C The Ordained Ministry
The teaching and discipline of the Church of England is
set out in Canons C 1 – C 28
C1 Bishops
(a) In accordance with the Ordinal and the canons, the
diocesan Bishop is the chief pastor and father in God of all
the laity and clergy of the Diocese. He is to exercise this
office by teaching sound doctrine, by the example of his
life, and by promoting love and peace between all people,
whether or not they are members of his Diocese.
(b) In the exercise of this responsibility:
- he is the principal minister of the sacraments,
rites and services of the Church, with the duty and the
right of leading divine worship and of preaching the
Word of God in all the communities of the Diocese;
- he sponsors candidates for training for the
ministries of the Church; he ordains and licenses
priests and deacons to minister the word and sacraments,
and authorises other ministers to assist them in
accordance with the canons;
- he visits communities to learn of their
opportunities, resources and needs, to encourage them in
their worship and mission, and to correct what he finds
amiss in their life. See G2.
(c) He has the duty of providing so far as is possible
for the spiritual care of all who, having no other bishop,
claim membership of the Anglican Communion within the
geographical bounds of the Diocese.
(d) He has canonical authority over all places and
persons belonging to his Diocese, and may exercise this
authority in person or through those whom he commissions to
act on his behalf. Each suffragan bishop, vicar general and
archdeacon receives the Bishop's commission for his work.
(e) A suffragan bishop shares fully in the ministry of
the diocesan Bishop throughout the Diocese, according to the
nature of episcopal ordination and the commission received
from him. Honorary assistant bishops have a more limited
share in that ministry, which they exercise at such times
and in such places as the diocesan Bishop may request.
(f) When a suffragan bishop or a duly commissioned
assistant bishop visits a community, or has dealings with
the clergy or lay officers of the Diocese, he exercises the
full authority of the diocesan Bishop.
(g) The suffragan bishop is ex officio a member of the
Diocesan Synod, its Standing Committee, the Bishop's
Council, and the Bishop's Staff Meeting, and a director of
the Diocesan Board of Finance.
(h) Any chaplain may invite one of the honorary assistant
bishops to celebrate or preach in his chaplaincy. Requests
for confirmation (and adult baptism) must however be made to
the diocesan Bishop. The costs of a visit by an assistant
bishop must normally be borne by the chaplaincy.
(i) Where a chaplain wishes to initiate an episcopal
visit – for pastoral, liturgical, ecumenical or other local
reasons – it is of great help to the diocesan and suffragan
bishops of the Diocese that the chaplain should first
consult the archdeacon to discover what plans may already
have been made within the relevant archdeaconry. Thereafter
the chaplain or archdeacon should write to the Bishop's
chaplain on any matter involving the diocesan Bishop's
diary, or in the case of the suffragan bishop to write
direct.
(j) From time to time the diocesan Bishop commissions
honorary assistant bishops to share with him and the suffragan bishop in episcopal ministry in the Diocese. The
assistant bishops (which include the serving Anglican
bishops in Continental Europe – COABICE) may accept
invitations from chaplains to confirm or preside at worship
without further recourse to the diocesan Bishop. (A
chaplain who wishes to invite to minister in a particular
chaplaincy any bishop in communion who is not already
an honorary assistant bishop of this Diocese, should note
that they should ask the diocesan Bishop to invite the
bishop in question to minister as requested.) Chaplaincies
are liable for the travel costs and other expenses of any
honorary assistant bishop whom they invite to minister in
the chaplaincy.
C2 Archdeacons
The duties of archdeacons in the Church of England are
set out in Canon C22. Like the rest of the canons and
ecclesiastical law of the Church of England, these apply
with the necessary modifications within the Diocese in
Europe (Diocesan Constitution §13). These
modifications include a different general emphasis, the
exclusion of some rules that apply in England but not in
this Diocese, and some additional duties.
(a) The archdeacons share in the Bishop's oversight, and
are full members of the Bishop's Staff Meeting, receiving
its agenda and minutes. Each archdeacon attends in person
one staff meeting a year at which the affairs of the
chaplaincies in his archdeaconry are particularly discussed.
