Election and term of office
There are two Churchwardens. They are both elected at the Annual Meeting of Parishioners (which is separate from the Annual Parochial Church Meeting but usually held immediately before that). They take office when they are formally admitted by the Archdeacon at the Visitation, which is normally held in June (as the Annual Meeting must be held by 31st May). They normally continue to hold office until their successor is admitted or 31st August following the next annual meeting if no successor is admitted. They may not serve more than 6 successive terms of office without a break of at least two years.
Only those whose names are on the Church Electoral Roll or the local government electoral roll are entitled to attend the meeting.
Qualification and nomination for election
A candidate for Churchwarden must be:
- baptised,
- on the church electoral roll,
- an actual communicant (i.e. has received Communion according to the use of the Church of England or a Church in communion with it at least three times during the preceding 12 months and is confirmed or ready and desirous of being confirmed),
- at least 21 years old,
- not disqualified from being a charity trustee,
- not included on a barred list,
- not convicted of certain offences, and
- not disqualified from being a churchwarden.
In exceptional circumstances the Bishop can dispense with some of those requirements.
Candidates for election 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. The nomination paper must be received by the minister of the parish before the commencement of the meeting.
The diocese requires that Churchwardens hold a valid enhanced DBS check to work with adults and children and they will not be admitted to office until they have obtained one. As the time between election and admission may be short the diocese recommends that those who are intending to stand (which presumably could include those considering standing) who do not have a current church acquired enhanced DBS check should make arrangements to apply for one using the job title of ‘Candidate Warden’ as soon as possible. Gena Richards, the Parish Safeguarding Officer, will be able to assist with this.
Duties and Responsibilities
Churchwardens have important legal responsibilities, but the office also has a vital spiritual, pastoral and mission dimension – the duty is to be foremost among the laity in the life and mission of the Church in the parish. They are officers of the Bishop and must work with the Vicar in promoting the mission and work of the church. They have certain legal duties, including maintaining order and decency in the church and churchyard and keeping an inventory of all moveable property. They are also members of the PCC. During an interregnum (the time between one Vicar leaving and the next being inducted) they are responsible with the Rural Dean in effectively running the parish and ensuring that there is someone to take all the services.
In this parish the Churchwardens are also automatically trustees of two charities – the Pattingham Educational Foundation and the Church Estate.
In practice the churchwardens work very closely with the Vicar (and with the PCC) in planning and organising the spiritual and practical life of the parish. They have particular legal responsibilities in relation to the church building and its contents and the churchyard. In this parish the Fabric Committee and others assist with those matters.
More information can be found in various places online. The Diocese of Lichfield has published the Churchwarden’s Handbook for 2017 on its website. Although some of the information is out of date most of it is still current and useful.