Will you stand for Synod?
Jump to... Standing for Synod | Election timeline | FAQs
General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England, commonly referred to as the Church’s Parliament. Together with the Westminster Parliament, it is the only body in the land which is entitled to make national law for England. Synod considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England, authorises new forms of worship, debates matters of religious and public interest, and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at national level.
Members of General Synod are arranged into three Houses: the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy (all ordained members, excluding bishops), and the House of Laity, the lay (not ordained) members from every diocese of the Church of England. Members of the Houses of Clergy and Laity are elected by the clergy and lay members respectively of the Deanery Synods.
Standing for Synod
The election process takes place between 14 August and 19 October. If you'd like to stand for Synod, follow the steps below.
1. Check your eligibility
Use the Church of England eligibility checker to confirm if you can stand.
2. Submit your nomination
If you're eligible, you will need to fill out a nominations form, and that will need to be signed by the people who are nominating you. Please download the form using the button below.
If you are standing as a lay member, you will then need two people who are members of a Deanery Synod to nominate you. If you are clergy, you will need two other clergy to nominate you. Nominations open on 14 August and close at 5pm on 7 September. (Deans, Suffragan Bishops, Universities and TEIs, Religious Communities and Armed Forces require nominations from their own constituencies).
Completed forms should be sent via email to elections@oxford.anglican.org or hard copies can be posted to Church House Oxford, Langford Locks, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, OX5 1GF.
The electorate will have access to an elections portal and can submit nominations directly through the portal.
Download the nomination form for the House of Laity
3. Provide your address and answer questions from the electorate
You will need to write an election address, and will be given the opportunity to respond to questions from the electorate, though this is optional.
These are an opportunity to talk about why you want to be elected and what you could bring to the role. Candidates are urged to ensure that any election address submitted is both accurate and frank about views and affiliations – including by disclosing memberships an elector might think relevant in deciding how to vote.
Instructions on how to submit addresses and answers will be given directly to candidates.
4. Voting
The lay Deanery Synod members in our diocese vote for lay candidates, and the clergy in our diocese vote for clergy candidates. The voting period is 21 September to 13 October.
5. Results
If elected, you would come to General Synod for the first time at its meeting in London this November.
2026 election timetable
- 14 July 2026
Deadline for qualifying as an elector (for most members); Synod dissolved and election period begins - 27 July 2026
Register of electors sent by Diocesan Electoral Registration Officer to the Presiding Officer - 14 August 2026
Invitations to nominate issued - 7 September 2026
Nominations close at 5pm - 21 September 2026
If poll needed, invitations to vote issued - 13 October 2026
Voting ends
(Postal vote deadline 12 October 2026) - 14-16 October 2026
Counting takes place - 19 October 2026
Results declared
Queries: elections@oxford.anglican.org
FAQs
This is a live list of frequently asked questions - we will continue to update this as the process evolves.
Those wishing to stand for election may wish to know that Synod members will be reimbursed for travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses for meetings held in London, and travel for meetings held in York (as the diocese will be billed directly for your accommodation and meals). If you are not able to pay up front for these things, we will work with you to ensure this is not a barrier to you serving on General Synod.
Potential candidates may also wish to know that the 2025/26 rate of compensation set by the Archbishops’ Council for loss of earnings due to attendance at General Synod or at meetings of the Synod’s or Council’s subordinate bodies is the actual loss up to £210 per day of absence.
The electorate have the opportunity to submit questions to the candidates. Eligible electors have been contacted directly with a link to submit questions to candidates and the process being followed for this via the elections portal. If you have not received this information, and believe you should have, please contact elections@oxford.anglican.org.
If you are interested in standing for election, please use the national eligibility checker as a guide and then contact the diocese. You will need to fill out your diocese's nomination form and have it signed by the people who are nominating you.
If you are standing as a lay member, you need two people who are members of a Deanery Synod to nominate you. If you are clergy, you need two other clergy to nominate you.
The Diocese of Oxford privacy notices, which explain how we process your personal data, can be found here.