Managing an Interregnum and Appointing a new Vicar – the process explained
Jon Siddall
A number of parishioners have expressed an interest in knowing what the procedure is for finding a new incumbent when a vicar leaves office.
The first thing to happen is that the church enters what is commonly known as an interregnum. This is intended to provide a period for full and honest reflection and an opportunity, in celebrating the strengths of the church on which the future will be built, to recognise where it may be necessary to change in order to grow as a church.
During this time, in consultation with the Area Dean, the church is led by the two churchwardens supported by the assistant clergy, lay ministers, staff, and volunteers. The churchwardens are responsible for ensuring that worship, pastoral care and mission continue in the parish and that all in positions of responsibility are properly supported.
The process for appointing a new vicar is set out under the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986 which defines the roles of the Parochial Church Council (“the PCC”), the registered Patron, and the Bishop. As a first step, the PCC is required to prepare a statement (or parish profile) describing the conditions, needs and traditions of the parish. It also appoints two lay members (normally the two churchwardens) to act as the PCC’s representatives in connection with the selection. The Bishop may also provide a statement describing the needs of the diocese and the wider interests of the church.
Once the PCC has completed the parish profile, a meeting is typically held between the Bishop, the Patron and the PCC to approve it as well as to agree the arrangements for advertising the position and the process for interviewing shortlisted candidates. In many parishes in the London Diocese, including Hampstead Parish Church, the role of Patron is undertaken by the Diocesan Board of Patronage. Their representatives alongside the Bishop, the Archdeacon, the Area Dean, the Deanery Synod Lay Chair, and the PCC’s representatives make up the group that is involved in the interview and selection process.
At the interview stage, the Patron is responsible for selecting a candidate for appointment but an offer cannot be made without first obtaining the approval of both the Bishop and the PCC representatives. In most cases this is forthcoming given their close involvement in the selection process.
The various steps in the process do inevitably mean that it normally takes many months to complete – an interregnum will often be for a duration of at least nine months. On the last occasion at HPC in 2016-17 it lasted ten months. The PCC will certainly be doing its best to achieve a good outcome within an acceptable timescale!