) Deanery Synods shall be constituted for all deaneries in accordance with Part III of the Church Representation Rules contained in Schedule 3 to this Measure and the transitional provisions contained in Schedule 4.
(2) Deanery Synods shall, as soon as they are constituted, take the place of ruri-decanal conferences where they exist, and those conferences shall thereupon be dissolved, and any references in any measure to ruri-decanal conferences shall be construed as references to deanery synods.
(3) The functions of a deanery synod shall be:-
(a) to consider matters concerning the Church of England and to make provision for such matters in relation to their deanery and to consider and express their opinion on any other matters of religious or public interest;
(b) to bring together the views of the parishes of the deanery on common problems, to discuss and formulate common policies on those problems, to foster a sense of community and interdependence among those parishes, and generally to promote in the deanery the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical;
(c) to make known and so far as appropriate put into effect any provision made by the diocesan synod;
(d) to consider the business of the diocesan synod, and particularly any matters referred to that synod by the General Synod, and to sound parochial opinion whenever they are required or consider it appropriate to do so;
(e) to raise such matters as the deanery synod consider appropriate with the diocesan synod:
Provided that the functions referred to in paragraph (a) hereof shall not include the issue of any statement purporting to declare the doctrine of the Church on any question.
(4) If the diocesan synod delegate to deanery synods functions in relation to the parishes of their deaneries, and in particular the determination of parochial shares in quotas allocated to the deaneries, the deanery synod shall exercise those functions.
In this subsection "quota" means an amount to be subscribed to the expenditure authorised by diocesan synods.
(5) The General Synod may by Canon or Regulation extend, amend or further define the functions of deanery synods.
Membership
Rule 24 of the Church Representation Rules provides:
24 (1) A deanery synod shall consist of a house of clergy and a house of laity.
(2) The members of the house of clergy of a deanery synod shall consist of :
(a) the clerks in Holy Orders beneficed in or licensed to any parish in the deanery;
(b) any clerks in Holy Orders licensed to institutions in the deanery under the Extra-Parochial Ministry Measure 1967;
(c) any clerical members of the General Synod or Diocesan Synod resident in the deanery;
(d) such other clerks in Holy Orders holding the bishop's licence to work throughout the diocese or in more than one deanery and resident in the deanery subject to any direction which may be given by the members of the House of Clergy of the bishop's council that, having regard to the number of parochial and non-parochial clergy in the deanery, such clerk
shall have membership of a specified deanery synod other than the deanery where he resides provided that no person shall thereby be a member of more than one deanery synod in the diocese;
(e) one or more retired clerks in Holy Orders who are in receipt of a pension in accordance with the provisions of the Clergy Pensions Measure 1961 at the relevant date. One clerk may be elected or chosen for every ten retired clerks or part thereof, elected or chosen in such manner as may be approved by the bishop by and from the retired clerks who are in receipt of such a pension, are resident in the deanery and do not hold the licence of the bishop.
(3) Where an extra parochial place is not in a deanery it shall be deemed for the purposes of these rules to belong to the deanery which it abuts and if there is any doubt in the matter a determination shall be made by the bishop's council and standing committee.
(4) For the purposes of paragraph (2) (e) of this rule, the relevant date shall be 31 December in the year immediately preceding any election of the parochial representatives of the laity, and as soon as possible after that date the rural dean of the deanery shall inform the bishop of the number of clerks in Holy Orders who are qualified for membership of the deanery synod by virtue of that sub-paragraph.
(5) Not later than 1 July following the election of parochial representatives of the laity to the deanery synod the secretary of the said synod shall send to the diocesan electoral registration officer appointed in accordance with rule 29 a list of the names and addresses of the members of the house of clergy, specifying the class of membership, and shall keep the said officer informed of subsequent changes in membership.
