In the Church of England a deanery is a group of parishes forming a district within an archdeaconry and all of our parish churches are part of a deanery within a geographic area. A deanery is led by a Rural Dean under the leadership of an Archdeacon.
Each deanery has its own Deanery Synod which consists of lay members and clergy.
Lay members are elected at Annual Parochial Church meetings (APCM) and the clergy of the deanery meet under the joint chairmanship of the Area (Rural) Dean and the Lay Chair.
Members are elected for three years and address issues of concern to the church and community at the local level. Matters are sent to them from the diocese and the General Synod and resolutions passed can be sent up for discussion at the higher levels. Members are also the electors for the diocese and vote in the elections for Diocesan Synod and General Synod.
Elections to Deanery Synods took place in 2020. Those elected will take office on 1 July 2020 and will serve for three years until 30 June 2023.
For more information
Archdeacons | weblink
Rural Deans | weblink
Archdeacon and Rural Dean Visitations | weblink
APCM | weblink
Diocesan Synod | weblink
General Synod | weblink
Deanery Synod Rules | PDF