Most of our time and focus as members of the church is around our own local parish. We have a responsibility however to support the work not only of our local parish, but also to play our part in the councils of the wider church beyond our own doorstep. This page gives a brief outline of some of the committees, church corporations and synods that would welcome your participation.
Entrance to these church councils start at the parish level when a person is elected as a Synod Delegate from the parish to the diocesan Synod.
The Diocese of Ottawa annual Synod is held in mid-October. Provincial Synod and General Synod occur in three-year cycles. At the Ottawa Synod, members are elected for Provincial Synod, General Synod, Executive Committee and Trinity College Corporation.
Please give some serious, prayerful consideration to standing for election:
Please pray for all who stand for election
to any of these influential roles in our church.
And pray about the role that you
might be called to play in
the Anglican Communion,
close to home or in the wider church.
(Elected by parish vestry meetings or appointed by the Bishop)
Lay Members of Synod, elected by parishes or appointed by the Bishop, have important roles to play in their home parishes, in the life of our diocese, and, if they choose, in the wider context of the Anglican community in Canada.
Your two-year term of office as a Lay Member of Synod provides the opportunity to participate at consecutive diocesan Synods, bringing important continuity to parish life and to the time between Synods.
In your parish, you are a member of Parish Council or, for multi-point parishes, the Parish Central Committee. You also join the churchwardens and your territorial archdeacon to form the Parish Committee which has important responsibilities in the Bishop's process of appointing clergy to parishes.
At the diocesan level, you may seek election to the Executive Committee. At the Ecclesiastical Provincial level, you may stand for election to Provincial Synod. And at the level of the National Church, you may be elected to General Synod.
Please consider, prayerfully and thoughtfully, presenting yourself this year to the Synod as a candidate for General Synod, Executive Committee or Trinity College. It's a special way to serve your parish, your diocese, and the wider communion. And it's a great way to serve God in the Church.
(Members to be elected at diocesan Synod)
Diocesan Executive Committee is often called the "Synod between Synods" or "the Bishop in council". Both reflect different parts of the role of the Executive in the life of the diocesan family. The Executive is made up of members from across the diocese; most are lay people. Some members of the Committee are elected by local deaneries at Great Chapter Meetings and at the annual Synod. Other members are appointed by the Bishop, or are members of one of the three standing committees of the diocese. Because the membership reflects the diversity of our diocese, it is a valuable resource to the diocese and to the Bishop.
As a member of the Executive Committee, you share with the Bishop in overseeing the work and ministry of the diocese. The Executive Committee ensures that decisions of the annual Synod are carried out, and it receives regular reports from the various diocesan committees. The Executive is also a forum for discussion of the issues and challenges facing our diocese, and it helps shape policy to guide diocesan life.
Your work on this committee is always interesting; the whole of the life and ministry of our diocesan family comes to the Executive. As a member, you gain a deeper appreciation of the many parishes and people who make up our communion in the Diocese of Ottawa. And you become aware of and involved in the many exciting activities and programs that are happening all around the diocese.
The Executive meets five times a year; occasionally special meetings may be called. The meetings are generally held in the Ottawa area. They begin with a simple liturgy at 5:15 p.m., followed by a light supper and time for fellowship. The formal meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. Meetings are usually two hours long, but they might run longer, depending on the agenda. Once a year, for the November meeting, the Executive has an overnight residential gathering from Friday evening to Saturday afternoon to enable the new members of the Committee to meet one another and to begin to deal with the actions of the annual Synod.
Sometimes members serve on committees of the Executive, usually to assist in short-term study, reporting back to the Executive as a whole. Members elected by deanery Great Chapters are encouraged to report to those groups each year to keep everyone up to date on the work and ministry of the Executive Committee.
(Members to be elected at diocesan Synod)
Following a long tradition, our diocesan Synod elects two clergy and two lay members to the Corporation of Trinity College. All must be graduates of the College and all serve a one-year term. The one-day meetings take place in Toronto at Trinity College in the spring and late fall.
Trinity College is a federated university of the University of Toronto. It has an Arts Faculty and a Faculty of Theology. The Corporation has a membership of over 100 persons and is the final governing body of the College. It deals with issues such as finance, statutes, and election of officials.
(Members to be elected at diocesan Synod)
Every three years the Anglican Church of Canada gathers for General Synod. The members come from parishes and dioceses all across Canada. The meeting of General Synod helps to shape the mission and ministry of the church for the next three years. There are debates on resolutions, presentations about work being done locally and globally, and plenty of opportunities to talk about the issues we face as a church and a society.
General Synod is also about meeting people. Even though members come from all over our country, we soon learn that we have a great deal in common, knowing many of the same difficulties and even more of the same joys.
General Synod sits for nine days. It is a rewarding experience. Special skills are not required for membership, but a sound knowledge of the Anglican Communion and a prayerful commitment are definite assets. About 450 people attend General Synod, and the costs associated are borne by the diocese and the National Church. As members learn more about the Church throughout Canada, they also get to know a great deal about the host diocese.
(Members to be elected at diocesan Synod)
Every three years, the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, of which we are part, meets for Provincial Synod. The Synod consists of all the bishops from each diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province (Toronto, Huron, Ontario, Niagara, Algoma, Rupert's Land, and Ottawa), the Prolocutor, the Chancellor of the Province, the Chancellors of each diocese, the Executive Secretary, the Treasurer, and four clerical and four lay members from each diocese.
The Provincial Executive Council meets between Provincial Synods. One representative chosen from each diocese's elected members of the Provincial Synod becomes a member of the Executive Council.
Provincial Synod is usually held in mid-October over a two-day period. Its work includes issues such as theological education, religious education in public schools, social issues, government relations, chaplaincies, First Nations ministries, the Advisory Committee on Postulants for Ordination, continuing education, and non-stipendiary and vocational diaconate ministries. This is a busy and exciting Synod whose work is often carried over to our own diocesan Synod's work.
Provincial Synod affords an opportunity for you to minister in a very broad forum, taking on current issues that affect our Province, our schools, our priestly ministry, and many other significant facets of our life in Christ together.
Please pray for all who stand for election to any of these influential roles in our church. And pray about the role that you might be called to play in the Anglican Communion, close to home or in the wider church.
Celebrate your gifts. Share them.
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