BENEFICE VACANCIES

Guidance for Churchwardens

The Vicar has announced that he is moving on from the parish. What, as churchwarden, are you expected to do? The aim of this paper is to address a number of the issues which crop up in the minds of churchwardens, and to give some reassurance about other matters.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Let’s get the terminology right to start with. ‘Interregnum’ is the popular word used for the period between the departure of one Parish Priest and the arrival of the next. It isn’t the best word; it suggests that it is a period between the ‘reigns’ of monarchs - and hopefully today few clergy behave like that! More correctly, it is called a ‘vacancy’, simply because it is a period when the benefice is vacant. The appointment of a new Parish Priest is often known as ‘filling the vacancy’.

But to return to the question. Who is responsible for a Parish during a Vacancy? The answer is clear - the Churchwardens are, whether or not they are elected as the Parish Representatives (a matter to which the paper will return). In their task, the Rural Dean will work closely alongside them; and in fact the Rural Dean has certain specific responsibilities during a Vacancy - for example, giving permission for monuments in the churchyard.

So although the primary responsibility falls on the Churchwardens, the Rural Dean is always immediately available for advice and help.

THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS

The first thing to say is that at no point in the process are the Churchwardens or the PCC expected to make the first move; whenever you need to meet or make decisions, you will receive a letter indicating exactly what you need to do. The Law which governs most of the appointment process is the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986, and the process is clearly defined by the Measure in some detail. Very little except informal thinking within the Parish will normally happen until about a month before the previous priest leaves.

The Diocesan Secretary’s Letter

 

The Diocesan Secretary will then write to the PCC secretary, asking the PCC to meet in accordance with section 11 of the Measure, to do three things:

• to produce a Parish Profile to aid the Patron, the Bishop, and clergy invited to consider the Benefice. The Diocesan Secretary’s letter describes in some detail what should be included in the Parish Profile. A template Parish Profile may be download from this webpage www.ely.anglican.org/information/document_downloads.html
• to appoint PCC Representatives under the Measure. Their function is to meet clergy nominated by the Bishop or Patron, and to attempt to discern whether or not they match the requirements of the Parish Profile. Before the 1986 Measure, it was always the Churchwardens who acted for the PCC; but now the PCC is at liberty to appoint any of its members. It is important to ensure that the two Representatives as far as possible can represent the spectrum of opinion in the parish.
• to decide whether or not it wishes to consider the specific Resolutions concerning the ministry of women priests.

The Role of the Patron

 

This is an ancient role in the Church of England. He, she or they have the right under the Law to nominate to the Bishop the priest of their choice as the next Incumbent. But under the 1986 Measure this right is specifically circumscribed by:

• the requirements of the Parish Profile - the Patron must attempt to find a candidate who fits the description given
• the rights of the Parish Representatives - who may refuse a candidate who does not so fit.

In certain situations, the Bishop may ‘suspend presentation’. The Bishop does not have powers to suspend presentation on a whim; normally he may do so only if it is expected that some form of pastoral reorganisation may take place in the reasonably near future - if, for example, there may be new linkings of parishes or a new parsonage house. But it has been the practice of the Bishop of Ely, even when he has suspended presentation, still to follow the pattern of working alongside the Patron in the appointment.

PCCs sometimes become alarmed when receiving the letter giving notice of suspension, fearing that there might be a further hidden agenda in the Bishop’s mind – possibly even closure of the parish church! It is essential to note that in law it cannot have that implication.

Joint Meeting of PCC, Bishop and Patron

Under Section 12 of the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986, a meeting is usually then held between the PCC, the Bishop or the Archdeacon, and the Patron, to discuss the Parish Profile in more detail. It has been the custom in the Diocese of Ely always to hold this meeting.

The Search for the new Priest

 

It is only once this meeting has taken place that a search can begin for the new priest. This may happen in one of two ways. The more traditional method is that the Patron and the Bishop work together to find a suitable candidate; the Archdeacon will then introduce this candidate to the Parish Representatives. They will have one or more meetings with the nominee. After that, the candidate will say whether or not he or she wishes to pursue the matter, and the Representatives will say whether or not they believe the candidate to meet the requirements of the Parish Profile.

If either candidate or Representatives are not prepared to move forward, the Patron and the Bishop start again. If both are happy, the formal offer can be made to the candidate, and the Bishop will agree to a date for a public announcement on the same day in both the priest’s outgoing parish and his or her new one.

Alternatively, a new priest may be sought after advertisement and the interviewing of more than one candidate at a time. Some Patrons routinely operate this system. If a PCC requires this method to be adopted, the PCC will need to pay the appropriate costs of advertising and travel expenses – these will usually be several hundred pounds. If on the other hand, the Bishop and Patron fail to find a suitable priest while operating the first method, and then turn to advertising, the Diocesan Board of Finance will normally pay the costs.