(b) The archdeacons are also ex officio members of the
Diocesan Synod and the Bishop's Council, and directors of
the Diocesan Board of Finance.
(c) Within his archdeaconry each archdeacon is subject to
the authority of the Bishop, the principal minister. He is
responsible for the general oversight of the chaplaincies in
his archdeaconry and has a particular care for clergy and
other ministers and for church officers. He has certain
duties during a vacancy in the pastoral charge of a
chaplaincy.
(d) The archdeacon is the president of the synod of his
archdeaconry, and, with the lay and clerical
vice-presidents, has responsibility for its agenda and
meetings.
(e) As a commissary of the Bishop the archdeacon has
certain legal responsibilities, agreed from time to time for
the better administration of the Diocese.
(f) While the Bishop may hold visitations in person in
any part of the Diocese, he may also commission the
archdeacon to hold a visitation on his behalf. This is
without prejudice to the archdeacon's right to conduct his
own archidiaconal visitations as he thinks appropriate, or
his general duty to 'bring to the bishop's attention what
calls for correction or merits praise' (Canon C22).
(g) As a sharer in the Bishop's ministry of oversight,
each archdeacon should seek to assist the members of his
archdeaconry to play a full part in the life, mission,
ministry and worship of the Church. This will include a
particular concern for co-operation with other churches and
the quest for unity.
C3 Vicar General
(a) A vicar general is a priest appointed by the Bishop
to assist him in the administration of the Diocese. His
work differs significantly from that of the vicar general
elsewhere in the Church of England where the office is held
by a lawyer.
(b) He is ex officio a member of the Bishop's Staff
Meeting, a member of the Diocesan Synod and the Bishop's
Council, and a director of the Diocesan Board of Finance.
(c) He may act as commissary of the Bishop in the ways
set out in §12 of the Diocesan Constitution.
C4 The Duties of Chaplains
(a) In this Diocese a priest who has been
instituted to the cure of souls in a chaplaincy has the
duties and rights of the incumbent of a parish in the other
Church of England dioceses, with such modifications as the
different situation of this Diocese and of each chaplaincy
may require.
(b) The duties of a priest with the cure of souls are set
out in Canons C24 – C25.
(c) All priests and deacons who hold the Bishop's Licence
are bound by the teaching of the Ordinal, the canons, the
Declaration of Assent and their Oath of Canonical Obedience.
(d) The Bishop expects all who hold his licence to play a
full part in the life and mission of their deanery or
archdeaconry, including its chapter and synod, to co-operate
with the clergy of neighbouring chaplaincies and with the
ordained ministers of other Churches, to take part in
Continuing Ministerial Development (CMD); and to contribute,
so far as they are able, to the common life of the Diocese.
C5 Days off, Holidays and Retreats
(a) Chaplains have the right to take at least one
day off (24 uninterrupted hours) each week, and should take
the full allowance of holiday provided in the Conditions of
Service (see D18). The normal provision is
four weeks of main holiday, plus a week after Christmas and
a week after Easter (including whenever possible a Sunday).
(b) It is of great help in the Diocesan Office when
chaplains inform the suffragan bishop of their annual
holiday arrangements. For reasons of security it may be
advisable for chaplains to inform their churchwardens when
they expect to be away for any length of time.
(c) Cover during holidays
- The responsibility for arranging cover during
holidays lies with the chaplain. Every effort should be
made to ensure the presence of a priest at least on
Sundays. The archdeacon or the suffragan bishop may be
able to help with these arrangements.
- Many chaplains are able to find ordained colleagues
who will take their holidays in the chaplaincy house in
return for conducting services on Sundays, Principal
Feasts and Holy Days, and providing some pastoral care.
In this case the Chaplaincy Council is responsible for
local travel and other expenses of office, but not for
the cost of travel to and from the chaplaincy.
- When an ordained or authorized minister living in
the region travels to conduct services the council will
offer at least travel expenses and hospitality.
- Any priest serving as a locum in the diocese are
nevertheless expected to complete the child protection
procedure. See section N.
