Citation and commencement

1.—(1) This Resolution may be cited as the Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolution 2021.

(2) This Resolution comes into force the day after the day on which it is laid before Parliament.

Qualifications for election to the House of Laity: exception relating to coronavirus

2.  In Rule 50 of the Church Representation Rules (House of Laity: qualifications for election), in paragraph (2), after “the relevant day” insert “; and the person is to be treated as meeting the first condition for the purposes of these Rules if the person would have met it but for matters connected with coronavirus (within the meaning of the Coronavirus Act 2020)”.

Term limits for laity on deanery synod

3.  In section A of Part 9 of the Church Representation Rules (parish governance: annual parochial church meeting), in Rule M8 (qualifications of persons to be elected), for paragraphs (5) to (7) substitute—

“(5)  The annual meeting may by resolution decide that a person who serves as a parochial representative of the laity on the deanery synod for the whole or any part of each of a specified number of successive terms of office may not be nominated for election under Rule M6(1)(a) to serve as such for the whole or any part of the term of office immediately following the last of those terms.

(6)  A resolution under paragraph (5) may not apply to a term of office—

(a) which began before 1 January 2020 (being the commencement date of the Church Representation and Ministers Measure 2019 which substituted the whole of the Church Representation Rules), or

(b) which the person concerned is serving as a result of having been elected to fill a casual vacancy.

(7)  A resolution under paragraph (5) may be amended or revoked by a subsequent annual meeting or special parochial church meeting. ”

Notice of annual parochial church meeting

4.  In Part 10 of the Church Representation Rules (forms), in Form M1 (notice of annual parochial church meeting), after “on the…day of……………20…” insert “at…”.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Resolution)

This Resolution amends the Church Representation Rules as set out in Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969.

Paragraph 2 provides that, where a person has been unable for reasons connected with coronavirus to receive Holy Communion at least three times in the past year, that does not disqualify the person from standing for election to the House of Laity of the General Synod.

Paragraph 3 provides that there will not be a limit on the number of terms that a parochial representative of the laity may serve on deanery synod, unless the annual parochial church meeting resolves to impose such a limit. The resolution would specify what the limit is to be.

Paragraph 4 corrects a drafting error in Form M1 by amending the form of notice of the annual parochial church meeting so as to include a space for the time at which the meeting is to be held.