Policy Governing the Regular Use of Anglican Buildings by Other Churches and Groups

Agreed by the Bishop’s Senior Staff on 1 June 2009

1. The Diocese in Europe is governed by the same norms as the rest of the Church of England including the Ecumenical Relations Measure, 1988. Under this measure, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York designate a list of Churches to which this measure applies. Such Churches can be permitted to worship in a Church of England building in the Diocese in Europe.

2. Under article 27 of the Diocese in Europe’s constitution, the Archbishop of Canterbury may, at the request of the Bishop, designate other churches for the purpose of the ecumenical relations of the Diocese in Europe even if they are not designated under the Ecumenical Relations Measure in relation to the Church of England as a whole. Any Church so designated can be permitted to worship in a Church of England building in the Diocese in Europe.

3. A Church in communion with the Church of England can be permitted to worship in a Church of England building in the Diocese in Europe without further steps or authorisation.

4. A community which is part of a Church based mainly outside the country, which is recognised by a member Church of the Anglican Communion, may be permitted to worship in a Church of England building in the Diocese in Europe.

5. In the case of churches, groups or communities covered by paragraphs 1 – 4, the signing of a use agreement may be helpful for both parties to avoid any misunderstanding. A sample use agreement is contained in Appendix 1 (see below).

6. Any other denomination/group which is not covered in paragraphs 1 – 4 can be permitted to worship in a Church of England building in the Diocese in Europe only if a faculty is obtained, following the procedure for Bishop’s faculties which is outlined in the Diocesan Handbook.

In the case of 6 the process to request the faculty will include the following steps:

a. Determination of Beliefs and Assessment of the Integrity of the Leadership

The host church must seek assurance that the guest church or group stands within the mainstream of Trinitarian Christian orthodoxy. This may involve the examination of a statement of faith. A reference point for testing this statement should be the basis for membership of the national council of churches or equivalent ecumenical instrument in the country of the host church. Where this is not possible, reference can be made to the Churches Together in England (CTE) standard:

CTE unites in pilgrimage those churches…which, acknowledging God’s revelation in Christ, confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures and, in accordance with God’s will and in the power of the Holy Spirit, commit themselves:

• to seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another in the Church, which is his body, and
• to fulfil their mission to proclaim the gospel by common witness and service in the world

to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The host church must also be assured that its buildings will at no time be used for teaching that constitutes an explicit attack on the Christian faith of the Church of England, or a Church in Communion with it.

An assessment of the integrity of the leadership of the guest church or group is also advisable. Other local churches may be able to assist with this assessment.

b. Determination of legal status

The host church must seek assurance as to the legal status of the guest church or body. Only officially registered churches or groups, or those with some authorised permission to function as a religious body can be permitted to use the buildings.

c. Church Council

The Church Council of the host church should pass a resolution agreeing to the request for faculty for the use of the building by the guest church or group.

d. The request for a faculty

The chaplain or priest in charge will write to the suffragan bishop

• to confirm that a satisfactory review of the beliefs and of the integrity of the leadership of the guest church or group has been completed,
• to confirm that the guest church or group has legal authorisation,
• to forward a copy of the resolution of the Church Council in favour or the request of a faculty.

e. Episcopal checks

The lead bishop will write to the appropriate ecclesiastical authority of the guest church or body to confirm that the minister of the group is in good standing.

Reviewing and Ending a Use Agreement

It is good practice for there to be a joint host church/guest church group, meeting at least twice a year, to review the arrangements to deal with problems and possibilities.  

There may be some circumstances in which the beliefs and practices of the host church and the guest church are or become incompatible;  in these cases, there may be no alternative but to cancel the arrangements.

Any changes in leadership in the guest church should be result in a new agreement being drawn up and signed.

A Template Form for An Agreement for the Use of Church of England Buildings in the Diocese in Europe by Other Churches or Groups can be downloaded from here (.doc format).