Spiritual leaders of the Church of England

The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Rowan Williams) fills a unique position in the world-wide Anglican Communion. As primus inter pares (first among equals), of the Bishops, he serves the Anglican Church as spiritual leader.

The Archbishop of York (Dr John Sentamu) is Archbishop of the Province of York – the whole northern half of England with pastoral oversight of the bishops in that Province and responsibility for clergy discipline.

The General Synod

The national assembly of the Church of England is the General Synod. It came into being in 1970, replacing an earlier body known as the Church Assembly. It continues a tradition of synodical government which, in England, has its origins in the medieval period. It has powers in the following areas: legislation, relation with other churches, approving and amending liturgy, church finance. The legislation passed by the general Synod comes in two types: Measures, dealing with the government of the Church and its institutions;which, if approved by resolution of each House of Parliament, receive Royal Assent and thereby become part of the law of England;andCanons,determining doctrine and the form of worship; which are part of the church law, not the state law.

Structure of the Church of England

The church is structured as follows (from the lowest level upwards):

· Parish – the most local level, often consisting of one church building and community, although nowadays many parishes are joining forces in a variety of ways for financial reasons. The parish will be looked after by a parish priest who for various historical or legal reasons may also be called vicar, rector or the “incumbent”.

· Deanery, e.g., Lewisham, or Runnymede. This is the area for which a rural dean is responsible. It will consist of a number of parishes in a particular district. The rural dean will usually be the incumbent of one of the constituent parishes.

· Archdeaconry, e.g., Dorking. This is the area under the jurisdiction of an archdeacon. It will consist of a number of deaneries.

· Diocese, e.g., Diocese of Durham, Diocese of Guildford, Diocese of St Albans. This is the area under the jurisdiction of a diocesanbishop, e.g., the Bishops of Durham, Guildford and St Albans, and will have a cathedral. There may also be one or more assisting bishops, usually called suffragan bishops, within the diocese.

· Province, i.e., York or Canterbury (these are the only two in the Church of England). This is the area under the jurisdiction of an archbishop, i.e. the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. A province is subdivided into dioceses.

· Primacy, i.e., Church of England. In addition to his specific authority in his own province, each archbishop is “Primate of All England” (Canterbury) or “Primate of England” (York) and has certain powers that extend over the whole country.

Outside this hierarchy lies the Royal Peculiar,a small number of churches that are more closely associated with the Crown, and a very few with the law. These are outside episcopal jurisdiction. There are also a number of local churches which do not have a parish.

Patronage

All rectors and vicars are appointed by patrons, who may be private individuals, corporate bodies such as cathedrals, colleges or trusts, or by the bishop or even appointed directly by the Crown. In effect patronage (also called advowson) means the right to nominate, or suggest, a person to hold a church office in a parish; the final decision will be the bishop’s.

Historically it was most often the local landowner who was responsible both for the building of a church and the upkeep of priests. With time such rights, and sometimes land, often passed into the hands of Bishops and religious foundations (including such places as Oxford and Cambridge colleges). Patronage is regarded as property, and could be bought and sold, as well as inherited, but after reforms of parish administration in the 19th century it has little commercial value. Patronages were valued for a number of reasons, including as a means for the patron to influence the parish through the appointee or to simply reward the appointee for services rendered. The incumbent of a prosperous parish might receive a very comfortable, even elegant house — the rectory or vicarage or parsonage — and a very good living. Lately, the role of Patrons in appointments has been significantly reduced. In contrast, more and more of the role has been taken on by Diocesan officials.