President, Chairman, members of Synod. The agenda group wanted us as a Synod to have the opportunity, not to say farewell, for that moment is rightly reserved for the whole diocese on 8 November; but to express our appreciation to Bishop Christopher as our bishop in Synod over these past 13 years. And in their wisdom, the group decided that this task should fall on the Archdeacon’s.

Any good book on the Church of England – and there are one or two; although I have to say none of them as scintillating or as exciting as those that Bishop Christopher so assiduously devours and which, with a depth of profundity and originality, he shares with us through his Presidential addresses; as this afternoon with the ‘Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay’. Any good book on the Church of England will remind us that our Church is ‘Episcopally led and Synodically governed’. But that’s a phrase that trips of the tongue all too easily, getting us out of an awkward spot about the role of Bishops and the role of Synods, and more to the point, how they work together! On the one hand we rejoice at being an Episcopally ordered church, while at the same time honouring that age long tradition of ‘conciliarism’ which is at the heart of Anglicanism – yes, bishops consulting with bishops, with clergy, with laity – in one form or another, it has always been there and is central to our understanding of what it means to be the Church. And since 1970 whilst, curiously, the Church of England was the last of the Provinces of the whole Anglican Communion to embrace Synodical Government, there has been a mature growth in our governance which, despite all its imperfections and frustrations, provides a forum for counsel and debate – bishops, clergy and laity - together.

‘Episcopally led and Synodically governed’. And having the ‘bishop in Synod’ matters, it matters hugely to us. Synods, like any governing body, run the risk of bureaucracy; the bishop in Synod is a significant antidote to that, leadership and governance working hand in hand. Generally speaking, there are many ways in which there has been a real partnership between Bishop Christopher and the Synod; working behind the scenes in a supportive and creative way with the Officers; affirming the collaborative working of Synod through shared chairmanship with the Houses of Laity and Clergy; and often at the end of Synod a summing up or a brief reflection to send us on our ways encouraged and challenged. But there are two ways in particular that Bishop Christopher has served us well, exercising Episcopal leadership in this Synod. The first is through his handling of Questions. Questions, of course, can be asked of any Chairman or Secretary of a Board or committee in the diocese. Yet with greater frequency questions are asked of the President, the bishop in Synod. Synod I hope will want to agree with me that, in his written responses to Questions there is always a richness, a depth, clarity and accuracy in Bishop Christopher’s replies; concise, generous, well-researched, full of integrity, deeply sensitive and courteous; often set in the broader context, none of us is left with a superficial answer. Now, of course, the written answer is one thing; the killer is often in the supplementary; you never quite know what you’re going to be asked! But from Bishop Christopher the answers have always been gracious, honest and thoughtful. And on those rare occasions when there hasn’t been an answer ready to hand, the promise of follow-up.

But as memorable as Question Time, and the answers, are the Presidential Addresses. The Ordinal reminds us that the Bishop is Chief Pastor, sharing in the oversight of the church, ‘speaking in the name of God and expounding the Gospel of Salvation’; feeding God’s pilgrim people and building up the Body of Christ. And so Bishop Christopher has brought to this Synod a wide range of issues – on Mission and Liturgy; Ethics and Public policy; the Lambeth Conference and what the Bishop’s really did say; Finance and Vocation; truth and reconciliation; friendship and forgiveness. This ministry of discernment, pastoral care, teaching and encouragement, spoken with passion, rising out of experience, rooted in the scriptures, shot through with insights from art and literature, is hugely appreciated; many are the moments when we have been moved, and moved on. Often what has been said reaches beyond this Synod in the reporting back to Deaneries and the feedback to parishes.

And not least today. We have been, we are, on a journey of ‘transformation’, ‘…a gift from Christ to us as individuals and to us as a Church’. Bishop Christopher, this Synod says to you: the privilege of being in and of your company has been immense, and we thank you for it.

Trevor Jones

Archdeacon of Hertford