Regulation 8 -

REGULATION 8: Of the Synod

1. The Synod shall consist of three (3) Orders: The Bishop, the Clergy and the Laity.

2. (a) The members of the Synod shall be the Bishop, the Coadjutor, the Chancellor, the Registrar, the Diocesan Secretary, the Trustees, the Chairman of the Diocesan Board of Finance, the Diocesan Property Adviser, all licensed or instituted clergymen and Lay Evangelists, the lay representatives, the youth representatives at the invitation of the Bishop subject to sub-paragraph (b) and the lay members of Council.

(b) There shall be eight youth representatives, who must be electors and who shall be elected at a meeting, to be held on or before 31st March annually, of Anglican Youth groups recognised by the Bishop in Council. There shall be at least one representative from each region as defined in paragraph 1 of Regulation 8A. Every such youth representative on his election shall sign the following declaration:

I ……………………..declare that I am a Communicant in Good Standing, being a member of the Parish of……………………………; and that I consent to serve as a Youth Representative of ………………………for the year …….

#SYMBOL 42 f “Symbol” s 11#(c) There shall be two (2) representatives from the Mothers’ Union who shall be electors and who shall be elected by the Mothers’ Union at a meeting, to be held on or before 31st March annually of the Mothers’ Union of the Diocese.

*(d) There shall be two (2) representatives from the Anglican Church Men’s Society who shall be electors and who shall be elected by the Anglican Church Men’s Society at a meeting, to be held on or before 31st March annually of the Anglican Church Men’s Society of the Diocese.

3. No act or proceeding of the Synod or of any Council, Board or Committee thereof or appointed thereby shall be invalidated by means of any vacancy or vacancies in any of the above offices or among the lay representatives or by reason of the absence of the holders of any of above offices or any lay representatives or by reason of any accidental defect in the appointment or election of any such Council, Board, Committee or persons.

4. Every Parish which shall have paid in full the amount of its assessment for the last completed financial year before the Annual Session of Synod shall be entitled to one (1) lay representative; provided that, if the Parish has five hundred (500) or more registered communicants, it shall be entitled to two (2) lay representatives, and if it has one thousand (1,000) or more registered communicants, to three (3) lay representatives.

5. Every District may be granted one (1) lay representative as the Bishop in Council shall decide.

6. If the assessment of any Parish or District shall not have been paid in full for the last completed financial year before the Annual Session of Synod, or if the returns required by the Bishop have not been satisfactorily completed and sent in two (2) months before the Annual Session of Synod, the Clergy and Lay representatives of that Parish or District shall be disqualified from speaking or voting on behalf of their Parish or District at that session unless the Bishop shall decide otherwise.

7. No person shall be entitled to act as lay Representative for or serve on the Vestry of any Parish or District save that in which he is a registered Communicant in good standing.

8. (a) The election of lay Representatives shall take place not later than March 31, annually.

(b) Notice of time and place shall be given by the Incumbent of the Parish or District on two (2) Sundays during Divine Service by writing affixed to the Church door.

(c) In any case of where an election has not been held, the Bishop or Vicar-General may authorise the holding of an election before such person and at such time and place as he may direct.

(d) Notice of the election shall be given as the Bishop or Vicar-general may direct.

9. (a) On election, every lay Representative shall sign the following declaration:

I …………………declare that I am a Communicant in good standing, and that I consent to serve as a Lay Representative for the Parish of …………. for the year …….

(b) Immediately after the election of a lay Representative the Incumbent of the Parish shall send to the Diocesan Secretary the aforementioned declaration together with a certificate in this form:

I certify that …………………. was on the ………… day of ………. duly elected a Lay Representative for the Parish of …………… in the Synod of the Church in Trinidad and Tobago.

(signature) ……………………… Incumbent.

10. In the event of a lay Representative dying, resigning or being absent from the Diocese, the Vestry may fill the vacancy for the unexpired term of office.

11. (a) The Annual Session of Synod shall be held in the second quarter of each year.

(b) The Bishop may call a meeting of the Synod at any time and shall do so at the written request of any ten (10) clergymen and ten (10) lay Representatives.

(d) A notice of the meeting and the agenda shall be sent to every member by the Secretary not less than FOURTEEN (14) DAYS before the meeting.

(e) There shall be a celebration of the Holy Communion on the morning of each day on which the Synod meets.

12. (a) The Bishop or the Vicar-general or, in their absence, the Archdeacon and one-fourth (1/4) of the clergy and one-fourth (1/4) of laity shall constitute a quorum.

(b) If one-half (1/2) hour after the time appointed there is no quorum, the meeting shall be abandoned.

13. (a) Save as hereinafter provided, the assent of the Bishop and of the majority of the members present shall be necessary to an act of the Synod.

(b) The Bishop, the Clergy and Laity may vote either as one (1) body or as three (3) separate Orders.

(c) A vote by Orders shall be taken if demanded by the Bishop or any five (5) members of the Synod, but only if the matter has not been voted upon already at the same meeting of the Synod.

(d) When a vote by Orders is taken a majority of the clergy present and voting and a majority of the laity present and voting and the assent of the Bishop shall be necessary to an act of the Synod.

(e) If a majority of the clergy and a majority of the laity shall vote in favour of the proposal and the Bishop shall not assent, the Bishop, if so required by a majority of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and voting together, shall refer the matter to an adjourned meeting of the Synod to be held not more than four (4) weeks later.

(f) At such adjourned meeting, after any further discussion the matter shall be decided by a majority of the three (3) orders voting separately.

(g) A clear majority of the whole of each order present at the time of voting shall constitute a vote of that order.

14. (a) The Bishop shall preside at all meetings of the Synod if he be present.

(b) In his absence the Vicar-General or such member as the Bishop may appoint, shall preside.

(d) If the Bishop be absent no final decision shall be taken except in such matters as the Bishop may have directed in writing.

(e) If the See is vacant the Synod shall transact the business necessary to maintain the work of the Diocese.

15. (a) No proposal to alter or add to or repeal these Regulations shall be brought before the Synod unless it has been considered by the Council which shall instruct the Secretary to print any such proposal and send it to the members of Synod with the notice of the meeting.

(b) Any such proposal shall be introduced to the Synod by the Secretary on behalf of the Council.

16. (a) The Synod may from time to time make, amend or repeal rules (called “Standing Orders”) for regulating the order and conduct of its business.

(b) The Standing Orders set forth in Regulation 27 shall be the Standing Orders until they or any of them are amended or repealed by Synod.

(c) Any motion for addition to, amendment, repeal or suspension of Standing Orders to take effect at a current meeting shall be voted for by at least three-fourths (3/4) of the members present.