GOVERNANCE – ARCHDEACONS, UPDATING & INCLUSION (23/09/2015)
Appointment of additional Archdeacons requires review and amendment to a range of Terms of Reference or Standing Orders of Diocesan Committees. In addition some updating and revision is needed – hence this detailed document. It was drafted by Ultan Russell in consultation with Mike Eastwood then revised following a meeting of the Core Group. It was sent to all members of Diocesan Synod and comments were received which were considered. It is commended for endorsement by Bishop’s Council and for adoption at the October Diocesan Synod.
I. The Memorandum & Articles of the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance (LDBF)
The current Finance Committee has the Suffragan Bishop and Archdeacons as ex officio members. All DBFs are required to have a majority of laity on their General Meeting (in this Diocese it is the Diocesan Synod) and the Trustee Board (the Finance Committee).
It is proposed that the Suffragan will no longer be a member of the Finance Committee but that all the Archdeacons will continue to serve on it. This will mean an increase in the ex officio clergy numbers which has been counteracted by adding the Hon Treasurer as an ex officio lay member.
To improve communication it is suggested that the members of the Bishops Core Group and the Chairs of the House of Laity and the House of Clergy receive the papers of the Finance Committee excluding restricted papers (of which there are very few).
Currently a maximum of twelve people can be elected at the AGM of the DBF (normally for three years co-terminus with the elections to other Diocesan Committees held at the first Synod meeting in each triennium). It is proposed that this be reduced to ten. For this triennium it is proposed that nine people be elected – three clergy and six laity as has been the case now for several triennia. It should be noted that when the Committee has co-opted members they have normally been laity. The current Clause No 26 in the Section Finance Committee reads:
The Finance Committee shall be constituted as follows but so that there shall always be a majority of lay members:-
(a) Ex officio: the Chair, the Suffragan Bishop and the Archdeacons;
(b) Elected: Up to 12 members of the DBF elected by the DBF at the first Synod of the new triennium for a period not exceeding that Synodical term. The precise number of elected members will be determined at the Bishop’s Council meeting immediately preceding the Synod elections, having in mind the need to ensure a lay majority on the Finance Committee;
(c) Up to four members co-opted by the Finance Committee for a period not exceeding three years. Up to two of these members may be co-opted from the DBF, and up to two from outside the DBF.
Any of the elected members or co-opted members shall be eligible for re-election or further co-option for two further terms.
Thus the following is proposed:
26 .The Finance Committee shall be constituted as follows but so that there shall always be a majority of lay members:-
(a) Ex officio: the Chair and the Honorary Treasurer who shall normally be laity; the Archdeacons
(b) Elected: (b) Elected: Up to 10 members of the DBF elected by the DBF at the first Synod of the new triennium for a period not exceeding that Synodical term. The precise number of elected members will be determined at the Bishop’s Council meeting immediately preceding the Synod elections, having in mind the need to ensure a lay majority on the Finance Committee;
(c) Co-opted: Up to four members co-opted by the Finance Committee for a period not exceeding three years. Up to two of these members may be co-opted from the DBF, and up to two from outside the DBF;
(d) The Honorary Treasurer and any co-opted members who are not already members of Diocesan Synod shall be appointed as voting members for the DBF’s Annual General Meeting.
Any of the elected members or co-opted members shall be eligible for re-election/ further co-option.
New Section added to Clause 26 to read:
Papers other than restricted papers shall be circulated to: the Bishop; the Chairs of the House of Laity & the House of Clergy; and such other persons as the Bishop may designate.
II. Amendments to the Standing Orders of the Diocesan Synod
New Archdeacons and Archdeaconries
Archdeacons are ex officio members of Bishop’s Council. Also to ensure a fair geographic balance elected members from Houses have always been chosen on an archidiaconal basis.
Clause A. 1 (iii) (a). Lists both current Archdeacons by name. It is simply suggested that these two clauses be merged and the new clause just read The Archdeacons. Since the titles have not yet been finalised it would be simpler therefore just to state Archdeacons.
