Church Commissioners

The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836. An earlier Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues Commission had been set up under the first brief administration of Sir Robert Peel in 1835 with a wide remit, “to consider the State of the Established Church in England and Wales, with reference to Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues” (Minutes of the Commission, 9/2/1835); this body redistributed wealth between the dioceses and changed diocesan boundaries, and the permanent Ecclesiastical Commission was formed the following year.

The value of the Commissioners' assets was around £5.6 billion as at the end of 2007.^[1] Most of the income is used to pay clergy pensions.

The Commissioners also oversee pastoral reorganisation, the consent of the Commissioners being required for establishing or dissolving team and group ministries, uniting, creating or dissolving benefices and parishes, and the closing of consecrated church buildings and graveyards.

The Church Commissioners are now based at Church House, Westminster, London, having long occupied No. 1 Millbank^[2]. They are an exempt charity under English law.^[3]

Current Commissioners

• The Most Revd and Rt Hon Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury (Chair)
• The Most Revd and Rt Hon John Sentamu, Archbishop of York
• The three Church Estates Commissioners, who represent the Church Commissioners in General Synod – the Second Commissioner is a Member of Parliament and answers to Parliament for the business of the Commissioners
  • First Church Estates Commissioner: Andreas Whittam Smith
  • Second Church Estates Commissioner: Tony Baldry MP
  • Third Church Estates Commissioner: Timothy Walker
• Four bishops elected by the House of Bishops
  • The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Bishop of London
  • The Rt Revd David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham
  • The Rt Revd Michael Hill, Bishop of Bristol
  • The Rt Revd Peter R. Forster, Bishop of Chester
• Three elected by the House of Clergy
  • The Revd Canon Robert Baker
  • The Revd Jeremy Crocker
  • The Revd Stephen Trott
• Four elected by the House of Laity
  • April Alexander
  • Lay Canon Peter Bruinvels
  • Gavin Oldham
  • Jacob Vince
• Two elected by the deans
  • The Very Revd Adrian Newman, Dean of Rochester
  • The Very Revd Christopher Hardwick, Dean of Truro
• Three nominated by the Queen
  • Harry Hart
  • Lay Canon John Spence
  • John Wythe
• Three nominated by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
  • Peter Harrison
  • Peter Parker
  • John Sykes
• Three nominated by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York after consultation with the Lord Mayors of the Cities of London and York and the Vice-Chancellors of Oxford and Cambridge Universities
  • Brian Carroll
  • Emma Osborne
  • Vacant
• Six ex officio members
  • The Rt Hon David Cameron, Prime Minister
  • The Rt Hon Nick Clegg, Lord President of the Council
  • The Rt Hon Theresa May, Home Secretary
  • The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport
  • The Rt Hon John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons
  • The Rt Hon The Baroness Hayman, Lord Speaker

See also

• Allchurches Trust
• Churches Conservation Trust

References

1. ^ Asset Management | Church of England
2. ^ http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=418227&mode=quick
3. ^ Charities Act 1993, Schedule 2.

External links

• The Church Commissioners
• Church Commissioners Measure 1947 at the UK Statute Law Database
• Church Commissioners Measure 1970 at the UK Statute Law Database