INTRODUCTION
The Church of Ireland Synod took place in person from Wednesday 4th to Friday 6th May 2022 in the Spires Conference Centre, Belfast. It was the second meeting of the triennium, but having met by electronic communication technology the previous year it was for many their first experience of General Synod in person.
BUSINESS
The business of Synod was lighter this year, but it was enhanced by the return to in-person debate. There were two bills before Synod; one dealt with electronic meetings and one related to Parochial Nominators.
ELECTRONIC MEETINGS
One bill made amendments to the Constitution deemed necessary by the years of the pandemic. It provided for meetings of General Synod of the Church of Ireland, Diocesan Synods and General Vestries to have the flexibility to meet wholly or partly by electronic means. There was also a motion passed which tidied up the wording in various places to reflect these new ways of working.
PAROCHIAL NOMINATORS
The second bill closed a loophole so that it is no longer possible for a person to be a Parochial Nominator for a parish unless that person is a registered vestryperson for that Parish.
MORAVIAN CHURCH
General Synod also recognised that, following a number of years of careful conversations, conditions now exist for the implementation of arrangements providing for interchangeability of ministry with the Moravian Church. Synod empowered the Standing Committee to take steps to set up the necessary reference group. (The Moravian Province of Britain and Ireland subsequently and unanimously endorsed the interchangeability proposals at their own synod in Swanwick in July.)