(d) Bishop's Permission for locum ministry during a
chaplain's absence
- Except in the circumstances provided for in the
following paragraph, no ordained person may exercise any
public ministry, nor may anyone (ordained or lay) be
invited to preach unless he or she holds the Bishop's
Licence or Permission to Officiate, or is covered by
other provisions in this section or section E below.
Particular notice should be taken of §C7.
- Canon C8 2(a) provides that ‘the minister having the
cure of souls’ (in this Diocese the chaplain or
priest-in-charge, or during a vacancy the churchwardens
or archdeacon) may invite a priest or deacon, known to
them personally or by sufficient evidence, and holding
the licence of another bishop of the Church of England,
to minister ‘for a period of not more than seven days
[i.e., consecutive] in three months without reference to
the Bishop.’
- Any priest serving as a locum in the diocese under
this canon are nevertheless expected to complete the
child protection procedure. See section N.
- It sometimes happens that a priest of the Church of
England (or a Church in Communion with it) is
unexpectedly in the congregation when no provision has
been made during a holiday. In such circumstances,
churchwardens may make use of the provision in the
preceding paragraph to invite the priest to celebrate
the Holy Communion; but only if the priest is
personally known to them as (or has written and dated
evidence that he is) a priest in good standing, or if
they have received the archdeacon's specific permission.
Such a regulation is, unfortunately, necessary to
protect a congregation from anyone dishonestly claiming
to be a priest in good standing.
(e) Retreats
C6 Provision during the illness of a Chaplain
(a) If the chaplain is ill it is the duty of the
churchwardens to ensure that the archdeacon and the suffragan bishop are informed.
(b) If the chaplain is incapacitated the churchwardens
have the formal duty of ensuring 'that the services of the
chaplaincy are maintained with reasonable frequency'. See
Diocesan Constitution §31 (b)ii. When there is
no resident priest the archdeacon (or another priest
appointed by him) will help to provide continuity in
pastoral care.
See also B3 and C9(d).
C7 The Service of Institution
(a) Institution is the form by which the Bishop
shares the cure of souls with a priest who has been
appointed as the chaplain or priest-in-charge of a
recognized chaplaincy of the Diocese. The institution is
performed by the Bishop in person, or on his behalf by
another bishop or priest. It always takes place during a
celebration of the Eucharist, using the diocesan order of
service available from the Bishop's chaplain and on the
diocesan website.
(b) The date, place and time of the institution
are arranged by the assistant diocesan secretary, in
consultation with the Bishop or his commissary for the
service, the archdeacon, the churchwardens, the patron if
any, and the chaplain-designate.
(c) If the chaplaincy is an isolated one, the
institution will probably take place on Sunday. When there
are other chaplaincies within reasonable travelling
distance, a Saturday service makes possible the
participation of the clergy and lay representatives of other
chaplaincies, and of neighbouring congregations of other
local Churches.
(d) The churchwardens have the responsibility of
sending out invitations. In drawing up a list they should
consult the archdeacon and the chaplain-designate. A list
of invitees should include —
- every priest, deacon and reader licensed in the
archdeaconry or deanery;
- ordained and lay representatives of other Churches
in the city or town, including the officers of any
council of Churches or similar ecumenical body;
- where appropriate, civic or diplomatic officers
- all of whom should be provided with reserved seats,
and, when appropriate, be invited to robe
- the churchwardens, synod members, and / or other
representatives of each chaplaincy in the archdeaconry
or deanery;
(e) The close family of the chaplain-designate should be
provided with seats at the front of the congregation.
(f) It is usual for a reception to be held after an
institution so that the new chaplain may meet members of the
congregation and other guests.
(g) As at all episcopal services, the cash collection at
an institution is divided between the Diocesan Development
Fund and the Diocesan Ordination Fund. This should be noted
in any printed order of service. See L4-6.
C8 Induction and Training
(a) Director of Ministry Induction and training
for the clergy of the Diocese is part of the responsibility
of the director of ministry. He may be contacted at the
Diocesan Office.
(b) Induction The director of ministry is
preparing material for the induction for priests either
coming new to the Diocese from another Church in Communion
(whether in the Anglican Communion or outside it), or moving
from one place to another within the Diocese.
