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CLERGY

The Diocese of Peterborough maintains an average of 207 parish clergy, both stipendiary and self-supporting (unpaid) including curates.

The Canons of the Church of England

All clergy and lay office holders are subject to the Canons of the Church of England, the full text of which can be found at the Church of England web site. A printed copy can be purchased from Church House Publishing. A Kindle edition of the Canons is available for purchase from Amazon.

Ordination

Ordained ministry is a call to build up the Body of Christ through the celebration of the sacraments, teaching, preaching and pastoral care. Those interested in pursuing a vocation in ministry should contact the Diocesan Director of Ordinands, the Rev. Canon Steve Benoy, The Diocesan Resource Centre, Bouverie Court, 6 The Lakes, Bedford Road, Northampton NN4 7YD. Tel: 01604 887000.

Common Tenure

The Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Measure 2009 conferred a new form of tenure (Common Tenure) on clergy and on licensed lay workers.

Click on the link to Practical Information and advice for clergy on the Church of England web site.

Remuneration

The the current Remuneration, Fees and Mileage Rates for employed clergy and for retired clergy undertaking occasional duties (not occasional offices) are normally updated annually in April.

Resignation

Incumbents intending to retire must give written notice of their intention to do so using the prescribed form, where the intended date of retirement should be stated. Before arrangements can be made for payment of a pension, the Clergy Pensions Board requires the Bishop's Office to certify the retirement date. The Bishop can only do this if he has received a completed notice of resignation from the priest concerned. Clergy are therefore advised to send the Bishop a completed resignation form well before the proposed retirement date stated in the form, in order to avoid any delay in the commencement of payment of the pension.

Ordination of Women and Women Bishops

The Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993 has been repealed in its entirety and the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993 has been rescinded. It is therefore no longer possible for PCCs to pass resolutions A and B or to petition under the Act of Synod. Any new PCC resolutions need to be passed under the provisions contained in the House of Bishops' Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests.

The House of Bishops' Declaration contains transitional provision, the effect of which is to treat resolutions that were previously passed under the 1993 Measure or the 1993 Act of Synod as if they are resolutions passed under the Declaration for a period of two years, expiring on 17 November 2016. The purpose of these provisions was to give parishes time to pass the new resolution if they wish to do so, while leaving existing arrangements in place in the meantime.

Section 11(1)(f) of the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986 has been repealed. There is no longer any statutory requirement to consider passing or rescinding resolutions at a section 11 meeting, though it is open to a PCC to consider passing or rescinding a resolution under the House of Bishops' Declaration at such a meeting if it wishes to do so.

The House of Bishops has issued a guidance note on the passing and implementation of resolutions under the Declaration. The House of Bishops has also made the Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests (Resolution of Disputes Procedure) Regulations 2014 as required by the new Canon C29. These provide for the resolution of disputes arising from the arrangements for which the Declaration makes a provision by independent reviewer. Further information is contained in the Advice to PCCs and Parish Priests published by Forward in Faith.

Click on the following link for details of current resolutions in the Diocese of Peterborough, made under the House of Bishops' Declaration:

House of Bishops Declaration Resolutions

Discipline

The Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 came fully into force on 1 January 2006. The Measure provides a new structure for dealing efficiently and fairly with complaints of misconduct against clergy, except in relation to matters of doctrine, ritual or ceremonial. Further information can be found at the Church of England web site. Please also use the following links for direct access to the Measure, Rules, Code of Practice and Guidaqnce on Penalties:

Clergy Discipline Measure 2003
Clergy Discipline Rules 2005
Code of Practice (Revised 2016)
Guidance on Penalties (Revised April 2012)

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