The Diocesan Synod is made up of three Houses – the bishops, the clergy, and the laity. These are referred to as the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy, and the House of Laity. When it is appropriate to do so these Houses meet separately, for instance, when a matter before the Diocesan Synod affects the clergy and laity in different ways.
However, normally the Diocesan Synod meets together as a whole. It meets twice a year.
Forthcoming meetings:
Saturday 17 May 2025 (venue to be confirmed)
Saturday 15 November 2025 (venue to be confirmed)
Previous Diocesan Synod meetings:
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For enquiries contact Anne-Marie Mizler Telephone: 01273 421 021
ELECTION TO THE DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION
Invitations to Nominate open: 18/11/2024
Deadline for Nominations: 5pm on 03/12/2024
Closing date for return of ballot papers: 5pm 06/01/2025
The DBE’s purpose is to promote within the diocese: education consistent with the faith and practice of the Church of England; religious education and religious worship in schools; church schools and to advise governors of schools, trustees of church education endowments and other bodies on any matter affecting church schools; and to promote co-operation between itself and bodies or persons concerned with education. It also acts as the point of approval for sales, purchases and other material dealings with land and property held or to be held by the Diocesan Board of Finance for church schools.
The Board is anticipated to meet six times a year (i.e. once every half term) at Church House Hove. There are also two sub-committees of the full Board. The Education and Ethos Committee handles issues directly related to matters of the curriculum and the Land and Buildings Committee looks at issues relating to land and buildings. These committees generally meet once a term and we would appreciate all members of the DBE being part of one of these in addition to sitting on the main board. The composition of the DBE is set out at the end of this letter.
Becoming a member of a board, council or committee is a valuable contribution to the Church and to the Diocese.We are particularly keen to see diverse representation on these bodies: female and male; young and old. We encourage candidates from different ethnic and social backgrounds and those with disabilities for all bodies.
Term of office:Those elected will serve for a period of three years from 1 January 2025 until 31 December 2027.
Qualifications for candidates: Candidates are required to be members of Diocesan Synod.
Qualifications for proposers and seconders: All proposers and seconders must be members of Diocesan Synod (but do not need to be in the same house as the candidate or live in the same archdeaconry as the candidate). See the Related Resources below for the list of Diocesan Synod members.
Procedure for nominations: Please find the nomination form in the Related Resources below. Completed nomination forms must be sent to John Preston either by post, or by email to annemarie.mizler@chichester.anglican.org by 5pm on Tuesday 3 December 2024.
Election Questionnaire: Please find the election questionnaire in the Related Resources section below. Candidates may complete this if they wish. Completed questionnaires will be circulated to synod members to assist their decisions on how to vote if a ballot is required and candidates should therefore send completed questionnaires by the same deadline, 5pm on Tuesday 3 December 2024.
Results of Elections to Boards, Committees and Councils 2024 – Vacancies Remain
Thank you to Diocesan Synod members for your votes in the committee elections and thank you to all those that stood for election. Following the count of the Vacancy in See Committee votes on 26 November using the Single Transferable Vote software, conducted by John Preston with Church House staff present, the elected candidates were:
Clergy members: Revd Canon Lisa Barnett, Revd Anita Colpus
Lay members: John Booth, Michelle Lashley
Following a count of the votes in the Bishop’s Council elections, conducted by John Preston with Church House staff present, the elected candidates were:
Clergy member from Hastings Archdeaconry: Revd Philip Coekin
Clergy member from Brighton and Lewes Archdeaconry: Revd Dan Millest
Clergy member from Chichester Archdeaconry: Revd James di Castiglione (was deemed elected as his nomination was unopposed).
Remaining Vacancies on Boards, Committees and Councils
Vacancies remain on all committees except the Vacancy in See Committee. Please see the Table of Vacancies for details.Information about the committees, who can be a candidate and who can nominate them (propose and second) is shown in the table below.An overview of each committee can be found here and the full Committee Handbook is here.
Nomination forms and election questionnaires can be found in the Related Resources section at the bottom of this page. Please send your completed nomination form and questionnaire to anne-marie.mizler@chichester.anglican.org as soon as possible, or by post to John Preston, Church House 211 New Church Road Hove BN3 4ED.
| Body | Candidates to be elected | Electors (who can nominate and vote) |
| Bishop’s Council (which in its meetings also acts as the Standing Committee of Diocesan Synod, the DBF’s Finance Committee and the Diocesan Mission & Pastoral Committee). Those elected to the Bishop’s Council serve as the trustees of the Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF) and must be eligible to serve as a trustee. | One clergy and two lay members of Diocesan Synod from each archdeaconry | Members of Diocesan Synod from the same house and archdeaconry as the candidate |
| Mission and Pastoral Sub-Committees (x2 East & West) East: Hastings and Brighton & Lewes archdeaconries West: Chichester and Horsham archdeaconries | One clergy and two lay members of Diocesan Synod from each archdeaconry | Members of Diocesan Synod from the same house and archdeaconry as the candidate |
| Diocesan Overseas Council | One clergy and one lay person from each archdeaconry | Members of Diocesan Synod from the same house and archdeaconry as the candidate |
| Parsonages and Houses Committees (x2 East & West) East: Hastings and Brighton & Lewes archdeaconries West: Chichester and Horsham archdeaconries | One clergy member from each relevant archdeaconry and one lay member of Diocesan Synod from a westerly archdeaconry and one from an easterly archdeaconry. | Members of Diocesan Synod from the same house and archdeaconry / archdeaconries as the candidate |
| Board of Patronage | Three clergy (not archdeacons) and five lay persons | Members of Diocesan Synod from the same house as the candidate |
| Vacancy in See Committee | Two clergy (not bishops or archdeacons) and two lay members on the electoral roll of a parish in the diocese | Members of Diocesan Synod |
| Operating Committee | One clergy and one lay member of Diocesan Synod | Members of Diocesan Synod |
| Assets Committee | One clergy and one lay member of Diocesan Synod | Members of Diocesan Synod |
| Council for Apostolic Life | Two clergy and two laity | Members of Diocesan Synod |
| Council for Promotion of the Common Good | Two persons from each archdeaconry | Members of Diocesan Synod |
Term of office
Those elected to boards, councils and committees will serve for a period of three years from 1 January 2025 until 31 December 2027, apart from the Board of Patronage which has a six year term until 31 December 2030.
Qualifications for candidates
Please see the table above identifying the requirements for each committee as these vary. For some committees, candidates must be members of the new Diocesan Synod. Please see the list of Diocesan Synod members in the Related Resources below.
Qualifications for proposers and seconders (electors)
All proposers and seconders must be members of the new Diocesan Synod (see the Related Resources below for the list of members). Please see the table above identifying the particular requirements for each committee.
Procedure for nominations
Nominations must be made on the relevant form. Please see the Related Resources for the nomination form for each committee. Completed signed nomination forms must reach the Diocesan Secretary at Church House Hove either by post or by email to anne-marie.mizler@chichester.anglican.org as soon as possible.
Election Questionnaires
Two election questionnaires can be found in the Related Resources below, one for candidates to the Bishop’s Council and one for candidates to other committees. The completed questionnaires will be circulated to Bishop’s Council members to assist their decisions on who to appoint to the vacant place.
For any queries about the elections or Diocesan Synod please contact: anne-marie.mizler@chichester.anglican.org or ring her on 01273 421 021.