GENERAL SYNOD.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2777, 23 May 1916, Page 4

GENERAL SYNOD.

NEW DEPARTURES THE FRANCHISE QUESTION Though the proceedings of the recent Cieuernl Synod of tho Anglican Church may not have been of a sensational character from the point of view of tho man iu the street some very useful and important work was done. This opinion expressed ill the course of a sermon at St. Paul's Pro-Cjithedrul on Sunday morning by tho Rev. A. M. Johnson, who attended the Synod as one of t'he representatives of tne Diocese of Wellington. Mr. Johnson stated that some people seemed to think that it was the business of the Synod to issue fulminations on all sorts of matters of momentary interest; but ho believed that it was the Synod's •main duty to concern itself with questions affecting the permanent well-being of the Church. The establishment of a Board of Missions representing the Church of the Province of New Zealand a s a whole wob an important step forward. It bore witness to tho fact that mission work was vitally important. It was not a inatter that ought to be left entirely to individual enthusiasm or sectional effort, but. should be regarded as an essential part of tho Church's activities in the corporate capacity. After the war was over lie hoped the Church of New Zealand would do much moro for foreign' missions than it had dono in the past. . A Sill introduced by the Bishop of. Ghristchurch for the purpose of estab - lishing a standing committee of the General Synod certainly met a real need, and might havo very far-reaching 'Consequences. The Synod has now set up a committeo which will have power to deal with matters requiring immediate attention. that may iappen. in the intervals between the triennial sittings of the Synod. It would have been . advantageous if such a body had been in existence when the war broke out. It would have enabled the Church to have acted more promptly, effectively, and unitedly in regard to making provision for tho spiritual needs of our soldiers. It will bo the duty of the committee to meet at least once a year in Wellington, the most central and convenient placo of meeting. This step in the direction of centralisation of effort may lead on to greater things. The time inny come when a permanent provincial secretary may bo 1 stationed in this city. Later on the Church of the Province of New Zealand - may be represented here by other permanent officials. The Church- is at present lacking in suitable buildings in Wellington for the transaction of its business; but bricks and mortar .would come in due time, and Mr. Johnson ventured to predict that tho time may arrive when a fixed primacy would he located in Wellington.

Kefcrring to, the proposal to giTO women the right to vote at church meetings, Mr. Johnson stated that this Bill was supported by a majority of the bishops, and of the laity, the voting of the clergy being equal. As no proposal could Iks carried unless it had a majority in each order, the Bill did.not pass," but-the movement had never Men so near success. He was one of the clergy who voted "No." Ho had 110 mandate from the Wellington Synod, which he represented, to vote for a measuro -so revolutionary in character, and in view of the present vague , and unsatisfactory state of the basis of Church franchise, he felt it to bo his duty to refrain from doing anything to extend it in its ' existing form. Any man who was prepared to declare that he was a member of tho Church of the Province of New Zealand was now entitled to vote at parish meetings and for the "election of syriodsmen. The roll of St. Paul's parish, for example, contained tho names of men whom he had never seen in the church, except perhaps at a wedding. People who took no real interest in the work of the church, people who were not communicants, and pcoplo who had not even boen baptised could claim the franchise. The right to vote should be confined to communicants. This was Bishop Selwyn's desire, but at the time the constitution of the New Zealand Church, was drawn up the jurisdiction of the British Parliament extended to New Zealand, and that Parliament, influenced no doubt by English Church and State considerations and relationships, persistently threw out measures introduced by Selwyn, and therefore the Bishop was compelled to accept the' present unsatisfactory system in order to got some kind of general authority for the constitution he drew up. Things had changed since then. ' The Stato connection had entirely passed away as far as; the New Zealand Church was concerned. Tho time was ripe for the adoption of a better franchise—one which would associate responsibility with ■ privilege. A communicant franchise would be much more in accordance with tho spirit of Christianity.' It would' mean more; it would be more real and more valued than the present franchise, with its. unreal and shadowy; qualifications.

[In order to prevent confusion it should be mentioned that the ecclesiastical use of the terms "province"- -and "provincial" differs from the ordinary geographical meaning of the words. "Provincial" in the, ecclesiastical 6ense refers to matters relating to, the whole of New Zealand-. The whole of the Dominion forms one ecclesiastical province, which is divided up into dioceses, parishes, and parochial districts. . A provincial secretary _ would represent the ecclesiastical province, and not any provincial district in the geographical sense.]