Synods
The term ‘synod’ has been used by the Christian church since early times, and the original meaning was an assembly or council of the church. Various forms of church government include synods and their constitution and functions differ. In Scotland, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches have all had synods at various periods. Other churches, such as Baptists and Congregationalists, tend not to use this term.
In Presbyterian church government, synods are one of the four main church courts, sitting between the general assembly and the presbyteries. Each synod consists of all members of the presbyteries within their bounds, along with any corresponding members appointed by neighbouring synods. Presbyterian synods elect a moderator from amongst their membership, to hold office for a year, and also appoint a clerk. Generally, Presbyterian synods supervise the schemes of the church and they act as a court of appeal from presbyteries. Note, however, that some Presbyterian churches omit synods from their structure, and that the largest Presbyterian church, the Church of Scotland abolished synods in 1992. Some smaller Presbyterian churches only have one synod and therefore do not need a general assembly.[1] The National Records of Scotland holds records of Church of Scotland synods and some other Presbyterian church synods.
The Roman Catholic church uses the term synod for meetings of bishops, held either in Rome, or in the context of national, or provincial and diocesan locations throughout the world. These meetings are held to discuss and decide matters of faith, morals or discipline. Scottish bishops have and continue to attend ecumenical or general synods called by the Pope, generally in Rome; and they have held national synods, such as the Provincial Synod held at Fort Augustus Abbey in 1886. Scottish dioceses have held diocesan synods since the late 19th century, and each diocese generally has held no more than a dozen since then. Records of these synods will be kept in diocesan or national church archives, and the decisions and outcomes are usually published. Records up to 1965 will likely be written in Latin.
Synods in Episcopalian churches are meetings within one of the levels (deanery, diocese and province) of Episcopalian church government. The Scottish Episcopalians gradually formed a separate communion after 1689, but for decades there were no regular general or diocesan synods, although some local meetings of clergy resembled the pre-1689 presbyteries. From 1720 the bishops constituted a ‘college’ and met in synod, but internal divisions remained until a concordat in 1731 enabled an acceptable form of diocesan governance. Among other measures, the Canons of 1743 provided for Episcopalian synods to meet, presided over by a bishop with a casting vote elected as ‘Primus’. Elected deans could attend synods, represent their clergy and discuss matters, but had no vote. In 1811 a General Synod was established, with a house of bishops and a second house of deans and representative clergy, to decide upon doctrine, worship and discipline. From 1828 the occasional diocesan synods of clergy and bishops were to be held annually, and in 1863 these synods admitted a lay representative from each congregation to vote for bishops. In 1890 the General Synod became the Provincial Synod, reflecting the Scottish Episcopal Church’s place within the Anglican communion. In 1905 lay representatives were included in a Consultative Council on Church Legislation, and from 1961 a third house of lay representatives was added to the Provincial Synod. Alongside this a Representative Church Council was established in 1876 to deal with church finance and general administration, consisting of bishops, clergy, lay officials and lay representatives from every congregation. In 1982, the Provincial Synod and Representative Church Council were merged into one General Synod, which consists of the bishops and elected members, comprising an equal number of clergy and laity and dealing with all areas of church governance, meeting annually, and conducting business through committees in between meetings.[2] The National Records of Scotland holds the records of the College of Bishops, Provincial Synod, Representative Church Council and General Synod.
In Methodism, the name synod was given to district meetings from the 1890s. District meetings began in 1791 as committees of the annual Conference and membership was initially restricted to preachers. The Wesleyan Methodists included laity from 1817 onwards, and other methodist churches also included laity at later dates. District synods set policy and liaise between circuits and the connexion (the central leadership). Records of Scotland District are held in the National Records of Scotland and records of Shetland District are held in Shetland Museum & Archives and copies are held by the Methodist Archives and Research Centre, University of Manchester
Compilers: Elspeth Reid (2024); Tristram Clarke (2024); Andrew Nicoll (2024)
Related Knowledge Base entries
Churches – Presbyterian churches in Scotland
Churches – Episcopalians in Scotland
Churches – Methodists in Scotland
Bibliography
Cox, James T., Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland (Church of Scotland, 1934, 1948, 1964, 1976)
MacLean, Marjory A. (ed.), Legal Systems of Scottish Churches (Edinburgh University Press, 2010)
Weatherhead, James L., The constitution and laws of the Church of Scotland ( Board of Practice and Procedure, Church of Scotland, 1997)
References
[1] Marjory A MacLean, ‘Presbyterian Governance’ in Legal Systems of Scottish Churches ed. by Marjory A. MacLean, (Edinburgh University Press, 2010) pp. 1-12.
[2] A.B. Wilkinson ‘Scottish Episcopal Church: polity, law and governance’ in Legal Systems of Scottish Churches ed. by Marjory A. MacLean, (Edinburgh University Press, 2010) pp. 43-55.