Parish Governance

Members of a Parochial Church Council (PCC) are the governing body for their parish church(es) and as such, they are entrusted with several legal responsibilities.

The resources and training below aims to help parish officers perform their duties.

Training and support

• The Parish Reference Manual is a key resource and provides summary information on legal requirements and good practice for PCCs, churchwardens and incumbents.

• The Area Offices provide training for Churchwardens as part of the Archdeacons’ Visitations.

• The Accounts team offers lots of advice and resources on financial management.

PCC statutory details

• They were first created by the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919 and in 1921 PCCs replaced vestry meetings for most purposes.

• Their composition is regulated by the Church Representation Rules, which are created and amended under the Synodical Government Measure 1969.

• Their powers and duties are to be found mainly in those rules, in the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 and elsewhere, piecemeal, in other statutes, measures and canons.

• Although PCCs have identifiable constitutional features, they do not individually have their own constitutions. The members of a PCC are treated as Charity Trustees for most of the purposes of charities legislation.

• Those PCCs with gross annual income over £100,000 must register with the Charity Commission and will have a charity number.

• The proceedings of all PCCs are required to be conducted in accordance with charity legislation and must be minuted.

PCC Membership

The detailed wording may be found in Church Representation Rules, but for most purposes, the membership of a PCC will be:

• All clergy beneficed in or licensed to the parish.

• If the parish is part of a team ministry, then all the clergy members of the team of that ministry.

• Any deaconess or lay worker licensed to the parish.

• The churchwardens, (also the deputy churchwardens of any districts legally defined by Scheme within the parish).

• If the PCC so determines, any Licensed Lay Ministers whose names are on the church electoral roll of the parish.

• All persons whose names are on the church electoral roll of the parish and who are lay members of the Deanery Synod, Diocesan Synod or General Synod.

• Elected representatives of the laity:
- Six – where there are 50 or fewer names on the church electoral roll
- Nine – where there are 100 or fewer names on the church electoral roll
- A further three representatives for every 100 (or part thereof) names on the electoral roll up to a maximum of 15.

• Co-opted members up to one fifth of the number of the lay representation or two, whichever number is greater. These can be either lay or clergy.

Annual Parochial Church Meetings (APCMs)

See all the resources and information you need to help you prepare for your APCM.

APCM what to do and when

APCM Date Planner (Word)

APCM Date Planner (Excel)

Place Audit Instructions

Electoral Roll

Electoral Roll Guide

Churches in Communion with the Church of England

Church Electoral Roll Certificate

The forms below are available on the Parish Resources website and can be accessed here:

The Notice of the preparation of a new roll
Application form to join the electoral roll
Notice of APCM
Notice of Meeting of Parishioners
Churchwarden Nomination Form
PCC Member Nomination Form
PCC Member Trustee Eligibility Declaration
APCM Results
Application for a Postal Vote

Data Protection

PCCs must be aware of data protection and GDPR regulations. Visit the Documents section of the national Parish Resources website to download and read the latest information. This includes a comprehensive Parish Privacy Notice template.

Data and GDPR Parish Privacy Notice Template - this is a short, simplified version provided by your DBF for use by small parishes which undertake minimum data processing.

Information on Deaneries/Deanery Synods

The diocese is divided into 21 deaneries (groups of parishes). You can find out more information and contact details for your Deanery reps here as well as information on Deanery Synod. Find more information on the Our Deaneries page.

Pastoral Reorganisation

The Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee (DMPC) is responsible for the pastoral supervision of the diocese and the organisation of parishes and benefices.
It is responsible for issuing formal proposals for matters such as:

• the union of parishes and/or benefices
• the creation of team and group ministries
• alteration of parish/deanery /archdeaconry or diocesan boundaries
• changes to parish or benefice names
• Bishops Mission Orders
• possible church closures and church sharing agreements

The process of making pastoral changes is a thorough one. First, those affected are consulted at a local level, and then the public is invited to comment on proposals through the Church Commissioners website, which lists details of ongoing consultations in this and every other diocese.

The process falls under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. The Measure and the Code of Practice may be accessed on the Church Commissioners, Pastoral Division website.

The following documents have been put together to provide further information on Pastoral Reorganisation:

• Introduction to Pastoral Reorganisation – a document which explains the process of Pastoral Reorganisation and the stages of consultation

• Pastoral Reorganisation Flowchart – an overview of the process with approximate timescales

• Which Scheme or Order? – this document details the different options and whether they can be completed by Order or by Scheme

• Introduction to Patronage – this covers the role of a Patron and explains a Suspension of Presentation

• Glossary of Terms – a document provided by the Church Commissioners explaining the terminology.

Parish Buying

Parish Buying is a website that offers churches discounts on all sorts of church utilities, equipment and furnishings. You have to register first, but once you have an account, there are some good deals. Register here if you haven’t already.

Charity status and registration with the Charity Commission

Excepted Charity status

PCCs with a combined gross annual income below £100,000 are currently ‘excepted’ charities and do not need to register with the Charity Commission. By March 2031, all PCCs with income of over £5,000 will need to be registered. PCCs may do so earlier if they wish.

A PCC can confirm its Excepted Charity status by downloading a certificate from the “More Information” tab on its A Church Near You page. ***Please note that PCCs cannot use the Salisbury DBF charity number.***

Registering Your PCC with the Charity Commission

PCCs with a combined gross annual income over £100,000 must register with the Charity Commission.

Detailed guidance from the Parish Resources website, will help you complete the Charity Commission’s online registration form.

Purpose and governing documents of a PCC

Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) are charities, which are governed by two pieces of legislation, called Measures. These are:

The Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 as amended. This defines the principal charitable objective or purpose, of the PCC as “promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church”.

The Church Representation Rules (contained in Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969 as amended). These are the rules that govern local, diocesan, and national governance of the Church of England.

More information is available on the Parish Resources website. A summary of a PCC’s Governing Documents is available and can be used as supporting evidence for Charity Commission registration or when requested by other organisations.

Contact the Governance and Pastoral Planning Team

Miriam Longfoot

Governance and Pastoral Planning Manager

Get in touch