Clause V. 103 (i) Composition of Bishop’s Council Synod again needs revising thus it should state the Archdeacons rather than listing all four by title. This means an increase in the size of Bishop’s Council of six members (2 extra Archdeacons, 2 extra clergy and 2 extra laity).
Clause (V) 103 (iii) currently reads:
(iii). Elected Members
(a). Seven members elected from and by the House of Clergy:
· The Chair of the House of Clergy
· Three from Liverpool Archdeaconry
· Three from Warrington Archdeaconry
(b) Seven members elected from and by the House of Laity:
· The Chair of the House of Laity
· Three from Liverpool Archdeaconry
· Three from Warrington Archdeaconry
The following is proposed:
(iii). Elected Members
(a). Nine members elected from and by the House of Clergy:
· The Chair of the House of Clergy
· Two from each Archdeaconry
(b) Nine members elected from and by the House of Laity:
· The Chair of the House of Laity
· Two from each Archdeaconry
(c). for the purposes of election Cathedral clergy and laity on the Cathedral Roll shall be regarded as being members of the Liverpool Archdeaconry.
Position of Archdeacons Designate – Suspension of Standing Orders
In case the process takes some time it has been suggested that the Bishop nominate the three Archdeacons Designate as members of the Diocesan Synod until their legal position is finalised.
Using the powers under Clause 56 Suspension of Standing Orders it is proposed that in Section V Clause 103 (iv) on Membership of Bishop’s Council that the words up to four places: up to two be suspended until the Spring 2016 meeting of the Synod.
The purpose of this would be to enable the Bishop to appoint the three Archdeacon Designate as full members of the Bishop’s Council on a temporary basis and it is hoped that their legal status would be finalised by Spring 2016.
Chair of the DAC
In addition the Church Representation Rules require the Chair of the Diocesan Advisory committee (DAC) to be an ex officio member of Bishop’s Council. This should be added in Section V Clause 103 (ii). This is a correction to be noted and not an amendment.
III. Committees Annex 1 to the Standing Orders of the Diocesan Synod
Synod will need to ratify the abolition of the Lifelong Learning Committee.
In addition with the commitment to streamline structures it is suggested that the revision, abolition or creation of non-statutory committees become a function of Bishop’s Council acting for the Synod and therefore that Annex I be no longer included in Standing Orders.
Bishop’s Council be invited to determine other ways of ensuring that these key matters are kept as prominent items of the agenda of Diocesan Synod and Bishop’s Council without the added inflexibility of non-statutory committees being formed by Synod. Further discussion is needed at Bishop’s Council on role, size and membership of non-statutory committees.
The following motion is proposed:
Synod delegates to Bishop’s Council the responsibility for creating, monitoring, revising and abolishing all non-statutory Committees
The following are the Diocesan Committees listed in the previous sets of Standing Orders:
Statutory Committees whose Chairs sit on Bishop’s Council ex officio: Board of Finance/Finance Committee; Board of Education; the Diocesan Advisory Committee
Other Statutory Committees are: The Mission & Pastoral Committee (chaired by the Bishop of Warrington; Parsonages and Glebe Committee (now the Clergy Housing Committee chaired by David Burgess); Redundant Church Uses Committee (a small group meeting occasionally chaired by the Archdeacon of Liverpool); the Vacancy in the See Committee (the Chair is elected from and by Bishop’s Council); and the Patronage Committee (which has an extremely limited role)
Other Non-Statutory Committees created by Synod whose Chair has been an ex officio member of Bishop’s Council: Lifelong Learning (which Bishop’s Council wishes to abolish); the Church and Society Advisory Group (chaired by Canon Professor Hilary Russell); The Designated Priority Committee for Areas of Multiple Deprivation known as the DPA Committee (chaired by the Archdeacon of Liverpool);
Other Non-Statutory Committees created by Synod: the Safeguarding Monitoring Group (part of Church & Society)
IV. Co-Options to Diocesan Synod
Context: Many Diocese use the facility to co-opt members to the Diocesan Synod notably where there is a Cathedral which is not a Parish Church and thus not part of a Deanery.
