General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada

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Logo of the 2007 General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada is the chief governing and legislative body of the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), the sole Canadian representative of the Anglican Communion. The first General Synod session was held in Toronto in 1893, with the proviso that the parameters of its authority would not undermine the local independence of dioceses.

1 Composition and responsibilities
2 Officers of General Synod and the Council of General Synod
- 2.1 Council of General Synod
3 Committees of General Synod
4 Important acts of recent General Synods
5 External links

[edit] Composition and responsibilities

Background
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Except in special instances when it may be called into session by the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada or the Council of General Synod, the General Synod meets triennially at locations across Canada. The Synod next meets in June, 2007 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Other recent locales for General Synod have been:

The General Synod is composed of three Orders: Bishops, Clergy, and Laity. All bishops and archbishops of the ACC are delegates to General Synod; clergy and lay delegates are elected as representatives from each of the church's thirty dioceses, as well as the Canadian Armed Forces. Unlike the Church of England or the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the Orders are not divided into Houses which meet separately according to different rules of order. Nonetheless, voting may be done by Orders with respect to certain issues, under which conditions a given Resolution would need to be approved in all three.

The General Synod is responsible for articulating the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Anglican Church of Canada. During its regular meetings, which generally span a week to nine days, members exchange information, set policy for the church, pass resolutions, and enact and amend canon law. Presently, there are twenty-one numbered canons, dealing with issues as prosaic as the name of the church, to ones touching on doctrine, such as matrimony and Holy Orders, to judicial disciplinary proceedings.

[edit] Officers of General Synod and the Council of General Synod

General Synod elects three of the nine officers who maintain certain executive responsibilities at and between Synods. Of those, one - the Primate - holds office until he or she resigns, is removed, retires, or dies. The other officers, elected at each General Synod, are the Prolocutor and the Deputy Prolocutor.

The Prolocutor acts as the chief deputy to the Primate, and the second executive officer of General Synod. As such, he chairs sessions of General Synod and meetings of the Council of General Synod in the absence of the Primate. The current Prolocutor is the Very Rev. Peter Elliott, Dean of the Diocese of New Westminster.

[edit] Council of General Synod

Between sessions of General Synod, the Council of General Synod (COGS) administers the affairs of the ACC. COGS is composed of the Primate, the Prolocutor, the Deputy Prolocutor, the Chancellor, and representatives from the three Orders from each of the four ecclesiastical provinces, chosen by the respective delegates at General Synod, the numbers of which vary according to a complicated electoral formula. COGS appoints four of the nine officers of General Synod:

The General Secretary
The Treasurer
The Chancellor
The Vice-Chancellor, if appointed

It also elects two Officers-at-large (one Clergy, one Laity).

[edit] Committees of General Synod

General Synod has six standing committees, consisting of members both elected at General Synod and appointed by the Primate:

Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee: Responsible for liturgical issues;
Partners in Mission Committee: Responsible for relationships with Anglican and ecumenical churches and organisations overseas;
Eco-Justice Committee: Responsible for social and environmental issues;
Pension Committee: Responsible for clergy and staff pension administration;
Financial Management and Development Committee: Responsible for the ACC's financial affairs;
Communications and Information Resources Committee: Responsbible for the communications and publications of the ACC, including the Anglican Journal newspaper.

[edit] Important acts of recent General Synods

1995: General Synod approves the publication of a new hymnal, the first since 1971. It is published in 1998, under the title Common Praise.
2001: General Synod approves full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, under the provisions of the Waterloo Declaration.
2004: Andrew Hutchison is elected twelfth Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. Synod votes to affirm "the integrity and sanctity of committed adult same-sex relationships."
2007: A thirteenth primate will be elected. Synod will consider the implications of the St. Michael Report, the response of the Primate's Theological Commission to the recommendations of the Windsor Report.