Pastoral Measure 1983
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | measure 1983 No. 1 |
| Year | 1983 |
Pastoral Measure 1983
A MEASURE passed by The General Synod of The Church of England to consolidate with minor amendments the Pastoral Measure 1968, the Pastoral (Amendment) Measure 1982 and related enactments, which are designed to make better provision for the cure of souls.
[9th May 1983]
Part I
Procedure for making Pastoral Schemes and Orders
Pastoral committees
1 Constitution and procedure of pastoral committees.
(1) For every diocese there shall be a pastoral committee having such rights, powers, duties and obligations as are vested in the committee by this Measure.
(2) The constitution and rules of procedure of the pastoral committee of a diocese shall be those set out in Schedule 1.
(3) The pastoral committee of a diocese shall present annually to the diocesan synod a report of its activities during the preceding year.
2 Duties of pastoral committees.
(1) It shall be the duty of the pastoral committee of a diocese from time to time as may be directed by the bishop or as the committee consider necessary to review the arrangements for pastoral supervision in the diocese or any part thereof, (including sharing agreements in respect of a church or parsonage house and any proposals for sharing agreements) and, in cases where they consider it desirable, to make recommendations to the bishop in accordance with section 3 for any of the matters for which provision may be made under this Measure (other than section 36) by a pastoral scheme or pastoral order.
(2) Where the pastoral committee decided on their own initiative to review the arrangements for pastoral supervision in the diocese or a part thereof, they shall consult the bishop and give him particulars of the matters which they intend to consider and of the benefices which will be affected.
(3) The pastoral committee shall at all times—
( a ) have particular regard to the making of provision for the cure of souls in the diocese as a whole, including the provision of appropriate spheres of work and conditions of service for all persons engaged in the cure of souls and the provision of reasonable remuneration for such persons;
( b ) have regard also to the traditions, needs and characteristics of individual parishes.
(4) The diocesan synod may from time to time indicate to the pastoral committee any matters of diocesan policy to which the committee shall also have regard.
3 Formulation and submission to bishop of draft proposals.
(1) Before deciding to make any recommendations to the bishop, the pastoral committee shall so far as may be practicable ascertain the views of the interested parties or, subject to subsection (7)( a ) in the case of interested parties being local planning authorities, invite them to express their views.
(2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), in this Part ‘interested parties’, in relation to any recommendations, proposals or draft scheme or order, means—
( a ) incumbents of any benefices which would be affected by the implementing thereof, including vicars in a team ministry established for the area of any such benefice;
( b ) the patrons of any such benefices;
( c ) the parochial church councils of any parishes which would be so affected;
( d ) the priests in charge of any conventional districts wholly or partly within the area of any benefices which would be so affected and the parochial church councils of such districts;
( e ) the archdeacons and rural deans of any archdeaconries and deaneries which would be so affected or to which any such benefices or parishes belong and the lay chairmen of the deanery synods of any such deaneries; and
( f ) the local planning authority or authorities concerned.
For the purposes of this subsection a change in the patronage of a benefice shall be deemed to affect that benefice and the parish or parishes thereof.
(3) In this Part ‘interested parties’, in relation to any recommendations, proposals, draft scheme or order which are or is limited to creating, altering or dissolving archdeaconries or deaneries, or altering the name of any archdeaconry or deanery, means—
( a ) the parochial church councils of any parishes for which a change of archdeaconry or deanery, or an alteration of the name thereof, is contemplated or proposed and the parochial church councils of any conventional districts wholly or partly within such parishes;
( b ) the incumbents of benefices to which such parishes belong and the priests in charge of such districts; and
( c ) the archdeacons and rural deans of the archdeaconries and deaneries affected and the lay chairmen of the deanery synods of such deaneries.
(4) In the case of proposals and orders under section 14, the local planning authority or authorities shall not be included among the interested parties.
(5) In the case of interested parties, being incumbents or vicars in a team ministry, the pastoral committee shall, before reaching their decision, afford to each incumbent or vicar, if he so desires, an opportunity of meeting the committee or sub-committee or representative thereof, but, in the case of a recommendation for a union of benefices or otherwise for the dissolution of any benefice or the holding in plurality of any benefice or benefices, or the establishment of a team or group ministry for any benefice or benefices, or the abolition of any office of vicar in a team ministry, the incumbent of the benefice or each of the benefices or the holder of the office of vicar shall have an opportunity of meeting the committee (as distinct from a sub-committee or representative thereof), if he so desires.
(6) In the case of interested parties, being parochial church councils, the committee shall, before reaching their decision, afford to each council or their representative, if the council so request, an opportunity of meeting the committee or, if the committee so decide, a sub-committee thereof or, with the consent of the council, a representative of the committee.
(7) Before deciding to make a recommendation that a declaration of redundancy be made in respect of any church the committee shall—
( a ) ascertain the views of any local planning authority or authorities concerned;
( b ) notify the Council for the Care of Churches of the church or churches in respect of which the committee might decide to make such a recommendation and obtain from them a copy of the report which the Council are required to prepare under subsection (8).
(8) As soon as practicable after receiving a notice under subsection (7) the said Council shall prepare a report about—
( a ) the historic interest and architectural quality of each church mentioned in the notice and of other churches in the area;
( b ) the historic interest and aesthetic qualities of the contents of that and those churches;
( c ) any special features of any churchyard or burial ground annexed to any of them;
and shall send a copy of that report to the Commissioners, the diocesan board of finance and the committee.
(9) When the committee have decided to make recommendations, they shall formulate them in draft proposals and submit them to the bishop, and the bishop may, with the agreement of the committee, make such amendments of the draft proposals as appear to him desirable.
(10) The committee shall annexe to the draft proposals formulated by them a statement of the views of the interested parties and, if those proposals include a proposal that a declaration of redundancy be made in respect of any church, the committee shall annexe a copy of the report prepared by the said Council under subsection (8) to the draft proposals.
(11) In this section ‘incumbent’, in relation to a benefice in respect of which a suspension period has been declared and is for the time being in force, means the priest in charge thereof.
4 Approval by bishop of draft proposals.
(1) If the bishop approves either with or without amendments draft proposals submitted to him under section 3(9) he shall submit the proposals as approved to the Commissioners and inform the pastoral committee that he has done so.
(2) The pastoral committee shall send a copy of the proposals as approved by the bishop to every interested party with a notice informing him—
( a ) that if the Commissioners prepare a draft scheme or order to give effect to the proposals he will be given an opportunity of making representations with respect thereto; but
( b ) that any interested party, other than a parochial church council, may by notice in writing served on the Commissioners relinquish his right to receive a copy of the draft scheme or order and the notice specifying the period within which representations may be made.
5 Amendment of proposals and preparation of draft scheme or order by Commissioners.
(1) The Commissioners shall consider any proposals submitted to them as aforesaid and the bishop, in consultation...
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