Standing Committee & RB19 Mar 25

Standing Committee & RB News

The Standing Committee of the General Synod met at Church of Ireland House, Dublin, on Tuesday morning, 11th March 2025, followed by a meeting of the Representative Body in the afternoon of the same day.  Both meetings were chaired by the Archbishop of Armagh.

Standing Committee

Canon Gillian Wharton opened the meeting of the Standing Committee with a reading from John chapter 5, a Prayer for the Season of Lent, and an intercession for wisdom for members of the Standing Committee in their proceedings.

The Archbishop of Armagh noted that this would be the last Standing Committee meeting to be attended by Archdeacon Leslie Stevenson (Meath & Kildare) and thanked Archdeacon Stevenson for his service to the Standing Committee and the Church of Ireland as a whole.

The March meeting of Standing Committee includes a discussion on the recommendations of the Priorities Fund Committee, chaired by Mr Roy Totten, which were approved.  The Priorities Fund received 78 applications for grants in 2024, amounting to €1,420,261 – of which 54 were approved, totalling €607,659.

The projects supported by the Priorities Fund cover four areas of mission and ministry:

• training (lay and ordained)
• Christian education
• outreach initiatives
• innovative ministry in a rural context

Following a demonstration of electronic voting, the Standing Committee approved that a motion be brought to General Synod to allow for the option of electronic voting at in–person meetings of the General Synod.

The Standing Committee also approved that that the following be brought to General Synod: a motion to amend Standing Orders to include the new terminology for the bills process; a bill to amend the Synod Representation Table (in Chapter I of the Constitution); and a bill to amend Chapter III of the Constitution for cross–referencing purposes.

Reports to General Synod

The Standing Committee adopted its report to General Synod 2025 and appended the reports of the following committees and working groups which report to the Standing Committee:

• Advisory Council to the Church of Ireland Centre at Dublin City University
• Armagh Agreement Reference Group (for relations with the Moravian Church)
• Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development
• Board for Ministry with Children and Families
• Central Communications Board
• Charities Registration Working Group
• Church and Society Commission
• Consultative Group on Disability
• Review of the Future of Curacies Working Group
• Safeguarding Board
• Third Level Chaplaincies Review Group
• Working Group concerning a co–ordinated response to Historic Institutional Abuse
• Working Group to Review Clergy Tenure

Reports were made on behalf of the Third Level Chaplaincies Review Group and the Working Group to Review Clergy Tenure.  A preliminary report on the findings of the Church of Ireland Census for 2024 was made, ahead of the final returns being received.

Appointments

The Archbishop of Dublin, Bishop of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe, Dean of Limerick, Ms Gina Copty, and Dr Bridget Nichols were appointed as the Church of Ireland delegates to attend the Anglican Four Nations meeting to be hosted by the Church of England in May 2025.  The meeting takes place every two years and includes representatives from the Church of England, Church of Ireland, Scottish Episcopal Church and Church in Wales, who discuss issues of mutual interest.

Mr Garrett Casey BL was appointed as a co–opted member of the Church and Society Commission.

The meeting closed with the Grace.

Representative Body

At the meeting of the Representative Body, Ms Hilary Prentice reported on the work of the Executive Committee’s Strategy Review Group which is considering the RB’s short– to medium–term planning priorities, its governance model, and improved engagement and communication with members.

Ms Prentice acknowledged the work involved in preparing the annual Book of Reports for General Synod, and especially the Finance Department and Audit Committee for preparing financial statements which were reported to and approved at the meeting.

The Representative Body approved that the former Church of Ireland College of Education campus at 96 Upper Rathmines Road, Dublin, be selected as the site for the development of a new Church of Ireland campus, with facilities for the Representative Church Body, Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and RCB Library.

The following levies were set for 2026, with the level of diocesan contribution set at percentage rates of Minimum Approved Stipend (in force at 1st January 2026) multiplied by the sum of the number of cures in each diocese as of 30th June 2025:

• Financing of the episcopacy – 5.8% (up from 5.6%)
• Safeguarding – 0.9% (unchanged)
• Clergy and Ministry Protection Fund – 2.0% (up from 0.5%)

Reports

The Representative Body approved and adopted its report to General Synod 2025, including the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024, and the resolution in relation to allocations.

Mr Ritchie, the Chief Officer, presented the Report for the Representative Church Body for 2024, following which the Heads of Departments – Ms Pauline High (Property and Trusts), Mr Mark McWha (Legal), Mrs Janet Maxwell (Synod Services and Communications) and Mrs Julie Bond (Finance) – presented insights from their departments.

A report on the audit of the Financial Statements was presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Reports to General Synod for the following committees and working groups, reporting jointly to the Representative Body and the Standing Committee, were approved:

• Charities Registration Working Group
• Future of Curacies Working Group
• Safeguarding Board
• Third Level Chaplaincies Review Group
• Working Group concerning a co–ordinated response to Historic Institutional Abuse

The Representative Body submitted three draft bills to be presented at General Synod 2025 in relation to support for members of the Clergy Pensions Fund who plan to retire after reaching the Normal Retirement Age; the introduction of a requirement that glebe agreements are signed immediately prior to the institution of licensing of an incumbent; and a proposed increase in the number of co–opted members of the Representative Body.

The meeting closed with the Grace.