Annual Meetings

The Church Representation Rules state:

Rule 6(1):
In every parish there shall be held not later than the 30th April in each year the annual parochial church meeting (the “annual meeting”).

Rule 6(2):
All lay persons whose names are entered on the roll of the parish shall be entitled to attend the annual meeting and to take part in its proceedings, and no other lay person shall be so entitled.

Rule 7(1):
The annual meeting shall be convened by the minister of the parish by a notice in the form set out in section 4 of Appendix I to these rules affixed on or near to the principal door of every church in the parish, and every building licensed for public worship in the parish, for a period including the last two Sundays before the day of the meeting.

Rule 11(9):
The result of any election by an annual meeting shall be announced as soon as practicable by the person presiding over the election, and a notice of the result shall in every case be affixed on or near the principal door of every church in the parish and every building licensed for public worship in the parish, and shall bear the date on which the result is declared. The notice shall remain affixed for not less than fourteen days.

Synodical Government Measure 1969 as amended
© The Archbishops’ Council 1984–2003

The Churchwardens Measure 2001, which came into force on 1 January 2002, states:

Section 1:

The churchwardens of every parish shall be chosen from persons who have been baptised and —

whose names are on the church electoral roll of the parish;

who are actual communicants;

who are twenty-one years of age or upwards; and

who are not disqualified. [Note: download the nomination form below for details of disqualifications]

Section 4:

The churchwardens of a parish shall be chosen annually not later than the 30th April in each year.

Subject to the provisions of this Measure the churchwardens of a parish shall be elected by a meeting of the parishioners.

Candidates for election at the meeting must be nominated and seconded in writing by persons entitled to attend the meeting and each nomination paper must include a statement, signed by the person nominated, to the effect that that person is willing to serve as a churchwarden and is not disqualified.

A nomination shall not be valid unless —

the nomination paper is received by the minister of the parish before the commencement of the meeting; and

in the case of a person who is not [normally] qualified, the bishop’s permission was given ... before the nomination paper is received by the minister of the parish.

If it appears to the minister of the parish that the election of any particular person nominated might give rise to serious difficulties between the minister and that person in the carrying out of their respective functions the minister may, before the election is conducted, make a statement to the effect that only one churchwarden is to be elected by the meeting. In that event one churchwarden shall be appointed by the minister from among the persons nominated, the name of the person so appointed being announced before the election is conducted, and the other shall then be elected by the meeting.

Section 5:

A joint meeting of —

the persons whose names are entered on the church electoral roll of the parish; and

the persons resident in the parish whose names are entered on a register of local government electors by reason of such residence,

shall be deemed to be a meeting of the parishioners for the purposes of this Measure.

© Crown Copyright 2001

There is a useful Guide to The Churchwardens Measure 2001 published by Church House and available here as a .pdf document (91kb)

Downloads available

You will find here copies of the following forms:

Rule 7(1) Notice (Notice of Annual Meeting)
Rule 11(9) Notice (Notification of Results of Elections)
Notice of the Election of Churchwardens
Notice of the Preparation of New Electoral Roll (for use in 2007)
Rule 2(1) Notice (Annual Revision of the Electoral Roll) (NOT for use in 2007)
Application for Membership of the Electoral Roll (Rule 1(2))
Form of nomination of Churchwardens
Form of nomination for Election to PCC
Form of nomination for Election to Deanery Synod
Application for Postal Vote

You may reproduce any of the forms locally. The Electoral Roll Application form is designed to be printed back-to-back (so that the notes will appear on the back of the form) and then cut in half to provide A5 forms. The churchwardens’ nomination form can either be printed in the same way; or the back can be used for local notes about the duties of churchwardens. The other nomination forms are A5.

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