Synods strengthens faith, piety , apostolic zeal, serves as an Instrument of Unity, Communion to the People of God
By Ben Ngwakwe, Gombe
Synods are important activities in diocese and as such used in that sense of Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy and other particular churches that usually convened annually or in three years to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application.
The word “synod” comes from the Greek which simply means “assembly” or “meeting” and is comparable with the Latin word “concilium” meaning “council”. The word synod originally could be seen as the meetings of bishops which is still relevant today in dioceses.
Synods in the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, no doubt, is a formal gathering together with other clerical and lay delegates representing the church to deal with matters of faith, morality, rite, and canonical and cultural life. It could be for the purpose of church administration in the areas of teaching (faith and morals) or governance (church discipline or law).
Experts said that, “a diocesan Synod is a consultative gathering or assembly, convoked and chaired by the Bishop, to which priests and other faithful of a particular Church are called, in accordance with canonical norms, so as to help the Bishop in his task of leading the diocesan community”.
Some of the purposes of a Synod according to some theologists and liturgists is to demonstrate the spiritual, pastoral and material heritage of the Christ’s church in the diocese, to revive faith, hope and love in the personal and community relationship with Christ in the church, and to indicate new pastoral ways in the changeability of the world towards the un-changeability of Christ.
According them, “the renewal of life of our diocesan community should be expressed by, first of all, a deep reform of ourselves, organization of issues of our conscience, getting closer to Christ by continuous formation and the deepening of sacramental life.
A synod gives us the opportunity for a certain and global overview of the current condition of our diocese. It allows us to make a general diagnosis, based on which we will be able to determine further direction of our pastoral work”.
“It seems to be strongly recommended that holding of the synod should be a very important moment in the life of the diocesan church and renewal of the diocesan institutions, therefore, the diocesan synod is not only of a legal nature but of a pastoral one as well, because it is perceived as a pastoral action, the subject and object of
which is the entire diocesan community”.
It was gathered that,”a diocesan synod, convoked and chaired by the Bishop, to which priests and other faithful of the particular Church are called, in accordance with canonical norms, is a gathering (assembly) at which the Bishop- supported by experts in theological, pastoral and legal knowledge- solemnly exercises the office and ministry of shepherding his flock, by adjusting the rules and regulations of the Church to local conditions, indicating the way and manner of apostolic work in the diocese, solving difficulties connected with the apostolate and management, fostering works and actions of general nature, correcting mistakes in terms of doctrine and customs, if such occur in the diocese. A synod gives also the opportunity to perform holy actions that contribute the most to the strengthening of faith, piety and apostolic zeal or a new beginning in the entire diocese”.
In Anglican Communion, investigation revealed, the Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, His Grace, Most Rt. Henry Ndukuba gives the Synod a serious high premium in the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion ranging from when he was the Bishop of Gombe Diocese, Archbishop of Jos Ecclesiastical Province and now Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria unlike other Christian denomination.
It was an opportunity to evaluate the day-to-day governance and the responsibility of the churches under the diocese, assess the performances and achievements under review, proposed plans of the action for the incoming year, received information and reports about the church growth and planting, the vision and mission mandate and group goal strengthened and enhanced, disciplinary actions taken if any, those elevated and installed, improvement of academics by the workers and commendations by some members who performed excellently well in the period under review were rewarded and appreciated and other necessary synod information also captured and contained in the Bishop’s charge (Address) while at the end of the Synod, a communique which contains a wholistical evaluation of the activities is release to the members of the diocese and to the media.
The Synod became the instrument of unity and communion of diocesan Churches and is extended to all people of God in the diocese hence the remarkable and tremendous achievements with massive growth in the physical expansion of structures including church planting, massive grassroots evangelism, the astronomical population growth, efficient and effective management of human and material resources at its disposal, are no doubt, an attestation that the Church of God is matching forward, which by the Special Grace of God, the gate of under-world can’t never prevail against it, no matter the economic policies, political aggrandizement, the Church of God, Anglican Communion in Nigeria and other churches are matching forward towards their destinations which is the promised of the Heavenly Paradise which is the hope of all believers who believed in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
End
Comments 1