Each House may co-opt to five members. It is suggested that we Houses be encouraged to use this facility notably for the House of Laity where it will also assist the Synod in ensuring that there is a lay majority of members as required constitutionally by its role as the DBF.
Hosue of laity to broaden the membership base and additionally it will assist in ensuring a majority of lay memebrs as required by th
Cathedral: The Dean is an ex officio member of Diocesan Synod. Often Cathedral Canons and lay members have served on Synod normally by nomination of the Bishop as they fulfil a specific role in the Diocese (e.g. Dean of Women’s Ministry, link person with interchurch bodies, chairing a key diocesan committee). Sometimes the laity have stood in an election via a Deanery (which is a somewhat complex alternative route).
Thus it is suggested that the House of Clergy co-opt one of the Cathedral clergy and the House of Laity co-opt two of the Cathedral laity recognising that there are a group of clergy and a substantial body of laity in the Diocese excluded from easy engagement in the synodical structures.
Deaf Churches: For two triennia our five Deaf Churches have served on Diocesan Synod as Consultant Observers. The Team Leader has been elected from a Deanery, another lay person from a Deanery and another as the official Consultant Observer.
It is suggested that the laity of the Deaf Church be invited to nominate one of its communicant members for co-option. The Diocese has a long and laudable history of work on access and inclusion thus this would be a significant step to take and greatly value the work of our five Deaf Churches.
Church of England Youth Council: Our two CEYC representatives have again, been consultant observers and it is suggested that they become full members and that the House of laity co-opt them.
Curates & New Arrived Clergy: It is suggested that a mechanism for co-opting clergy who have arrived in the Diocese be considered e.g. 1 co-option in October 2016 and 2017.
The following motion is suggested:
Noting the requirements of Clause 3 of the Standing Orders of the Diocesan Synod describing the Procedure for Co-option:
This Synod commends to the House of Clergy
To co-opt the member of the Liverpool Cathedral Clergy nominated by the Cathedral Clergy
To consider a mechanism for co-opting new clergy (notably curates) during a triennium
This Synod commends to the House of laity to co-opt the following:
Two communicant members’ recorded on the Community Roll of Liverpool Cathedral nominated from and by those on the Community Roll
One communicant member from the Deaf Churches following consultation with the five Deaf Churches
The two Diocesan representatives to the Church of England Youth Council appointed by the Synod Steering Group in consultation with the Bishop
V. Appointment of Consultant Observers
For nine years the Synod has had consultant observers from the Methodist District, and Together for the Harvest plus the Ecumenical Development Officer of Churches Together in the Merseyside Region. The CTMR post is being radically altered. In addition having Together for the Harvest and the main denominations attending Synod will increase the chance of information being fed back into the denominational structures of our partners.
Thus it is suggested that Together for the Harvest and the five (other) Presidents of CTMR be invited to nominate one person to serve as a Consultant Observer. The other Presidents of CTMR: are the Chair of the Liverpool Methodist District, the Moderator of the Mersey United Reformed Church Synod, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool and the Commander of the NW Division of the Salvation Army.
The Bishop’s Council has agreed this.
VI. Membership of the Vacancy in the See Committee
There must always be a Vacancy in See Committee in place even if the possibility of a Vacancy is extremely remote.
The current membership is as follows:
Ex officio
The following are ex officio members of the Vacancy in See Committee:
Ø The Bishop of Warrington
Ø The Dean of Liverpool (or a member of the Chapter elected by them if the Dean is unable to serve)
Ø The Archdeacon of Liverpool
Ø The Archdeacon of Warrington
Ø The Proctors in Convocation, (i.e. the five members of the General Synod House of Clergy)
Ø Members of the House of Laity of General Synod (five members)
Ø Chair of the House of Clergy – to be elected at the Synod
Ø Chair of the House of Laity – to be elected at the Synod
Elected members
Ø Two Clerks in Holy Orders - to be elected at the Synod
Ø Six Communicant members (i.e. lay people on the electoral roll of a parish in the diocese) - to be elected at the Synod
Please note that any qualifying person can stand (they do not need to be members of the Diocesan Synod), however members of the House of Clergy vote for the clergy representatives and members of the House of Laity vote for the lay representatives.