28.04.2026
General Synod 2026: A Preview
By the Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod
For the first time since 2019, General Synod will return to meeting in person for three days when it convenes in Newcastle, County Down, on Thursday 7th May, Friday 8th May, and Saturday 9th May 2026.
The venue will be the Slieve Donard Hotel which was opened in 1898 by the Belfast and County Down Railway to bring tourists to the growing resort town nestling below the Mourne Mountains.
The ‘new castle’ was built in 1588 just south of the River Shimna, replacing a previous fortification, and was replaced around 1830 by a hotel – the Annesley Arms. The building subsequently became the town’s public library and now houses its leisure centre and tourist information centre.
The Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod: the Revd Canon Malcolm Kingston, the Revd Canon Gillian Wharton, Mr Ken Gibson and Ms Hazel Corrigan.
The Church of Ireland parish church is St John’s. Members and visitors are asked to note, however, that the General Synod Service of Holy Communion will be held in the venue at 12noon on the first day. The preacher will be The Most Revd Pat Storey, Bishop of Meath and Kildare.
Schedule
This will be the third meeting of the 52nd General Synod of the Church of Ireland and the meeting hours are scheduled to proceed as follows:
· First day – 12noon to 1pm & 2pm to 6.30pm
· Second day – 10am to 1pm & 2pm to 6.30pm
· Third day – 10am to 4.30pm
The Presidential Address will be delivered by Archbishop John McDowell shortly after the start of business. A short presentation will be made by the Working Group to Review Clergy Tenure on Thursday afternoon to outline the background to its work before the bills resulting from this work are brought before the Synod members for consideration.
The Council for Mission and the Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development warmly invite all members of the General Synod to a mission lunch in the venue on Friday immediately following the morning session. The guest speaker will be Tearfund’s Middle East Regional Director, Safa Hijazeen.
The Diocese of Down and Dromore will make a presentation to General Synod about its ministries on Friday afternoon.
Bills
General Synod’s main purpose, in its role as the Church of Ireland’s governing body, is to consider proposals for legislation (bills) which seek to amend the Constitution.
This year, members will consider bills to remove references to ‘deacons serving in an internship’ from the Chapters I and XIV – as ordinands are no longer ordained before serving their internship – and and to amend Chapter XVI, in relation to safeguarding, to remove mention of the names of the previous safeguarding policies and reword so this chapter does not refer to the names of specific safeguarding policies going forward and, therefore, cannot be out of date in this regard.
Three bills arising from the work of the Working Group to Review Clergy Tenure will be proposed, covering the clergy disciplinary process (in Chapter XIII), situations of ill–health (in Chapter IV), and pastoral breakdown (in Chapters IV and VI).
Reports
Over the course of the three days, members will receive and discuss reports from the following committees:
· Standing Committee
· Representative Body
· Board of Education
· Church of Ireland Youth Department
· Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue
· Commission on Ministry
· Council for Mission
· Church of Ireland–Methodist Covenant Council
· Liturgical Advisory Committee
· Marriage Council
· Pioneer Ministry Governing Council
The results of the 2025 Church of Ireland Census will be presented in the Standing Committee report. The Consultative Group on Disability has circulated a survey for deaf members of congregations to all clergy, and plans to launch and distribute a further all–island survey across as many aspects of accessibility as possible. The Central Communications Board has worked with RTÉ to help deliver a new model for the broadcasting of TV services from parishes, which complements the current practice for BBC services on radio.
The Representative Church Body’s report will highlight the completion of work on the future funding of chaplaincies and curacies, and work in progress on its property strategy (including the development of a new campus incorporating the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, RCB Library, and RCB offices in Dublin), committee governance and succession planning, and empowering clergy to consider post–ordination training, peer support, and mentoring. The Executive Committee’s objective is to support the mission and ministry of the Church of Ireland, with the vision to be well–structured and resourced to support its current and future needs and ambitions.
The Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue’s report includes a report by the Revd Chris Mac Bruithin on ‘Russian world’ ideology which has been identified as a concern by the Conference of European Churches and is used to attempt to give theological justification to the continuing invasion of Ukraine. Mr Mac Bruithin relays the thanks of delegates from Ukraine to the Church of Ireland for welcoming refugees and continuing to pray for the country.
The Council for Mission highlights five Mission Matters podcasts which include interviews and discussions with Chris Wright of Langham Partnership, Luke Hawkins from CIYD on Summer Madness, bishops from Sudan and South Sudan, and Julie McKinley and Rhiannon McAleer on the Quiet Revival.
The Liturgical Advisory Committee reports on its Take a Minute pastoral prayer cards, the production of resources for Racial Justice Sunday, and the recruitment of a full team of Diocesan Liturgical Officers, with the view to updating clergy and lay readers with recently published content through a series of roadshows.
The Wedding Venues Working Group, set up following the debate on increased discretion for conducting weddings outside church buildings at General Synod, has received reports from differing perspectives on the issue. The working group has consulted with other Christian denominations regarding their practice; it has noted that any change to existing practice must safeguard the centrality and significance of consecrated worship spaces, and respect the conscience, integrity and office of local clergy.
As General Synod approaches, readers can find out more information – including the full Book of Reports, motions, bills and forms for proposing items of business – on the General Synod website at www.churchofireland.org/synod
The Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod are the Revd Canon Gillian Wharton, the Revd Canon Malcolm Kingston, Ms Hazel Corrigan, and Mr Ken Gibson.