General Synod

General Synod

The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England. 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.

Find information about the General Synod here.

General Synod Election 2026

Full elections are taking place this summer for the 2026 – 2031 quinquennium. Five lay and five clergy representatives will be elected.

Tuesday 14th July
General Synod is dissolved marking the end of the current quinquennium

Tuesday 28th July
Initial letter sent from the Presiding Officer ([email protected]) to all electors, by email where possible and by post if only a postal address is available.

Friday 14th August     
Invitations to nominate are issued

Monday 7th September
Closing date for receipt of nominations and deadline for receipt of election addresses

Monday 21st September         
Invitations to vote are issued and the voting period opens

Monday 12th October   
Voting period for voting by paper closes

Tuesday 13th October
Voting period for voting by using elections portal closes

Wednesday 14th, Thursday 15th or Friday 16th October (tbc)   
Day of the count

Monday 19th October
Deadline for declaration of result

Voters and Candidates

For information about who qualifies as a voter and who can stand for election please follow this link Who can stand and who can vote in the General Synod election?

The qualifications for standing as a candidate are widely drawn. In the lay election in particular a person does not need to be a member of a deanery synod to put themselves forward as a candidate.

 

Since it isn’t just electors who can stand for election, during the nominations period a nomination form will be available for downloading and printing from this page. There will also be further relevant information about the nominations process for potential candidates who are not electors. For those considering standing for election, it is important to know that General Synod members will be able to claim travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses. There are two or three ‘groups of sessions’ of the General Synod per annum, each lasting 4 or 5 days. The February (and November, if held) sessions are in London and the July sessions are in York.

During the voting period, candidates’ names and electoral statements will be available on this page.