Statutory Instruments
1998 No. 319

ECCLESIASTICAL LAW, ENGLAND
The Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolution 1998

Made (passed by the General Synod with the requisite majority in each House)
11th February 1998

Laid before Parliament
18th February 1998

Coming into force
1st March 1998

In pursuance of the powers conferred by section 7(1) of the Synodical Government Measure 1969(1) to amend by resolution of the General Synod the Church Representation Rules, that is to say, the rules contained in Schedule 3 to the said Measure, as amended by the Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolutions 1973 to 1995(2) and by various Measures of the General Synod, the General Synod hereby resolve that the said rules should be amended as follows:

1.  In rule 18, paragraph (3) shall be omitted and there shall be inserted—

“(3) Such a scheme may also provide for the delegation by the parochial church council to a district church council of such functions as may be specified in the scheme and, subject to the provisions of the scheme, the parochial church council may by resolution also delegate to a district church council such of its functions as it shall think fit but not including (in either case) the functions of the parochial church council—

(i)in respect of producing the financial statement of the parish including the accounts of all districts of the parish unless any or all of the districts have been so designated under paragraph (5A) of this rule;

(ii)as an interested party under Part I of the Pastoral Measure 1983;

(iii)under Part II of the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986;

(iv)under section 3 of the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993.”

2.  In rule 18, after paragraph (5) there shall be inserted as a new paragraph—

“(5A) A parochial church council may, after consultation with the district church councils and with the approval of at least two-thirds of the persons present and voting at the annual meeting, apply to the bishop’s council and standing committee for designation of any or all of the district church councils formed by scheme under this rule to be deemed to be separate parishes for the purpose of producing financial statements in respect of that district for presentation at the annual meeting. Where the bishop’s council agrees to such a designation it shall take effect in respect of the financial statements to be presented at the next annual meeting and notice in writing of the designation shall be sent to the diocesan secretary with copies to the relevant archdeacon and to the secretaries of the parochial church council and the district church councils concerned.”

3.  In rule 18 paragraph (6), after the word “scheme” there shall be inserted the words “or to apply for a designation referred to in paragraph (5A) above”.

4.  In rule 54(1), in the definition of ‘parish’ there shall be inserted after paragraph (c)—

“(d)a district designated by the bishop’s council and standing committee for the purposes of and to the extent permitted by rule 18(5A);”.

Citation, interpretation and commencement

5.—(1) This resolution may be cited as the Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolution 1998; and the Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolutions 1973 to 1995 and this Resolution may be cited together as the Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolutions 1973 to 1998.

(2) Any reference in this Resolution to a numbered rule or Appendix is a reference to the rule or Appendix, as the case may be, bearing that number in the Church Representation Rules, as amended by the Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolutions 1973 to 1998 by the Diocese in Europe Measure 1980, by the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991, by the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993 and by the Team and Group Ministries Measure 1995.

(3) This Resolution shall come into force on the first day of March 1998.

P. J. C. Mawer
Secretary-General
11th February 1998

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Resolution)
This Resolution of the General Synod of the Church of England, which was passed in accordance with the section 7(1) of the Synodical Government Measure 1969, amends the Church Representation Rules contained in Schedule 3 to that Measure. The changes make provision for a district church council to be designated by the bishop’s council of the diocese as a parish for the purposes of producing financial statements in respect of that district instead of consolidating such financial statements in the statements of the whole parish.


(1)
1969 No. 2

(2)
S.I. 1973/1865, 1980/178, 1981/959, 1950, 1984/1039, 1040, 1989/2094, 2095, 1994/3118, 1995/3243.