PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCILS
Responsibilities
The responsibilities and duties of Parochial Church Councils (" PCCs") are set out in the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. Amongst other matters, the Measure requires that a PCC may not acquire either (a) an interest in land, or (b) any personal property to be held on permanent trusts, without the consent of the diocesan authority (the Diocesan Board of Finance). Where any such property is acquired, it must be vested in the Diocesan Board of Finance as custodian trustee for the PCC.
Membership of church electoral rolls and the management of Parochial Church Meetings and Councils is governed by the Church Representation Rules 2020 (see below).
Electoral Roll
The Church Representation Rules 2020 ("the Rules") require that every Parochial Church Council ("PCC") maintains an Electoral Roll. An Electoral Roll Officer should be appointed, whose role is to keep the Roll up to date by making additions to the Roll during the year and removing names, where appropriate, prior to each Annual Parochial Church Meeting.
The Rules require that in every sixth year, beginning in 2025, a completely new Roll should be prepared.
A copy of the 2020 Rules may be obtained from Church House Bookshop, or from your local bookshop. The Rules can also be accessed on the Church of England web site.
Parochial Fees
The current list of parochial fees can be viewed at the Church of England web site at the Church of England web site.
Use of Churches and Church Halls
The Legal Department of the Archbishop's Council has circulated some advice regarding the application of the Licensing Act 2003 to churches and church halls with regard to "regulated entertainment".
Publications
The following publications will be of interest to Parochial Church Councils:
- CHURCH REPRESENTATION RULES 2020
- Published by Church House Publishing, ISBN: 9780715111901
The Rules deal with church governance at parochial, deanery, diocesan
and national level. Of particular interest to PCCs will be Part I -
Church Electoral Roll and Part II - Parish Governance and
Councils. The Rules can also be viewed online at the
Church of England web site.
- PCC ACCOUNTABILITY: THE CHARITIES ACT 2011 AND THE PCC (5th Edition)
- Published by Church House Publishing, Publisher: Church House Publishing. ISBN: 9780715111123. Essential and up to date guidance for all PCCs in the preparation and scrutiny of their annual financial statements and reports.
- PRACTICAL CHURCH MANAGEMENT (4th Ed.)
- By James Behrens. Published by Gracewing, ISBN: 9780852447864.
A very practical guide to many day to day matters, including finance, repairs, security, insurance,
church meetings, child protection, services, food hygiene, data protection, copyright, employment law,
charity law, VAT, etc.
- CHURCH DISPUTES MEDIATION
- By James Behrens. Published by Gracewing, ISBN-13: 9780852445785
- MEDIATION IN FACULTY APPLICATIONS
- An article written by Richard King for the Ecclesiastical Law Society Journal, and reproduced here by kind permission of the Ecclesiastical Law Society.
- AN ABC FOR THE PCC (5th Ed.) (No longer published.)
- By John Pitchford.
See also the list of publications under Churchwardens