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.

But Why? - Questions we often get asked.

1. Why the secrecy?
Strict confidentiality is required because a cleric's ministry in one place can be upset if it becomes known they have applied for another post. There may be good reasons apart from their work (eg family needs, health problems) for the application, or special needs causing another applicant to be preferred, but the last thing a cleric wants to deal with is comments on the lines of "I hear you want to leave us then, Vicar" or "What a surprise that Mr Jones beat you!"

2. Why can't a Parish choose their Vicar?
The wider needs of Deanery and Diocese are also important. With fewer clergy available, it is more important than ever to have them in the right places with the right responsibilities. The wider view is vital, though the clergy and laypeople elected to the Board of Nomination try very hard to understand the needs of the Parish, and to find the most suitable person to meet them. The Board, including the Parish Representatives, works together to make the best appointment.

3. What if there's nobody suitable?
Sometimes there may be no applicants. Even for "key" positions, the numbers recently have been small. In any case, the Board can decide not to nominate anyone. If there is no nomination 4 months after the vacancy occurs, the right to appoint passes to the Bishop.

4. Why the delay; can't the new Vicar start when the old one leaves?
There are practical reasons, such as the need to inspect and renovate the Vicarage. There is also a need for the Parish to say farewell and, while temporary arrangements for services are in place, come to understand that a new person will bring at least a different personality and possibly other changes as well. The "gap" can be a time when people grow to meet the needs and discover new gifts.

5. Why is a "Priest-in-Charge" sometimes appointed, not a Vicar?
This is done for a number of reasons, including allowing for flexibility in future changes in patterns of Pastoral care in an area, and to allow a less experienced cleric time to "settle in". When a Priest-in-Charge is appointed, the Parish is said to be "suspended" - but the difference in practice is small.

6. Who is on the Diocesan Board of Nomination, and how does it work?
The Board members are: the Bishop (chairman), the Archdeacon, two* elected clerics and three elected laypeople (the elections are held every three years, and members of the Diocesan Conference nominate and vote for candidates), and the two* Parish Representatives. [The *numbers can be increased when there are more than two Parishes in a vacant Group].
The Board is allowed to determine its own procedure, but in considering a vacant Parish usually begins by considering the needs of the Parish, then makes a careful review of all applicants (copies of their applications are available on the day, but collected and shredded after the meeting), and hopes to come to a common mind (or at least a substantial majority opinion) about the action to be taken.

7. Why don't you always interview candidates?
We are unsure about the value of this. It would add greatly to the expense, the complexity of the procedure (needing to be absolutely fair - eg asking identical questions) and the time taken (both by the Board, and the length of the Vacancy). Whether an interview shows who will exercise a better ministry over time, or simply who is better skilled at being interviewed, is not clear. We often want to know about patience, loving-kindness, and discernment as much as management theory, quick thinking, and "image". The Provincial Board has recently begun to interview shortlisted candidates, and we shall watch the results with interest.

8. What are "Triennial" Elections?
Every third year (most recently in 2004), members of the Diocesan Conference elect three laypeople and two clergy (with a "supplemental" list of reserves) who form the majority of the Diocesan Board of Nomination.

Please note that this is not an official guide; it is supplied by Canon Andrew Knight as a simple "layman's" description of the process, and neither he nor the Diocesan Board of Nomination accept any liability for inaccuracies or omissions. If you want the detail - read the Constitution!

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Andrew J Knight
4/02, last rev: 6/06