(c) Post Ordination Training (POT)
- Those serving a first appointment (or 'title') in
the Diocese, whether stipendiary or non-stipendiary, are
required to have a three-year programme of training.
- The details will be agreed, before ordination,
between the training incumbent, the ordinand, and the
director of ministry acting on behalf of the Bishop.
(d) Continuing Ministerial Development (CMD)
- The Bishop encourages continuing ministerial
development for all who are exercising a public ministry
in the Diocese.
- The Conditions of Service for all ordained and
licensed ministers serving in the Diocese must include
the provision of time for Continuing Ministerial
Development.
- For all new appointments the Conditions of Service
must include the provision by the church council of an
annual contribution (at present the local equivalent of
£100) in respect of Continuing Ministerial Development
for each ordained and licensed minister. This sum is
paid into a CMD Fund held by the archdeacon to whom
application for a payment towards a CMD project should
be made by the minister.
- The director of ministry may be able to advise and
assist in the choice and provision of CMD projects.
C9 Bishop’s Policy and Guidelines for the ministry
of Women Priests
These Bishop’s Guidelines have the assent of the Diocesan
Synod, meeting at London Colney on 1 June 1995.
(a) With effect from 1 June 1995 the provisions of the
Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993, the
Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993 and the Code of
Practice (issued by the House of Bishops in January
1994) apply in the Diocese in Europe.
(b) For the purposes of this policy, the term 'benefice'
in the Measure and the Act of Synod applies to a duly
constituted chaplaincies in the Diocese, the term
'parochial church council' applies to a Chaplaincy Council,
and the term 'incumbent' applies to a duly instituted
chaplain. Similar language is to be interpreted in the same
way.
(c) The Church of England is a Church in which women may
be ordained to the priesthood and, subject to the Measure,
the Act of Synod, the Code of Practice, and these diocesan
guidelines, no distinction is to be drawn at any level of
diocesan life or organization between male and female
presbyters.
(d) The House of Bishops has affirmed 'that differing
views about the ordination of women to the priesthood can
continue to be held with integrity within the Church of
England', and in the Preamble to the Episcopal Ministry
Act of Synod 1993 the General Synod held that —
'it as desirable that all concerned should endeavour to
ensure that:
(i) discernment in the wider Church of the rightness or
otherwise of the Church of England's decision to ordain
women to the priesthood should be as open a process as
possible;
(ii) the highest possible degree of communion should be
maintained within each Diocese; and
(iii) the integrity of differing beliefs and positions
concerning the ordination of women to the priesthood should
be mutually recognized and respected.'
(e) The Bishop [Bishop Hind at the time of the
Diocesan Synod’s assent to these Guidelines] is opposed to
the legislation but is unwilling to make a declaration under
§2 of the Measure (the effect of which would be to exclude
the ministry of women priests from the Diocese).
(f) The practice of the Diocese is set out in paragraphs
8 – 12 below.
(g) In the event of any pastoral vacancy the Bishop will
assume the willingness of a chaplaincy to accept a woman
priest either as locum or as chaplain, and (subject to the
conditions set out in §9 below) will shortlist, interview,
appoint and license any suitable candidate.
(h) This will apply unless the Chaplaincy Council has
passed either or both of the resolutions referred to at §3
(1) of the Measure and set out in schedule 1 to the
Measure. The Resolutions that chaplaincy councils may pass
are:
Resolution A 'That this Chaplaincy Council would
not accept a woman as the minister who presides at or
celebrates the Holy Communion or pronounces the Absolution
in the chaplaincy.'
Resolution B 'That this Chaplaincy Council
would not accept a woman as chaplain, assistant chaplain or
locum tenens within the chaplaincy.'
Any Chaplaincy Council considering discussing or passing
either or both of these resolutions must observe the
relevant procedure as set out in the Measure. Details can
be obtained from the diocesan registrar or the suffragan
bishop.
No chaplain, or during a vacancy the churchwardens and
archdeacon of any chaplaincy, may act contrary to any such
resolution if either or both has been passed.