(6) Subject to the provisions of rule 1 (4), the members of the house of laity of a deanery synod shall consist of the following persons, that is to say:-
(a) the parochial representatives elected to the synod by the annual meetings of the parishes of the deanery;
(b) any lay members of the General Synod, a diocesan synod or an area synod constituted in accordance with
section 17 of the Diocesan Measure 1978 whose names are entered on the roll of any parish in the deanery;
(c) if in the opinion of the bishop of the diocese any community of persons in the deanery who are in the spiritual care of
a chaplain licensed by the bishop should be represented in that house, one lay person, being an actual communicant member of the Church of England of eighteen years or upwards, chosen in such manner as may be approved by the bishop by and from among the members of that community;
(d) the deaconesses and lay workers licensed by the bishop to work in any part of the deanery.
(e) such other deaconesses or lay workers holding the bishop's licence to work throughout the diocese or in more than one deanery and resident in the deanery subject to any direction which may be given by the members of the House of Laity of the bishop's council that, having regard to the number of deaconesses or lay workers in the deanery, such person shall have membership of a specified deanery synod other than the deanery where they reside provided that
no person shall thereby be a member of more than one deanery synod in the diocese.
(7) The house of clergy and house of laity of a deanery synod may co-opt additional members of their respective houses, being clerks in Holy Orders or, as the case may be, lay persons who shall be actual communicants of eighteen years or upwards:
Provided that the number of members co-opted by either house shall not exceed five per cent of the total number of members of that house or three, whichever is the greater. The names and addresses of coopted members shall be sent by the secretary of the deanery synod to the diocesan electoral registration officer appointed in accordance with rule 29.
Rule 25 of the Church Representation Rules provides:
25 (1) The parochial representatives of the laity elected by annual meetings shall be so elected every three years, and shall hold office for a term of three years beginning with 1 June next following their election.
(2) The numbers to be so elected from the several parishes shall be determined by resolution of the diocesan synod not later than 31 December in the year preceding any such elections, and those numbersshall be related to the numbers of names on the rolls of the parishes as certified under rule 4 provided that such resolution shall not make it
possible for a parish with fewer than twenty-six names on the roll to have more than one representative.
(3) Not later than 31 December in the year preceding any such elections, the secretary of the diocesan synod shall certify to the secretary of each parochial church council the number of such representatives to be elected at the annual meeting of the parish and shall send to the secretary of each deanery synod copies of the certificates and information relating to the parishes of the deanery.
(4) Any person to be chosen as mentioned in rule 24(2) (e) or 24 (6) (c) shall be so chosen every three years and shall hold office for a term of three years beginning with 1 June next following the date on which he is so chosen.
(5) A direction by the appropriate members of the bishop's council making provision under rule 24 (2) (d) or 24 (6) (e) for the membership of the clerks in Holy Orders or the deaconesses or lay workers therein mentioned may provide for the choice by a class of such persons of some of their number to be members, and for the term of office of persons so chosen.
(6) The diocesan synod shall exercise their powers under this and the last preceding rule so as to secure that the total number of members of any deanery synod in the diocese shall not be more than 150 and, so far as practicable, shall not be less than 50: Provided that the maximum number of 150 may be exceeded for the purpose of securing that the house of laity is not less in number than the house of clergy. For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that the number of 150 specified in this paragraph includes the maximum number of members who may be co-opted by each house.
Diocesan Provisions
The St. Albans Diocesan Synod, on 9th October 2004, resolved to use the following formula for the election of lay representatives from parishes to deanery synods for the elections due in 2005.
Number of names certified on Number of representatives the parish electoral rolls
Less than 35 1
35 and not more than 99 2
100 and not more than 199 3
200 and not more than 299 4
300 and not more than 449 5
450 and not more than 599 6
600 and over 7
Standing Orders
Standing Orders and rules for deanery synods were approved by the Diocesan
Conference on 1 November 1969. They amplify the provisions for membership of
deanery synods contained in the Church Representation Rules and provide rules
governing the procedure of deanery synods. Copies of the current Rules may be
obtained from the Diocesan Office.