28 May 2012
The 2011 edition of the Church Representation Rules - a vital
tool for clergy, churchwardens and PCC, deanery and diocesan synod
members - is now available free on the Church of England website
at
http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/churchlawlegis/church-representation-rules.aspx.
The free online version of the Rules - which govern matters such
as the preparation of the church electoral roll, the membership and
election of parochial church councils - mirrors the 2011 edition of
the book - published in print and Kindle e-book format by Church
House Publishing.
Making the Rules freely available online was a recommendation of
the House of Bishops'/Archbishops' Council's Simplification Group,
who are committed to reducing the time spent by clergy and church
members on the management of structures and processes.
Mary Chapman, chair of the Simplification Group, said: "The online
publication of the Church Representation Rules is welcome early
fruit from work in response to requests for easier access to
important information. Digital developments enable us to offer
e-book, print and free download versions simultaneously and improve
the prospect of more timely updates in the future."
The online version of Church Representation Rules follows the
recently published seventh edition of the Canons of the Church of
England - the first full revision since 2000 - which can be
found
at:
http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/churchlawlegis/canons/canons-7th-edition.aspx
An easy-to-use binder with reference tags containing the Canons
may be purchased from the Church House Publishing website, http://www.chpublishing.co.uk.
A Kindle edition of the Canons is also available.
Note
The General Synod paper Challenges for the New Quinquennium:
the Next Steps (GS Misc 955) proposed the establishment of the
Simplification Group. The Archbishops' Council agreed to establish
the Group, jointly with the House of Bishops, at its meeting in
September 2011. The Group's recommendation to put the Church
Representation Rules be put online was approved in April 2012.