VICAR'S LETTER
17
Sundon Road
Streatley
September 2009
Dear
All
Just
so that everyone knows what is going on, I thought I might use this space
this month to outline the somewhat elephantine procedure by which the
Church of England goes about appointing a new vicar. There are three
main phases:
-
Pre-selection
-
Selection
-
Installation
PRE-SELECTION
Producing
a Parish Profile
This
is a document intended both to inform and to attract potential candidates
to the parish. The drawing up of this is already under way.
The
Vacancy Meeting
This will take place shortly after we vacate the Vicarage (probably early November). The PCC is joined by the Bishop, Archdeacon, Rural Dean and Deanery Lay Chairman to talk over informally the way forward for the Parish. Particular attention will be given to
-
The Growth Points of the Parish
-
The personal qualities to be looked for in the new incumbent
-
The attractions of the Parish which might persuade some-one to come here
The
Section 11 Meeting
This is held shortly
after the Vacancy Meeting and concerns only the PCC. The PCC must:
-
Finalise the Profile
- Appoint 2
members of the PCC (usually the Churchwardens) to act as the Parish Representatives in the selection process
-
Vote on whether the Parish is willing to accept a woman as its Vicar
When these three stages
are completed, the post is advertised.
SELECTION
The selection process
takes place in two stages.
Short-listing
This is undertaken by the
Bishop and Archdeacon who keep the Parish Representatives informed.
Interviews
A full day job. In
the morning the candidates tour the Parish and meet with Lay Readers etc.
At lunch they meet the PCC, representatives of the North Luton Group and
other interested parties. In the afternoon, the Bishop, Archdeacon
and Parish Representatives interview them. No offer can be made to
any candidate without the approval of the Parish Representatives.
INSTALLATION
Finally, once all the
above have been completed, the new incumbent is installed.
How long all this will
take is anybody’s guess, but a wise parish budgets a year and is
prepared to be pleasantly surprised. A foolish parish budgets six
months and endures frustration and disappointment.
There is no doubt that an
inter-regnum is not the easiest time for a parish. As you will
readily appreciate, a heavy burden falls on the Lay Readers and the Church
Officers. Please do everything that you possibly can to help them.
All best wishes,
Roger