Church Representation Rules 2025: With an introduction to the rules and recent amendments

Church Representation Rules is a vital tool for all those involved in parochial, diocesan and national Church governance. This 2025 edition reflects the impacts of six separate pieces of legislation enacted since the 2022 edition was published. These include rules relating to the conduct of elections, the governance of Cathedrals and the Channel Islands, as well as safeguarding requirements relating to the 2021 Code of Conduct measure.

The Rules aim to simplify local church governance and enable parishes to adapt the rules to best serve ministry and mission in their contexts. They cover aspects of local church governance including:

• the formation and revision of the electoral roll
• the minimum qualifying age for election to the Parochial Church Council or the deanery synod and methods of
• voting at the Annual Parochial Church Meetings
• the conduct of meetings, including provisions for remote and hybrid meetings of various church bodies
• chairmanship of the Parochial Church Council and the number and term of office of its lay members
• membership of deanery and diocesan synods and how the number of lay members to be elected to them is calculated
• membership of, and elections to, the House of Laity of the General Synod, including uncontested elections.