Citation and coming into force

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 and come into force on 1st November 2015.

Sickness absence

2. In regulation 27 of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Regulations 2009( 2 ) (sickness absence), in paragraph (2), after “an office holder” insert “who is in receipt of a stipend”.

Interim posts

3. —(1) In regulation 29 of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Regulations 2009, in paragraph (1) (list of fixed term offices etc. )—

(a) omit the “or” before paragraph (i), and

(b) after that paragraph insert “, or

“ (j) the office is designated as an interim post, ” .

(2) After paragraph (7A) of that regulation insert—

“ (7B) An office (other than an office in a cathedral) may be designated as an interim post if the designation is in writing, signed by the bishop of the diocese in which the office is situated acting with the consent of—

(a) the office holder, and

(b) the mission and pastoral committee of the diocese.

(7C) An office in a cathedral may be designated as an interim post if the designation is in writing, signed by the bishop of the diocese in which the cathedral is situated acting with the consent of—

(a) the office holder,

(b) the dean of the cathedral, and

(c) the Chapter of the cathedral.

(7D) In deciding whether to designate an office as an interim post, the bishop shall have regard to any guidance issued by the Archbishops’ Council.

(7E) The term of an office designated as an interim post may not exceed three years.

(7F) An office designated as an interim post may be designated as such again for a further period of up to three years; but an office may not be designated as an interim post if it was designated as such on the two immediately preceding appointments. ”

Other limited term appointments

4. —(1) In regulation 29 of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Regulations 2009, after paragraph (3) (training posts) insert—

“ (3A) An office designated as a training post may continue to be designated as such for a period of no more than one year following the completion by the office holder of the initial ministerial education ”

(2) In paragraph (7A) of that regulation (Locally Supported Ministerial Posts), for sub-paragraph (a) substitute—

“ (a) the post is held by an assistant curate who is not the priest-in-charge of the benefice to which the parish in which he or she serves belongs, ” .

(3) In paragraph (1)(f) of that regulation (bishop’s mission orders), for “section 47 or 50 of the Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure 2007” substitute “section 80 or 83 of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011”.

(4) In regulation 20 of those Regulations (duty of bishop to ensure provision of suitable training), after paragraph (1) insert—

“ (1A) During any period for which an office referred to in paragraph (1) above continues to be designated as a training post as a result of regulation 29(3A), the duty in paragraph (1) above does not apply in relation to the office but the duty in paragraph 19(1) does. ”

The draft of these Regulations was approved by the General Synod of the Church of England on 11th July 2015.

Jacqui Philips

Clerk to the Synod

Church House, London SW1P 3AZ

THE COMMON SEAL of the Archbishops’ Council was hereunto affixed on 16th July 2015.

D. I. Theodoreson

D. P. White

Church House, London SW1P 3AZ