How Do We Get a New Vicar?
This is a simple guide to the process in the Diocese of Swansea & Brecon. (The official Church in Wales guide to Appointments and Patronage is found in the Constitution, especially volume I chapter VII).
When a Vicar (or Rector - there is no distinction) announces his retirement or move to another post, the first question is whether another cleric will be appointed to the same job. Sometimes it is necessary to change the working groups of Parishes, or to combine responsibility for some congregations with some other responsibility.
If the Bishop and others decide to appoint a new Vicar, it will be the responsibility of the Diocesan Board of Nomination, the Provincial Board of Nomination, or the Bishop. [The Boards of Nomination were known until 2002 as "Patronage Boards"]. A guide to who will make the next appointments is in the Diocesan Handbook with the Parish statistics. This description is of the procedure of the Diocesan Board.
The Parish (or Group of Parishes) has two main contributions to make to the appointment process. Firstly, the PCC will be asked to draw up a Parish Profile . This is to give clerics who might be interested the basic information they need to know what happens in the Parish, what parishioners are wanting to do next, and what it would be like to live and work there. There is a list of questions to "prompt" you to most of the areas which ought to be considered.
This document will normally be drawn up with the Rural Dean or Archdeacon. While the outgoing Vicar may help supply facts, he should not write the profile. The profile may include photographs (not usually of the outside of the Vicarage, to avoid burglary while it is empty!), and is usually also put on the web.
Sequence of Events
When the Vicar has left, the vacancy will be advertised, and a date set for meeting of the Board of Nomination. The Area Dean and the churchwardens look after the Parish, and the Clerical Secretary supplies interested clergy with the Parish profile, an Application Form, and the closing date for applications.
The second main Parish contribution to the appointment comes when the Board meets. Two Parish Representatives join the Board for confidential discussions. The names of applicants are not disclosed outside the Board. Applicants are not usually interviewed (though they may visit the parish informally). If the Board "nominates" a candidate, the cleric's identity remains secret until he or she has accepted (and if necessary, until references are taken up). We usually try to arrange for an announcement to be made in the Parish and in the place where the cleric has been working on the same Sunday. The new Vicar will arrive and begin work at an agreed time, depending on the need to give notice in their present position, and other responsibilities.
Andrew J Knight
4/02, last rev: 6/06