Standing Committee & RB30 Jan 26

Standing Committee News

The Standing Committee of the General Synod met on Tuesday, 27th January 2026, in Church of Ireland House, Dublin.

Canon Gillian Wharton opened the meeting with a reading from Philippians chapter 2 and in prayer, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the meeting and the flourishing of all whom the members of the Standing Committee are called to serve.

Presenting the Honorary Secretaries’ report, Mr Ken Gibson noted that six Church of Ireland delegates were nominated to attend the ‘Let Justice Flow Like Rivers’ conference in Newry on Saturday, 17th January – Mr David Brown, the Revd David McComb, Ms Lesley McComb, Archdeacon Andrew Orr, the Revd Julie Bell, and the Revd David White. The event was organised by the Irish Council of Churches and the Irish Inter Church Meeting.

Mr Gibson added that following a satisfactory review of the work of the Complaints Administrator during 2025, the Honorary Secretaries have agreed to renew the contract for Ms Bridget Rippey (from BridgeHR Consulting) as Complaints Administrator supporting the Complaints Process in Chapter VIII of the Constitution.

Ms Kaye Nesbitt was appointed to the Finance and Arrangements Sub–Committee.
The Standing Committee approved a resolution that the Honorary Secretaries, on behalf of the General Synod, write to the Rt Rev and the Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE to convey the prayerful good wishes of the Church of Ireland on her appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Presentations

Members of the Working Group to Review Clergy Tenure presented a draft of their final recommendations to the Standing Committee – regarding amendments to the current clergy disciplinary process, as well as responses in situations of long term clergy ill–health and intractable parochial breakdown – to be presented to General Synod in 2026.

Presentations were also made by the Revd Rob Jones (as National Director of Pioneer Ministry) on the development of Pioneer Ministry, and Mr Ken Gibson on the newly reformed Consultative Group on Disability.

Mr Jones highlighted that the Pioneer Ministry Gathering is taking place in Mullingar on Saturday, 21st November 2026, and encouraged everyone with an interest in Pioneer Ministry, and what can be learned from its continuing work for parishes and the wider Church, to consider attending.

Invitations to General Synod

In line with the protocol for invitations to attend General Synod, the Honorary Secretaries be requested to issue an invitation to the following to appoint representatives to attend General Synod 2026:

• Presbyterian Church in Ireland
• Methodist Church
• Roman Catholic Church
• Irish Council of Churches
• Moravian Church of Great Britain and Ireland
• Church of England
• Redeemed Christian Church of God
• Religious Society of Friends
• Romanian Orthodox Church

The Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church and the Roman Catholic Church have been asked to appoint two representatives each, and the Irish Council of Churches and other Churches asked to appoint one representative each.

The meeting closed with the Grace.