This form must be submitted electronically to the minister who is to conduct the meeting for the election of churchwardens at any time before the start of that meeting. When there is no minister, this form must be handed to the churchwarden who signed the notice convening the meeting.
No person chosen for the office of churchwarden shall become churchwarden until they shall have been admitted to the office by the bishop or his substitute duly appointed; however all persons elected shall become ex-officio members of the parochial church council from the time of their election.
From the Churchwardens Measure 2001:
The churchwardens of every parish shall be chosen from persons who have been baptised and —
a) whose names are on the church electoral roll of the parish;
b) who are actual communicants;
c) who are twenty–one years of age or upwards; and
d) who are not disqualified as laid out below.
No person shall be chosen as churchwarden of a parish for any period of office unless they —
a) have signified consent to serve as such; and
b) have not signified consent to serve as such for the same period of office in any other parish (not being a related parish) or, if such consent has been signified and the meeting of the parishioners to elect churchwardens of that other parish has been held, was not chosen as churchwarden of that other parish.
Disqualifications
A person shall be disqualified from being chosen for the office of churchwarden if:
3 (1) A person is disqualified from being nominated, chosen or elected or from serving as a churchwarden or a member of a parochial church council, a district church council or a joint council if the person is disqualified from being a trustee of a charity (and the disqualification is not subject to a waiver which permits membership of a parochial church council, district church council or joint council).
(2) A person is disqualified from being nominated, chosen or elected or from serving as a member of a parochial church council, a district church council, a joint council or a deanery synod if the person is included in a barred list (within the meaning of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006).
(3) A person is disqualified from being nominated, chosen or elected or from serving as a member of a parochial church council, a district church council, a joint council or a deanery synod if the person has been convicted of an offence mentioned in Schedule 1 to the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 (with that expression being construed in accordance with Rule 71(2) of the Church Representation Rules).
(4) A person’s disqualification under sub-paragraph (3) may be waived by the bishop of the diocese by giving the person notice in writing.
(5) A person is disqualified from being nominated, chosen or elected or from serving as a member of a parochial church council if the person has been disqualified from holding office under section 10(6) of the Incumbent (Vacation of Benefices) Measure 1977.Without prejudice to the above, a person shall be disqualified from being chosen for the office of churchwarden when that person has served as a churchwarden of the same parish for six successive periods of office until the annual meeting of the parishioners to elect churchwardens in the next year but one following the date on which that person vacated office at the end of the last such period: Provided that a meeting of the parishioners may by resolution decide that this section shall not apply in relation to the parish concerned.
Note
In order to confirm that you are eligible to act as a charity trustee, all newly elected Church Wardens will be required to sign two declarations, being: (i) confirmation of trustee eligibility (i.e. non-disqualification under charity law); and (ii) a Fit and Proper Person declaration, copies of which can be found at
www.parishresources.org.uk/pccs/apcms/. By confirming that you are eligible for election, you are confirming that you will be able to sign these declarations.
