Meeting of Parishioners
Encyclopedia
The Meeting of Parishioners (also referred to as the Annual Vestry Meeting or (AVM)) is held yearly in every parish in the Church of England
to elect Churchwarden
s and deputies (if any) for the forthcoming year.
The meeting must be held by 30 April and is commonly held immediately prior to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.
The meeting is convened and chaired by a minister (usually the Parish Priest), or if there is no minister or the if s/he is unable or unwilling to chair the meeting, the Churchwardens convene and chair it.
As the agenda is so short, meetings typically last less than ten minutes.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
to elect Churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s and deputies (if any) for the forthcoming year.
The meeting must be held by 30 April and is commonly held immediately prior to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.
The meeting
Since this is a public meeting, notice must be given in writing with the minimum period of two Sundays before the date of the meeting and the notice must be displayed publicly.The meeting is convened and chaired by a minister (usually the Parish Priest), or if there is no minister or the if s/he is unable or unwilling to chair the meeting, the Churchwardens convene and chair it.
Agenda
Typically, the meeting's structure is as follows:- Opening Statement by the Chair (usually the Parish Priest)
- Minutes of the Previous Annual Vestry Meeting
- Nominations for Churchwarden(s)
- Vote – only required if there are more applicants than posts available
- Meeting Closes
As the agenda is so short, meetings typically last less than ten minutes.
Attendees and voters
The following people may vote:- People whose names are on the Church Electoral Roll (whether or not they are resident in the Church Parish).
- People who are resident in the Parish and who are also on the register of local government electors. Note, this means any resident of the Parish and who is registered to vote – of any faith and none.
External links
See also
- Pitchford, J. (2008) An ABC for the PCC – A Handbook for Church Council Members, (Fifth edition), Mowbray, ISBN 978-1906286-07-1
- Parochial church councilParochial Church CouncilThe parochial church council , is the executive body of a Church of England parish.-Powers and duties:Two Acts of Parliament define the powers and duties of PCCs...
– an executive body all Church of England Parishes have.