Church of England to Hold 12th General Synod on November 17 Amid Secularization Concerns

The Anglican Church, officially called the Church of England, will hold its 12th General Synod on November 17. King Charles III, as supreme governor of the denomination, will preside.

The synod meets every five years and will elect the 487 members who will serve in the new term, which runs until 2031. It advises the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, who was invested as leader of the Anglican Communion last July.

The synod also has legislative power over the functioning of the church. It will debate “questions of national and international importance,” as well as matters such as the funding of churches and of Anglican clergy, a subject that calls for accountability and honest dealing (Proverbs 11:1).

The Anglican Church, like other churches across Europe, faces what the source describes as an unstoppable wave of secularization, with steadily declining rates of religious practice and church attendance.

In an attempt to attract new parishioners and adapt to modern times, the church has been accused of conforming too easily to identity-based values, including those concerning race or sexual orientation. According to the report, this has not brought it greater “popularity” or an increase in practice.