What's New

17/07/08 - Report of the Pastoral Committee to the Board of Governors for 2007

The Pastoral Committee discharges, on behalf of the Board, the Commissioners' responsibilities for taking forward diocesan proposals for pastoral reorganisation and issues affecting churchyards, parsonage property and glebe. It has a quasi-judicial role in determining objections made to those diocesan proposals. The Committee also oversees the administration of the Commissioners' liabilities for chancel repairs and of loan schemes for church housing. Please click here for the 2007 Report. A graph outlining the representations made between 2003 and 2007 may be found here.

25/06/08 - Skeleton Bishops' Mission Order and Supplementary Instrument

A skeleton Bishop's Mission Order and Supplementary Instrument have been prepared in order to assist those making the Order and can be downloaded here. This is intended as a guide in framing the documentation; different arrangements can be made locally if the bishop agrees. These documents will be reviewed in the light of experience.

11/06/08 - Pastoral Measure 1983 Code of Practice

The main amendments to the Pastoral Measure 1983 contained in the Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission measure 2007 take effect from 11 June 2008.

The Code of Recommended Practice of the 1983 Measure is in the process of being updated and will be available from this website shortly.

In the meantime any queries about any of the changes should be directed to your regular contact or pastoral@c-of-e.org.uk.

Bishops' Mission Orders

Part V of the Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure 2007 deals with new bishops’ mission orders which bishops can use to endorse and provide recognition and oversight for new forms of Church developing alongside traditional ones. The main provisions of Part V come into force on 31st March 2008.

The House of Bishops’ Code of Practice on bishops’ mission orders was approved by General Synod in February 2008 and can be downloaded here as a word document.  It includes the full text of the 2007 Measure.

Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure 2007

The Measure received the Royal Assent on 30 October 2007 and can be accessed by clicking here. Please click here to see the commencement dates of the various parts as outlined in a letter of 21 December 2007 that was sent to all diocesan and suffragan bishops, all Diocesan Board of Finance secretaries and diocesan registrars by Mr William Fittall, Secretary General to the General Synod.

The Measure makes a significant number of amendments to the Pastoral Measure 1983. These will come into effect on 11 June 2008. For early sight of the text of the Pastoral Measure 1983 as it will be on 11 June 2008 onwards please click here.

If you want to see the changes that take effect on 11 June 2008 marked up on the Pastoral Measure 1983 as it currently stands please click here. New provisions are shown in bold type, while the provisions being repealed are shown stuck through by a horizontal line.

The Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure 2007 also includes a number of other provisions which impact on, and therefore are to be read in conjunction with, the Pastoral Measure 1983. For ease of reference these are included here as an addendum.

Finally, click here for a summary timeline for when key provisions in the 2007 Measure come into force.

Parsonages Measures 1938/47 changes

• amended so that all moneys arising from any sale or exchange under the Parsonages Measures shall be paid to the Diocesan Board of Finance be held in trust for the benefice in the same way that it was held by the Commissioners.

• amended so that the Commissioners’ standard notices of parsonage transactions to interested parties are no longer “prescribed” under the parsonages measure rules, this will make it quicker and more efficient to recommend new forms of notice in the future.

Smoke-free England

Guidance for Parsonage Houses relating to the new Smoke-free legislation contained in Annex F2.

Pastoral (Amendment) Measure 2006

Amendments to section 56 of the Pastoral Measure 1983

These amendments came into effect on 1 January 2007 and enable the lease of part of a church building in use under faculty, provided that the building as a whole remains primarily in use as a place of worship. Guidance on the changes brought about by this Measure, as prepared by the Archbishops' Council, can be found by clicking on this link here.

Endowments and Glebe Measure 1976

We have been advised that our earlier understanding of Section 20(5) of the Measure which gave the PCC a new role from 1 June 2005 in terms of being an interested party for qualifying glebe sales during a vacancy is incorrect. Instead, the PCC should receive a notice of all glebe transactions covered by Schedule 3 of the Measure e.g. sales and leases of more than 21 years (and not just in a vacancy of the benefice). We have amended all relevant forms to reflect this.

Guidance on Local Buildings Audits

Following recommendation 40 of GS1528: A Measure for Measures in Mission and Ministry, guidance has been prepared to assist dioceses and parishes carrying out strategic reviews of church buildings in particular localities. Please click on the links below for further details.

New LBA Guidance Note for Dioceses

New LBA Guidance Note for Benefices, Parishes and Deaneries

Questionnaire for use in carrying out the Local Buildings Audit

Pastoral Measure Seminars - Partnership and Progress

We have recently started a series of sub-regional seminars for dioceses. The seminars include material on process and good practice; facilitating mission through the innovative use of existing legislation; buildings and Mission; buildings - practical issues; and looking ahead.

The pages provide information on process and good practice, covering both the Diocesan Pastoral Committee's role and that of the Church Commissioners. They also give information about  the Commissioners' role in adjudicating on representations. Click here for details.

(b) Facilitating mission through the innovative use of existing legislation

(the longer version)

The Pastoral Measure provides more scope for innovative and unusual types of pastoral reorganisation than is sometimes understood. The pages provide examples. Click here for details.

(c) Buildings and Mission

Click here for details.

(d) Buildings - practical issues

Click here for details.

(e) Looking ahead

Click here for details.

Mission Scenarios

This gives detailed illustrative scenarios suggesting some innovative and unusual pastoral arrangements which are possible under existing legislation to promote mission. This is a fuller version of (b) above. Click here for more information.

Contents of website

A MICROSOFT WORD document listing all the documents available on our website, including hyperlinks, is now available as a separate resource on our home page or by clicking here.

Adjudicating on Representations

From 1 June 2005 we changed the way we considered representations in respect of pastoral schemes and orders and parsonages and glebe matters. New procedures were introduced to make the process more transparent and help ensure that all parties had confidence in the process. The new procedures involve giving representors and dioceses the opportunity to address our Pastoral Committee when a case is considered.

Among key changes to procedures are:

• Representors are automatically sent copies of our exchanges of correspondence with Bishop/diocesan authorities commenting on the points raised in the representations. They then have the opportunity to comment on the exchanges. Any new points raised are referred back to the diocese for further comment.

• We fix the initial target date for the hearing of the cases by our Pastoral Committee in consultation with the diocesan authorities. This depends on dioceses being able to reply to our letters seeking comments on representations within a reasonable timescale, or otherwise asking for more time to, for example, undertake further local consultations aimed at achieving a greater consensus.

• Representors have the opportunity, if they wish, to seek to speak to their representations at the meeting of the Committee that considers their case. Both they and the diocesan authorities receive copies of our Committee papers. The diocesan authorities are also invited to send a representative to attend the meeting and comment on the issues raised. However, neither representors nor diocesan authorities will prejudice their case if they choose not to attend the meeting and talk to their case.

Please click here for further information about the new procedures.

Recent Legislative Amendments

Please click here to download a list of recent amendments. For changes to Civil Legislation click here.

Recent Amendments to Recommended Codes of Practice

Pastoral Measure 1983 Code Amendments

Parsonages & Glebe Manual Amendments

RBBM 1972 Code Amendments

Feedback

Our aim is to keep this information as up to date as possible and alterations will be posted as and when they occur. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, either by letter, email or telephone. We are ready to give advice and to answer questions.

Pastoral Division

Church House, Great Smith Street,

LONDON

SW1P 3AZ

Telephone: 020 7898 1000

Fax: 020 7898 1873

Email: pastoral@c-of-e.org.uk

© The Church Commissioners for England 2005

 (Last updated 3/6/2008)