Once Parish Representatives, Patron, Bishop, and Priest have all agreed that this Priest is the right person for the post, the Priest will normally have to give three months’ notice to leave a present post.

As may readily be deduced, the length of time between the departure of one priest and the arrival of another can vary considerably. No party to the process will cause any undue delay; but if the Patron or the Bishop experiences difficulty in finding someone prepared to consider the post, many months may pass; if on the other hand, the first person approached is willing to come, and the Representatives agree, the process may take only eight months or so.

In all this, confidentiality is of considerable importance. It is singularly unhelpful if a parish discovers that their priest is currently investigating a post elsewhere; even if he or she does not eventually make that move, the parish will be wondering from then on, just how soon the priest will be going. It can be very undermining of ministry. There should therefore be no contact with the priest’s present parish unless with her or his express permission. In order to ensure confidentiality, the Parish Representatives should not identify, even to other members of their PCC, the person whom they are meeting - though of course it is acceptable to let others know that the process is moving forward through meetings with an (unspecified) priest.

CHURCH LIFE DURING THE VACANCY

Leadership in church life

Don’t think that everything has to stop until the new Incumbent arrives! A Vacancy is often an excellent opportunity to develop a more collaborative style of ministry in Church life. Now that there isn’t a Vicar to do everything, try sharing out responsibilities as much as possible, as long as clear lines of accountability are drawn up, so that everyone doesn’t just go off and ‘do their own thing’.

Before your previous parish priest departs, make sure that she or he has briefed you fully on all ongoing matters normally dealt with by the parish priest, including weddings booked, location of files and keys, and matters relating to the parsonage house.

As you look ahead to plan the period of the Vacancy, do remember that the life of every parish develops and goes forward all the time, to meet the changing environment in which we live. Occasionally Churchwardens believe that their task during a Vacancy is to put the clock back; either deliberately to undo everything that the last Incumbent did, or to re-establish the Church as it was during the Golden Age (which usually happens to have coincided with their own formative years!). On the other hand, neither is a Vacancy an occasion for major change in parish policy or style. Rather, it should be a period when the work achieved over the last few years is consolidated and built upon, ready for your new Parish Priest when he or she comes.

Regular Sunday worship

You need to decide who will plan regular Sunday worship. If you happen to have a curate or a self-supporting minister, it is entirely appropriate that you invite such to plan Sunday worship. Some retired priests also would welcome this opportunity - but don’t just presume that this will be so; some will prefer to help out when possible, but not to have overall responsibility.

In a multi-parish benefice, it may well be best for one person to be given the overall responsibility for planning worship, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication.

Whoever takes this responsibility will need to invite people to conduct the worship and plan any rotas for those reading the scriptures, leading intercessions or assisting with the chalice. Remember to offer visiting Clergy and LLMs both their travelling expenses (at the current Diocesan mileage rate) and the customary fee. Information about current rates of both these figures is obtainable from the Diocesan Office.

Your Rural Dean will always be very happy to assist in matters to do with worship. He or she will be able to advise both on the drawing up of rotas and in suggesting possible names of Clergy and LLMs to help you.

Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals

The local community will still be born, marry, and die. People need to know how they may make arrangements for the important Christian ‘rites of passage ’ in our lives. To that end, information should be published as widely as possible in the community.

Put accurate information on a church notice board - it isn’t any use people reading that the Vicar should be contacted for baptisms, when the Vicarage is currently empty! Use Church and Community magazines and papers to let people know to whom they should go for Baptisms, Marriages and Funerals. Contact local Funeral Directors too.

Fees

Any income received, which would normally have been paid to the Incumbent, should be retained and recorded on the yellow statement submitted to the Diocesan Office. These will include the statutory fees shown on the Table of Parochial Fees received for weddings, funerals, and so on.

Wedding and Funeral fees for services taken by LLMs should be passed to the Readers’ Board.

The Churchwardens are responsible for paying officiating clergy the appropriate service fee from PCC funds. Licensed Stipendiary and Self-Supporting clergy and LLMs receive no service fee. Some retired clergy already working in the parish, and some other officiants, may not wish to receive a fee. The Diocese is most grateful to clergy who give their time in this way, and Churchwardens should record the detail on the yellow form even when no payment is made. In every case, of course, officiating clergy will be entitled to receive travelling expenses at the standard Diocesan mileage rate.

When a fee is paid, it is a standard figure, whether for a single service (including weddings and funerals) or, for example, Morning Prayer followed by Holy Communion.

The yellow form should then be submitted to the Diocesan Office. Fees paid out are listed on one side, and those received on the other. The Office will then reimburse the PCC for any amount by which it is out of pocket; and if the fees received are greater than the figure spent on payment to clergy, the form should be accompanied by a cheque for the appropriate amount. This account may be sent monthly, or by a single claim at the end of the Vacancy.

Normal parochial expenses, such as postage, telephone, and so on, will be (as always) borne by the PCC.

