Deanery Synod

The Deanery Synod is the lowest tier of synodical government as practised within the Church of England. The Chair is the Area Dean or Rural Dean and each is obliged to have a Lay Vice-Chair. Increasingly, Deanery Synods are being made responsible for the budget in their areas and making decisions about how the available Stipendiary Ministers should be allocated.

Each Synod has two houses:

The House of Clergy is formed from all the licensed clergy within the Deanery regardless of ministry type or status. They form the electorates for the election of the Diocesan Clergy representatives in the General Synod who continue to be known as the Proctors-in-Convocation after a recent decision not to abolish the two Convocations (of Canterbury and York) even though in modern practice they only ever meet as the House of Clergy of the General Synod. Clerical Deanery Synod members also elect the clerical members of the Diocesan Synod.

The House of Laity is formed from representatives of the parishes within the Deanery, the representation is proportional to the membership of the Electoral Role of the parish - typically in a ratio of 1:50. Not all parishes will be represented at Diocesan Synod as the lay representatives are likely to be fewer in number than the number of parishes.