Methodist Church Act 1976
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1976 c. xxx |
Methodist Church
Act
1976
C. XXX
ELIZABETH II
1976 CHAPTER xxx
An Act to make further provision concerning the
constitution, purposes, doctrinal standards and
property of the Methodist Church in Great Britain,
to vest in the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes
as custodian trustees all property held upon the trusts
of the Model Deed of the Methodist Church and
certain other property and to provide for such property
to be held upon new model trusts, to declare the said
new model trusts and provide for the adoption of such
trusts in relation to other property of the Methodist
Church; to repeal the Methodist Church Union Act
1929 and re-enact with modifications some of the
provisions
thereof;
and for purposes connected with
the matters aforesaid. [26th October 1976]
W
HEREAS under and by virtue of the enactments in that
behalf contained
in
the Methodist Church Union Act 1929
1929 c
lix.
(hereinafter referred to as " the Act of
1929
") and a deed
of
union executed in
pursuance thereof on the
20th
September,
1932
(hereinafter referred to as " the date of union ") the Wesleyan
Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodist Church and the
United Methodist Church became as from the date of union a
united church or denomination under the name of
the
Methodist
Church:
And whereas pursuant to the powers contained in section 8
(Power of Uniting Conference to adopt Deed of Union) of the
Act of 1929 the Conference of the Methodist Church has from
2 c. xxx
Methodist Church
Act
1976
time to time subsequent to the date of union amended the said
deed of union (hereinafter as so amended referred to as " the
Deed of Union"):
And whereas the constitution and doctrinal standards of the
Methodist Church are declared and defined in the Deed of Union
and under and
by
virtue of the proviso to subsection
(2)
of
the
said
section
8
(and of clause 31(a) of the Deed of Union) the Conference
of the Methodist Church has no power to alter or vary in any
manner whatsoever the clauses contained in the Deed of Union
which define the said doctrinal standards:
And whereas pursuant to the powers contained in section 14
(Power to adopt
new
model deed) of the Act of
1929
a model trust
deed (hereinafter referred to as "the Model Deed") dated 15th
December, 1932, was adopted and certain property of the
Methodist Church is held respectively upon the trusts of that deed
as from time to time altered pursuant to the powers contained in
section 15 (Power to alter new model deed) of the Act of 1929
upon trusts of numerous deeds executed after the 15th December,
1932,
incorporating the trusts of the Model Deed and upon the
trusts of one or other of
the
three earlier model trust deeds which
are referred to in the Preamble to the Act of
1929
(all the aforesaid
deeds immediately hereinbefore recited being hereinafter together
referred to as " the model deeds "):
And whereas under and by virtue of the enactments in that
1939
c.
xxvi.
behalf contained in the Methodist Church Act 1939 a single body
of trustees was constituted and incorporated under the name and
style of the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (hereinafter
referred to as " the Board ") and empowered to receive and hold as
trustees or as custodian trustees (and so that section 4 of the
1906
c.
55.
Public Trustee Act 1906 should apply to the Board as if the
Board were entitled by rules made under that Act to act as
custodian trustees) all real, leasehold and other personal estate
which should from time to time be given devised or bequeathed or
lawfully assured or transferred to them upon or for any trusts,
intents or purposes connected with the Methodist Church or any
of its connexional or local organisations or further and otherwise
as by the said Act of 1939 provided:
And whereas under and by virtue of the enactments in that
1960
c.
xxiii.
behalf contained in the Methodist Church Funds Act 1960 better
provision was made for the investment of certain funds (including
any funds for the time being held upon the trusts of the model
deeds) of or connected with the work of the Methodist Church:
1969
c.
38.
And whereas the Sharing of Church Buildings Act
1969,
which
applies to the Methodist Church, makes provision for the sharing
and using of church buildings in England and Wales by different
churches in manner inconsistent with the trusts of
the
model deeds
relating to the doctrinal standards of the Methodist Church:
Methodist Church
Act
1976
c. xxx 3
And whereas under and by virtue of subsection (4) of section 15
(Power to
alter newmodel deed) of the Act of
1929
(and of clause 32
of the Deed of Union) the Conference of the Methodist Church
has no
power to alter or vary in the Model Deed the clause therein
contained relating to the doctrinal standards of the Methodist
Church:
And whereas no provision was made in the Act of 1929 for the
definition of the purposes of the Methodist Church and it is
expedient in the circumstances now prevailing that such provision
as is made in this Act should be made for the definition of such
purposes:
And
whereas
it
is
expedient that the Conference of the Methodist
Church should be empowered to alter any provision of the Deed
of Union including any such provision relating to the doctrinal
standards of the Methodist Church:
And whereas by reason of the changes in the structure of the
organisation and government of the Methodist Church and of the
desirability of central vesting of the property held upon the trusts
of
the
model deeds it
is
expedient that provision should be made by
this Act for the discharge of the existing trustees of the said
property, for the vesting of the said property in the Board as
custodian trustees and for the managing trustees of the said
property to be such person or persons to be ascertained in the
manner provided by this Act:
And whereas for the better administration of the property
mentioned in the foregoing recital it is expedient that this Act
should provide that the said trusts affecting such property should
be
determined and that all such property be held upon model trusts
provided for by this Act:
And whereas it is expedient to provide for the adoption of the
said model trusts in relation to certain other property of the
Methodist Church:
And whereas numerous enactments contained in the Act of
1929
are spent and it is expedient that that Act should be repealed
and that some of its provisions should be re-enacted with modifica-
tions as provided by this Act:
And whereas it is expedient that the other provisions contained
in this Act be enacted:
And whereas the purposes of this Act cannot be effected
without the authority of Parliament:
May it therefore please Your Majesty that it may be enacted,
and be it enacted, by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and
with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal,
and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the
authority of the same, as follows:—
1.—(1)
This Act may be cited as the Methodist Church Act
Sh°rt
1976 and, subject to subsection (2) of this section, shall come Jjj^
into operation on the appointed day. ment.
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