If Churchwardens require further advice, please contact the Accountant’s Administration department at the Diocesan Office.

Chairmanship of the PCC

Each year the PCC is expected to elect one of its number as Vice-Chairman, to take over from the Chairman (the Incumbent) if the latter is unavailable. If your PCC has not formally elected a Vice-Chairman, you will need to do so, and that person will then chair PCC meetings during the Vacancy. Some parishes have had a custom of electing one of the Churchwardens to this post; this is perfectly proper, but the Vice-Chairman may in fact be any member of the PCC. In multi-parish benefices it is recommended that all churchwardens meet regularly under the chairmanship of one or other of their number specifically elected for that purpose. This ensures that all parishes in the benefice work together.

Monuments in the churchyard

Incumbents have the responsibility, delegated to them by the Chancellor of the Diocese, of approving simple churchyard monuments - anything more elaborate outside the standard regulations will always have to be the subject of a Faculty. During the Vacancy, this delegated responsibility passes not to the Churchwardens, but to the Rural Dean. Get in touch with him at once if you are contacted by a family or by monumental masons about any form of churchyard memorial.

Looking after the Vicarage

It is our custom to try and let vacant property. Not only does this ensure the vicarage is safe, secure and looked after it also provides income for the Diocese. Each year this is something in the order if an average size Deanery ministry share. For further advice see www.ely.anglican.org/information/clergy_housing/

You will receive some more detailed advice on this from the Diocesan Office; but just note one or two things:

• Don’t get the phone cut off! It is best if you buy an answering machine for the Vicarage telephone, leaving a message to tell people where to phone for the information they need.
• Do look after the garden. When most of us move home, we move into a house only a day or so after the previous occupants have moved out, and the garden should be in a reasonable condition. But because there is always at least a few months between a departing and an arriving Vicar, there is plenty of time for a garden to get totally out of hand. So make sure that the lawn is mown from time to time at the very least. There is little more disheartening than arriving in a new parish full of hopes for the future, and then moving into a wilderness!!

THE END OF THE VACANCY

What service will you have?

There is a form of service approved by the Bishop which is always used on these occasions. It is deliberately non-eucharistic, since we always hope that it will be attended not just by the faithful, but by many other members of the community whom the new priest is coming to serve.

If the Bishop has suspended presentation (as mentioned earlier in this paper), the service will be called ‘the Licensing of the Revd AB as Priest-in-Charge’. If patronage rights are in place, the service will usually be called ‘the Institution and Induction of the Revd AB as Rector (or Vicar)’. Where the Bishop himself is also Patron, it is called ‘the Collation and Induction....’

The form of Service is available www.ely.anglican.org/worship_prayer/institution.html for parishes to reproduce their own personalised edition. This has the value of being able to include hymns on the same leaflet as the service; to include or exclude certain options in the service; and to provide a memento for worshippers to take away.

Invitations

You will need to print invitations to the service. Include an address for replies. Ask your new priest for names of family and friends to be invited, and arrange to invite your new priest’s former parishioners.

Invitations should also be sent to members of the Deanery Clergy Chapter and LLMs, and to clergy and ministers of other denominations working in the benefice. All ministers should be invited to robe (tell them where). You should also invite the Lay Chairman of the Deanery Synod, and the wives of the Bishop and Archdeacon often welcome the opportunity to attend.

Since your new priest will be serving the wider community, it is a good idea to invite leading members, who may then have a role in the service itself. Such people could include the Chairman of the Parish Council, your District Councillors, County Councillor, the Mayor or Chairman of the District Council, the Head Teacher of any school in the benefice, a community policeman, leaders of youth organisations, health workers and so on. Use your imagination to include all the appropriate people.

Publicity

The Institution or Licensing Service is a great opportunity for publicity in the local press. Contact the Diocesan Director of Communications for some ideas and advice about publicity. His name and address are in the Diocesan Directory.

The rehearsal

Once the date for the service is announced, you will need to be in touch with the Rural Dean to make arrangements for a rehearsal for the service a few days before the event itself. All the major participants (except the Bishop and the Archdeacon) will need to be present for this rehearsal, to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.

The reception

You will also need to plan a reception to follow the Service. A Church Hall, a Village Hall, a nearby School are all entirely suitable venues. You simply need somewhere where the whole expected congregation can gather. The venue must have adequate toilets.

It is usual to offer a modest finger buffet (some worshippers may not have had time for a meal before arriving at the service), accompanied by wine and soft drinks, and/or tea and coffee. Do not feel that you have to outdo the neighbouring parish’s spread when they last had a new Vicar!

FINALLY

Once you have your new Vicar in post, don’t breathe a huge sigh of relief and give up! It is tempting to do so, of course; but new opportunities are just about to begin!

And as a postscript - but perhaps the most important thing of all - do keep much at prayer, for yourself, your colleagues, your congregation and community, and for those whose responsibility it is to find your new spiritual leader for you.