Diocesan Synod, June 2024

VISION AND STRATEGY

Our Diocesan Synod members voted to affirm our diocesan vision and strategy at its meeting in June 2024. After a presentation by Bishop Jonathan, Andrew Hargreaves and Vanda Leary, the members voted to affirm our vision - that we seek to become 'a rejuvenating community of Jesus-centred, Kingdom-seeking disciples' - and the strategy required to help us to attain that vision. 

Discover more about what was discussed by downloading the following:

• the presentation made to Synod members;
• the report submitted about our bid for national C of E funding for the strategy;
• the full details of our future vision and strategy.

CANON 43

Synod members also voted to accept Amending Canon 43, which makes miscellaneous amendments to Canons of the Church of England. Download more details about this here:

• General Synod motion;
• Instrument of Enactment;
• Explanatory Note;
• Letter to Diocesan Secretaries.

SAFEGUARDING

Diocesan Secretary Philip Poulter updated synod members about safeguarding issues, based on a report from Safeguarding Manager Emily Hassan, which you can read here.

NET ZERO CARBON ACTION PLAN

Diocesan Secretary Philip Poulter gave an update on our progress towards being net zero carbon by 2030. It included an update on how many parishes had filled in the Energy Footprint Tool, which provides a baseline to work from, with more than 50 per cent of our churches now completing it. Find out more here.

GENERAL SYNOD UPDATE

Canon Bob White updated Synod members on matters arising at General Synod. Another of our General Synod representatives, Ian Johnston, gave a presentation about a potential new financial settlement, which you can see here. The papers for the July meeting of General Synod are now available here.

DEANERY UPDATES

As part of our regular updating of Diocesan Synod members about progress in each of our deaneries, we heard from the area deans for both Bishop's Waltham and Petersfield deaneries. You can see those presentations here:

• Bishop's Waltham deanery: by Canon David Isaac
• Petersfield deanery: by Canon Susie Collingridge

FINANCIAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

Our Finance Controller Elaine Coe gave a presentation about our financial situation and presented the 2023 annual report and accounts, which synod members approved. You can read her presentation and various reports here:

• finance presentation to synod members; 
• 2023 annual report and accounts;
• Management report to April 2024;
• Parish share report, May 2024.

The chair of our diocese's Parish Share Review Group, the Rev Sue Jones, gave synod members an update on progress. The group had circulated a questionnaire earlier in the year, asking PCCs and individuals a series of questions designed to help them to devise a system that would be fair, effective and enables confidence from all of our parishes. The full results of that feedback can be read here. A second questionnaire to PCCs will be circulated in the summer.