Further, any chaplaincy to which a woman priest may be
appointed must satisfy the Bishop as to the adequacy of its
arrangements for providing a sacramental ministry acceptable
to all at least on certain occasions.
(i) 1 The same procedures for the discernment,
selection, training and deployment of candidates for
ordination will apply to women as to men.
2 Any ordination of a woman as a priest will be by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, either acting personally or
through a bishop he nominates acting as his commissary.
(j) No archdeacon unwilling on grounds of conscience to
present a woman candidate for ordination to the priesthood
or institute or license a woman priest will be required to
do so. In such cases either the archdeacon concerned or the
Bishop will arrange a substitute.
(k) The final decision about appointments to particular
chaplaincies and the ordination of particular candidates in
the Diocese belongs to the Bishop alone, who undertakes to
act in accordance with the principles outlined in these
Guidelines.
C10 Forms of Licence and Permission
to Officiate
(a) Bishop’s Licence
The Bishop's Licence —
- establishes a formal link with the Bishop, so a
priest or deacon is not normally licensed to more than
one bishop.
- confers membership of the archdeaconry or deanery
synod and rights of election to Diocesan Synod and
General Synod.
- is a prerequisite for membership of the pension
scheme of the Church of England Pensions Board, except
in the circumstances when the licensing has to be
delayed and a temporary Permission to Officiate issued.
- will only be issued by the Bishop when the child
protection procedure has been completed. See
section N.
(b) Licence as chaplain
The title 'chaplain' in this Diocese is used in ordinary
conversation to cover a wide variety of legal status, from a
visiting priest or deacon who undertakes holiday duty
through to the full time, stipendiary pastor of a
congregation that has been formally designated by the Bishop
in accordance with §3(a) of the Diocesan Constitution.
In legal documents it has a more precise meaning.
The Bishop will license a priest with the title
'chaplain' when all the following criteria have been met:
- the congregation has been formally designated a
chaplaincy under §3(a) of the Diocesan Constitution
1995.
- the post is full-time.
- the Chaplaincy Council has undertaken to pay any
pension contributions that are required and a full
stipend at a rate agreed with the archdeacon.
- the Chaplaincy Council is not receiving an annual
grant, approved by the Diocesan Board of Finance, of
more than one fifth of the stipend.
In all other circumstances the Bishop will licence the
pastor of a congregation as priest-in-charge.
(c) Licence as priest-in-charge
The Bishop will license a priest as priest-in-charge
appointments —
- that are part-time, retirement or non-stipendiary
posts
- where a congregation is being served or where the
possibility of a new chaplaincy is being explored
- in emergency circumstances
- when presentation has been suspended.
Such appointments carry many of the same rights and
responsibilities as a true chaplaincy, notably in matters of
worship and chairmanship of the chapaincy council.
(d) Licence as assistant chaplain
The Bishop may license a deacon or priest as assistant
chaplain (with assistant curate status), whether the
appointment is permanent, or time-limited, stipendiary or
non-stipendiary.
(e) General Licence
The Bishop may license a deacon or priest for a
Diocese-wide or archdeaconry-wide appointment whether
stipendiary or not.
In all other cases a Bishop's Permission to
Officiate is issued.
(f) Bishop’s Permission to Officiate
The Bishop will give a deacon or priest his Permission to
Officiate in the following circumstances:
- retired clergy living in the Diocese or elsewhere
and giving occasional assistance.
- seasonal, and holiday locum clergy;
- vacancy locum clergy - unless the Bishop appoints a
Priest-in-Charge.
- clergy who hold a licence of another Bishop.
- clergy who hold the licence of another Bishop,
whether in mainland Europe or elsewhere, and who
regularly assist in the Diocese.
The Bishop's Permission to Officiate is normally
issued at the request of the archdeacon and/or the chaplain,
rather than of the individual deacon or priest. Such a
request requires a letter of recommendation from the bishop
from whom the priest / deacon holds a current Bishop's
Licence or Permission to Officiate.
