Editing Church of Ireland (section)

===General synod and policy-making===
Doctrine, canon law, church governance, church policy, and liturgical matters are decided by the church's [[general synod]]. The general synod comprises two houses, the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives. The House of Bishops includes the 10 diocesan bishops and two archbishops, forming one order. The House of Representatives is made up of two orders, clergy and [[laity]]. The order of clergy holds one third of the seats while the laity holds two-thirds of the seats.<ref>Dublin, Ireland,
 2003:  Constitution of the Church of Ireland, 1.1 The General Synod of the Church of Ireland shall consist of three distinct orders, namely, the bishops, the clergy, and the laity. / 1.2 The General Synod shall consist of two Houses, namely, the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives... / 1.3 The House of Bishops shall consist of all the archbishops and bishops of the Church of Ireland for the time being.{{rp|page=1.1}}</ref> As of 2017, there are 216 clergy members and 432 lay members in the House of Representatives.<ref>Dublin, Ireland, 2003:  Constitution of the Church of Ireland, 1.4(i) The House of Representatives shall consist of 216 representatives of the clergy and 432 representatives of the laity...{{rp|page=1.1}}</ref> The membership of the House of Representatives is made up of delegates from the dioceses, with seats allocated to each diocese's clergy and laity in specific numbers; these delegates are elected every three years.<ref>Dublin, Ireland, 2003:  Constitution of the Church of Ireland, 1.4–5{{rp|page=1.1}}</ref> The general synod meets annually, and special meetings can be called by the leading bishop or one third of any of its orders.<ref>Dublin, Ireland, 2003:  Constitution of the Church of Ireland, 1.14–15 There shall be an ordinary meeting of the General Synod in every year, at such time and place as shall from time to time be prescribed in that behalf by the General Synod....{{rp|page=1.3}}</ref>

Changes in policy must be passed by a simple majority of both the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives. Changes to doctrine, for example the decision to ordain women as priests, must be passed by a two-thirds majority of both Houses. The two sit together for general deliberations but separate for some discussions and voting. While the House of Representatives always votes publicly, often by orders, the House of Bishops has tended to vote in private, coming to a decision before matters reach the floor of the synod. This practice has been broken only once when, in 1999, the House of Bishops voted unanimously in public to endorse the efforts of the Archbishop of Armagh, the Diocese of Armagh and the Standing Committee of the General Synod in their attempts to resolve [[Drumcree conflict|the crisis at the Church of the Ascension at Drumcree]] near [[Portadown]].<ref>[http://www.ireland.anglican.org/archives/synods/synod99/synodnews/sectrepmot.html Sectarianism Report Motions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051122101631/http://ireland.anglican.org/archives/synods/synod99/synodnews/sectrepmot.html |date=22 November 2005 }}. Ireland.anglican.org. Retrieved 23 July 2013.</ref>

====Statutes and constitution====
The church's internal laws are formulated as bills proposed to the Houses of the general synod, which when passed become Statutes. The church's governing document, its constitution, is modified, consolidated and published by way of statute also, the most recent edition, the 13th, being published in 2003.

====Representative body====
The representative body of the Church of Ireland, often called the "Representative Church Body" (RCB), is the corporate trustee of the church, as established by law, and much of the church's property is vested in it. The members of the RCB are the bishops plus diocesan delegates and twelve co-opted members, and it meets at least four times a year. The staff of the representative body are analogous to clerical civil servants, and among other duties they oversee property, including church buildings, cemeteries and investments, administer some salaries and pensions, and manage the church library. While parishes, dioceses, and other parts of the church structure care for their particular properties, this is often subject to RCB rules.<ref>[https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Resources/ParishResources/SelectVestry/Church-of-Ireland-Overview-28-03-17.pdf Church of Ireland overview (Parish Handbook)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217035707/https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Resources/ParishResources/SelectVestry/Church-of-Ireland-Overview-28-03-17.pdf |date=17 December 2017 }}{{rp|page=4}}</ref>

[[File:Lady Chapel St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin 010.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Lady Chapel, [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin]]]]