Church Commissioners
Encyclopedia
The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England
. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty
, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
formed in 1836. An earlier Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues Commission had been set up under the first brief administration of Sir Robert Peel in 1835 with a wide remit, “to consider the State of the Established Church in England and Wales, with reference to Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues” (Minutes of the Commission, 9/2/1835); this body redistributed wealth between the dioceses and changed diocesan boundaries, and the permanent Ecclesiastical Commission was formed the following year.
The value of the Commissioners' assets was around £5.6 billion as at the end of 2007. Most of the income is used to pay clergy pensions.
The Commissioners also oversee pastoral reorganisation, the consent of the Commissioners being required for establishing or dissolving team and group ministries, uniting, creating or dissolving benefices and parishes, and the closing of consecrated
church buildings and graveyards.
The Church Commissioners are now based at Church House, Westminster
, London
, having long occupied No. 1 Millbank
. They are an exempt charity
under English law.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty was a fund established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England. The bounty was funded by the tax on the incomes of all Church of England clergy, which was paid to the Pope until the Reformation, and thereafter to the Crown.In 1890, the total...
, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title is Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorized to determine the distribution of revenues of the Church of England, and they made extensive changes in how...
formed in 1836. An earlier Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues Commission had been set up under the first brief administration of Sir Robert Peel in 1835 with a wide remit, “to consider the State of the Established Church in England and Wales, with reference to Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues” (Minutes of the Commission, 9/2/1835); this body redistributed wealth between the dioceses and changed diocesan boundaries, and the permanent Ecclesiastical Commission was formed the following year.
The value of the Commissioners' assets was around £5.6 billion as at the end of 2007. Most of the income is used to pay clergy pensions.
The Commissioners also oversee pastoral reorganisation, the consent of the Commissioners being required for establishing or dissolving team and group ministries, uniting, creating or dissolving benefices and parishes, and the closing of consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
church buildings and graveyards.
The Church Commissioners are now based at Church House, Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, having long occupied No. 1 Millbank
Millbank
Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster...
. They are an exempt charity
Exempt charity
An exempt charity is an institution established in England and Wales for charitable purposes which is exempt from registration with, and oversight by, the Charity Commission....
under English law.
Current Commissioners
- The Most Revd and Rt Hon Rowan WilliamsRowan WilliamsRowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
, Archbishop of CanterburyArchbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
(Chair) - The Most Revd and Rt Hon John SentamuJohn SentamuJohn Tucker Mugabi Sentamu is the 97th Archbishop of York, Metropolitan of the province of York, and Primate of England. He is the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.-Life and career:...
, Archbishop of YorkArchbishop of YorkThe Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man... - The three Church Estates Commissioners, who represent the Church Commissioners in General SynodGeneral Synod of the Church of EnglandThe General Synod is the deliberative and legislative body of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church of England that had started in the 1850s.- Church Assembly: 1919...
– the Second Commissioner is a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and answers to Parliament for the business of the Commissioners- First Church Estates Commissioner: Andreas Whittam SmithAndreas Whittam SmithAndreas Whittam Smith CBE is an English financial journalist, who was one of the founders of The Independent newspaper which began publication in October 1986 with Whittam Smith as editor...
- Second Church Estates Commissioner: Tony Baldry MPTony BaldryAnthony Brian 'Tony' Baldry is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Banbury.-Early life:...
- Third Church Estates Commissioner: Timothy Walker
- First Church Estates Commissioner: Andreas Whittam Smith
- Four bishops elected by the House of Bishops
- The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Richard ChartresRichard ChartresRichard John Carew Chartres KCVO FSA is the current Bishop of London, a position he has held since 1995. Before this appointment, he was Bishop of Stepney and Gresham Professor of Divinity .-Early life:...
, Bishop of LondonBishop of LondonThe Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey... - The Rt Revd David UrquhartDavid Andrew UrquhartDavid Andrew Urquhart is the ninth Bishop of Birmingham.Urquhart was educated at Rugby School and Ealing College Business School . After a career in commercial management with British Petroleum, he studied for the ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford...
, Bishop of BirminghamBishop of BirminghamThe Bishop of Birmingham heads the Church of England diocese of Birmingham, in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The diocese covers the North West of the historical county of Warwickshire and has its see in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, where the seat of the diocese is located at the... - The Rt Revd Michael HillMichael Hill (bishop)Michael Arthur "Mike" Hill is an English Anglican bishop. He is the current Bishop of Bristol.The son of Arthur and Hilda Hill, he was educated at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. From 1977 to 1980 he was curate of St Mary Magdalene's Addiscombe and, from 1980 to...
, Bishop of BristolBishop of BristolThe Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire... - The Rt Revd Peter R. ForsterPeter R. ForsterPeter Robert Forster is a British Anglican bishop. He is currently the Bishop of Chester in the Church of England.Born in Solihull, the son of Thomas and Edna , Forster was educated at the town's Tudor Grange Grammar School and Merton College, Oxford, where he received a Master of Arts in...
, Bishop of ChesterBishop of ChesterThe Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
- The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Richard Chartres
- Three elected by the House of Clergy
- The Revd CanonCanon (priest)A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
Robert Baker - The Revd Jeremy Crocker
- The Revd Stephen Trott
- The Revd Canon
- Four elected by the House of Laity
- April Alexander
- Lay Canon Peter BruinvelsPeter BruinvelsPeter Nigel Edward Bruinvels is a British Conservative Party politician.Surrey-born, he was educated at St. John's School, Leatherhead, an independent school...
- Gavin Oldham
- Jacob Vince
- Two elected by the deans
- The Very Revd Adrian Newman, Dean of Rochester
- The Very Revd Christopher Hardwick, Dean of TruroDiocese of TruroThe Diocese of Truro is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury.-Geography and history:The diocese's area is that of the county of Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly. It was formed on 15 December 1876 from the Archdeaconry of Cornwall in the Diocese of Exeter, it is thus one...
- Three nominated by the Queen
- Harry Hart
- Lay Canon John Spence
- John Wythe
- Three nominated by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
- Peter Harrison
- Peter Parker
- John Sykes
- Three nominated by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York after consultation with the Lord Mayors of the Cities of London and York and the Vice-Chancellors of Oxford and Cambridge Universities
- Brian Carroll
- Emma Osborne
- Vacant
- Six ex officio members
- The Rt Hon David CameronDavid CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime... - The Rt Hon Nick CleggNick CleggNicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
, Lord President of the CouncilLord President of the CouncilThe Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval... - The Rt Hon Kenneth ClarkeKenneth ClarkeKenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
, Lord ChancellorLord ChancellorThe Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign... - The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport
- The Rt Hon John BercowJohn BercowJohn Simon Bercow is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker he was a member of the Conservative party....
, Speaker of the House of CommonsSpeaker of the British House of CommonsThe Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin... - The Rt Hon The Baroness D'SouzaFrances D'Souza, Baroness D'SouzaFrances Gertrude Claire D'Souza, Baroness D'Souza, CMG, PC is a British scientist and life peer in the House of Lords. She is currently Lord Speaker, having taken office on 1 September 2011.-Biography:...
, Lord SpeakerLord SpeakerThe Lord Speaker is the speaker of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the members of the House of Lords and is expected to be politically impartial.Until July 2006, the role of...
- The Rt Hon David Cameron
External links
- The Church Commissioners
- Church Commissioners Measure 1947 at the UK Statute Law Database
- Church Commissioners Measure 1970 at the UK Statute Law Database