All priests or deacons for whom an application is made
for the Bishop's Licence or Permission to Officiate are
required under the House of Bishops' child protection policy
(see N3) to complete a child protection Declaration
and provide the relevant supporting documents requested.
Vetting will be carried out by the usual procedure.
C11 Archbishop of Canterbury's Permission to
Officiate
(a) Under the Overseas and Other Clergy (Ordination)
Measure 1967, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Permission
to Officiate is required before any bishop in the Province
of Canterbury may give his Licence or Permission to
Officiate to a priest or deacon who has been ordained other
than in the Church of England, the Church in Wales, the
Church of Ireland or the Episcopal Church of Scotland.
The Archbishop of Canterbury's Permission is sought for
ministry in the Diocese in Europe because the Diocese is
deemed part of the Province of Canterbury. The Archbishop
of York issues Permissions for his own province. Thus, a
deacon or priest to whom the Measure applies but who already
holds the Archbishop of York's Permission must obtain the
Archbishop of Canterbury's Permission for ministry in the
Diocese in Europe.
(b) The so-called Overseas Clergy Measure,
therefore, applies to priests and deacons ordained in all
other Anglican Provinces (and extra-provincial dioceses such
as those in mainland Europe), other Churches in Communion
(including the Old Catholic and Porvoo Churches), and the
Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
(c) The suffragan bishop, who is happy to give further
advice on the procedure at any time, deals on behalf of the
Bishop with application for the Archbishop of Canterbury's
Permission to Officiate. A priest or deacon seeking the
Bishop in Europe's Licence or Permission to Officiate to
whom the Measure applies should ask for an application form
from the suffragan bishop or assistant diocesan secretary.
(d) The application form requires all the following
information and supporting documentation —
- Full name and address.
- date of birth.
- copies of all Letters of Orders, or other evidence
of ordination (usually a signed letter from the relevant
diocesan registrar confirming the place and date of
ordination and the name of the ordaining bishop(s).
- A letter of recommendation from his/her Bishop
indicating that he/she is in good standing.
C12 Deaconesses
The teaching and discipline of the Church of England is
set out in Canons D1 – D3
Note that, under the canons, no woman may be admitted as
a Deaconess unless she had been accepted for training before
16 February 1987. Therefore no new candidates may be
considered.
For women deacons see Canon C4.
C13 Candidates for Holy Orders
The teaching and discipline of the Church of England is
set out in Canon C4.
(a) Diocesan Director of Ordinands
The duties of the diocesan director of ordinands
currently form part of the director of ministry's
responsibilities; and in each archdeaconry he has an
assistant so-called archdeaconry director of ordinands. He
advises the Bishop with respect to candidates for ordination
alongside the Bishop's examining chaplains and the diocesan
selectors.
(b) The leaflet A Summary of the Criteria for
Selection for Ministry in the Church of England should
be read by all persons concerned in this area. It is
available from the director of ministry.
(c) Impediments to Ordination
Canon C4.3 provides that 'no person shall admitted into
holy orders who has re-married and, the other party to that
marriage being alive, has a former spouse still living; or
who is married to a person who has been previously married
and whose former spouse is still living.' It is followed by
an exempting clause: C4.3A, which provides for the
possibility of an application to the Archbishop of
Canterbury for a faculty for the removal of this
impediment. However, the Bishop has directed that, because
of the limited resources available in this Diocese, no
applications for this faculty will be made.
(d) Categories for ordained ministry
The categories for ordained ministry recognized by the
House of Bishops of the Church of England are ―
- ordained ministry (stipendiary and non-stipendiary)
- ordained ministry (permanent non-stipendiary)
- ordained ministry (local non-stipendiary)
(e) Selection and training of candidates
The following is an outline of the stages of our diocesan
procedure for selection and training of candidates for
stipendiary and non-stipendiary ordained ministry (1 and 2
above). A booklet on training for ministry in the Diocese
is available from the director of ministry who is available
to advise those who seek further information. (The duties
of the diocesan director of ordinands (DDO) are currently
undertaken by the director of ministry.)
Outline procedure:
1 The process usually begins when a chaplain writes to
the Bishop about a potential candidate for ordained
ministry.
