The Archbishops' Council is a part of the governance structures of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
. Its headquarters are at
Church House
Church House may refer to:
Buildings
Diocesan and national ecclesiastical offices
* Church House (Presbyterian Church in Ireland), Belfast, Northern Ireland, headquarters of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
* Church House, Brisbane, Queenslan ...
, Great Smith Street, London.
The council was created in 1999 to provide a central executive body to co-ordinate and lead the work of the church. This was a partial implementation of the recommendations of the report "Working Together as One Body" produced by
Michael Turnbull (then
Bishop of Durham
The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...
) in 1994.
Objectives and objects
The Archbishops’ Council has seven objectives.
1. A Younger Church: To double the number of children and young active disciples in the Church of England by 2030.
2. A More Diverse Church: To fully represent the communities we serve in age and diversity.
3. Revitalise Parishes: A parish system revitalised for mission so churches can reach and serve everyone in their community.
4. New Christian Communities: Creating 10,000 new Christian communities across the four areas of home, work / education, social and digital.
5. Missionary Disciples: All Anglicans envisioned, resourced, and released to live out the five marks of mission in the whole of life, bringing transformation to the Church and world. All local churches, supported by their dioceses, becoming communities and hubs for initial and ongoing formation.
6. Sustainability: A Church that cherishes God’s creation and leads by example in promoting sustainability.
7. Safety and Dignity: A Church that affirms the dignity of all people by being a safe place for all, especially children and vulnerable adults.
Legal status and membership
The Archbishops' Council was established by the National Institutions Measure passed by the
General Synod of the Church of England in 1998. It has its own legal identity and is, in addition, a
charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
.
The council is made up of:
* the
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
* the
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...
* the
prolocutors of the
convocation
A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a specia ...
s of Canterbury and York
* the chairman and vice-chairman of the
House of Laity of the General Synod
* two
bishops
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
elected by the House of Bishops of the General Synod
* two members of the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
elected by the House of Clergy of the General Synod
* two lay people elected by the House of Laity
* one of the
Church Estates Commissioners
* up to six other people jointly appointed by the two archbishops, with the consent of the General Synod. These appointees have a non-executive role and currently include:
** John Spence
** Maureen Cole
** Mark Sheard
** Matthew Frost
** The Rev. Charlotte Cook
** Joseph Diwakar
The archbishops of Canterbury and York are the joint presidents of the council, but the Archbishop of Canterbury normally chairs its meetings.
The council is one of the "National Church Institutions"; the others include the Church Commissioners, the
Church of England Pensions Board and the General Synod.
Committees and staff
The work of the council is assisted by a number of committees:
* Mission and Public Affairs Council (including the Hospital Chaplaincies Council)
* Board of Education
* Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns
* Council for Christian Unity
*
Central Council for the Care of Churches
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
* Committees of the Ministry Division
** Committee for Ministry of and among Deaf and Disabled People
** Deployment, Recruitment and Conditions of Service Committee
** Theological Education and Training Committee
** Vocation, Recruitment and Selection Committee
* Finance Committee
*
Audit
An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...
Committee
In 2006, the council employed about 250 staff. The senior posts include:
* Secretary-General to the Council and the General Synod
* Chief Education Officer
* Director of Mission & Public Affairs
* Head of Cathedral and Church Buildings
* Director of Ministry
* Director of Human Resources
* Head of Legal Office and Chief Legal Adviser to the General Synod
* Clerk to the Synod and Director of Central Secretariat
Finances
The members of the council are also members and directors of the Central Board of Finance of the Church of England. Technically, the board of finance is a separate legal entity, however all major decisions are taken by members of the council in their capacity as the directors of the Board.
In 2006, the council had a budget of approximately £61 million, principally derived from the Church Commissioners (about £32 million) and contributions from each of the
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
s (£24.5 million).
Spending in that year included grants to the dioceses (£31 million), training clergy (both funding for colleges and allowances for individuals in residential training - £10 million), grants to organisation such as
Churches Together, the
Church Urban Fund and the
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...
(£2.2 million), and housing assistance for retired clergy (£2.8 million).
Notable members
*
William Fittall, secretary-general from 2002 to 2015
*
Philip Fletcher, 2007 to 2016
*
David Lammy, 1999 to 2002
*
William Nye, secretary-general from 2015-present
*
Jayne Ozanne, 1999 to 2004
*
Mark Russell, CEO of the Church Army, 2005 to 2011 and since 2015
*
Glyn Webster, present
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
Anglican organizations established in the 20th century
Christian organizations established in 1999
Church of England ecclesiastical polity
Church of England societies and organisations
Organisations based in the City of Westminster
Religion in the City of Westminster
1999 establishments in the United Kingdom