2 The DDO asks the chaplain to write a formal
commendation of the candidate. This is based on the
Criteria for Selection for Ministry in the Church of England
(see §(b) above).
3 If it is intended that the candidate should serve a
title in the home chaplaincy, the church council is asked to
confirm in writing that it would welcome the ministry of the
candidate in that chaplaincy.
4 The DDO sends to the candidate a Diocesan Ministry
Enquiry Form for completion.
5 The candidate is referred to the archdeaconry director
of ordinands (ADO) and will him-/herself be responsible for
making an appointment for interview with the ADO. Where
there is no ADO, this interview will be conducted by the DDO,
or by another person appointed to the task by the DDO.
6 Following this interview, a report (which will follow
the Guidelines which will have been made available
previously both to the interviewer and the candidate) will
be submitted in writing to the DDO.
7 There will be a formal interview with the DDO (probably
in London), which may be followed by a second interview if
it appears that there are matters to be addressed over a
period of time.
8 At the time of either interview the director of
ministry will consider the training options open to the
candidates and the implications of any alternatives
identified.
9 The DDO prepares a report on the candidate for the
diocesan Bishop, who decides whether or not to sponsor the
candidate to attend a Bishops' Selection Conference.
10 Candidates whom the Bishop sponsors must attends one
of the selection conferences organised on behalf of the
diocesan bishops of the Church of England by the Ministry
Division of the Archbishops' Council.
11 Candidates are required at this stage to complete a
Declaration under the child-protection procedure which will
be vetted in the same way as applicants for the Bishop's
Licence or Permission to Officiate. See section N.
12 Immediately following the conference the selectors
forward a report to the Bishop, recommending or not
recommending the candidate.
13 The Bishop accepts or rejects the selectors' advice,
and writes formally to the candidate.
14 Arrangements for training are made for a candidate so
sponsored.
(f) Local ministry
When a candidate for ministry (ordained or lay) will be
ministering within the life of the nominating chaplaincy
(either as a non-stipendiary or local non-stipendiary
minister) the following procedure will be followed as well
as that outlined in §(e) above.
1 A chaplain and Chaplaincy Council who wish to nominate
to the Bishop candidates for local ministry should set out
in a formal document, called the Local Ministry Plan,
the needs and opportunities of the chaplaincy and their
proposals for local ministry. This document should indicate
which forms of authorized and/or ordained ministry are
proposed (priest, deacon, reader or lay assistant), and
should give the reasons for the choice. A copy of the
proposed Local Ministry Plan should also be sent to
the archdeacon.
2 The Bishop will consider the proposal, and, after
consultation with (among others) the chaplain and the
archdeacon, may accept, modify or reject it.
3 Once the Bishop, the chaplain and the Chaplaincy
Council have agreed a Local Ministry Plan, it becomes
a formal policy of the chaplaincy and should only be changed
in any significant way after consultation with the Bishop.
In particular it should form part of the Chaplaincy Profile
which is sent to the Bishop (and the patron if there is one)
in the event of a vacancy. A copy of the Local Ministry
Plan as finally agreed will also be sent to the
archdeacon.
4 At this point – but not before – the Chaplaincy
Council may formally consider the names of particular people
who are possible candidates for Local Ministry.
(g) Candidates in Training
- Candidates in training for stipendiary and
non-stipendiary ministry are authorized as part of that
training to conduct services and to preach under the
direction of the chaplain.
- Permission to assist in the distribution of the Holy
Communion may be assumed if it is an occasional duty (eg,
by a candidate during vacation from a residential
college, or on an authorized placement) but, if it is to
be performed regularly (eg, by a candidate on a non-
residential course who continues as a regular member of
the congregation) the Bishop's Permission should be
sought from the archdeacon in the usual way. See
B4 - Persons authorized to distribute Holy Communion:
diocesan guidelines
At the time of printing the following publication was
available from the director of ministry or the Diocesan
Office:
Beginning public ministry in the Diocese in Europe: a
guide to continuing ministerial formation for readers (in
training and newly licensed) and newly ordained clergy
(March 2000) |
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