Bishop’s Guidelines 2017 Diocesan Office Bishopscourt St Nicholas Church 24 St Margaret's Street Boley Hill Rochester Rochester ME1 1TS ME1 1SL Tel: 01634 560000 Tel: 01634 842721 Email: Diocesan Office Email: Bishopscourt Rochester Diocese Bishop’s Guidelines 2017 Foreword, by Bishop James “The Church of England is part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church worshipping the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation. Led by the Holy Spirit, it has borne witness to Christian truth in its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. In the declaration you are about to make will you affirm your loyalty to this inheritance of faith as your inspiration and guidance under God in bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known to those in your care?” Preface to the Declaration of Assent (Canon C15) These words introduce the Declaration of Assent which is made by those being commissioned for ordained and lay ministries in our church. They indicate the particular place which the Church of England inhabits in the life of this country. Our heritage is that of the Gospel handed down through the generations, but also the heritage of our ministry and our buildings, together with a substantial role in the nation’s public life. Our ministry has a significant impact on the stories people tell each other of what it means to be a Christian in this country. Within our heritage, there are elements which we share with Christians of other denominations and traditions, and there are those which are uniquely Anglican. Whatever our various traditions, we are bound together in fellowship - sacramental and synodical - and by geography. Each one of us who holds office, licence or authority within the Church of England has chosen to be part of this Communion, and with that choice have placed ourselves within the customs and laws of the Church of England and the responsibilities of being part of a national church. Our baptismal vows make us part of the Church Catholic; our further promises, commitments or oaths indicate our decision to be part of the Anglican Christian tradition as expressed in our country and within the wider Anglican Communion. For some of us what has drawn us is that very tradition, stretching back through our bishops and congregations to Augustine, and through Augustine back to the Apostles and our Lord’s Commission. For some of us it is the opportunity for mission found in an Established Church, a church which weaves herself through the life of individuals and institutions in this country in weddings, chaplaincies, country fairs and city centre churches. For some it is being part of the world- wide fellowship of the Anglican Communion. And some are drawn to the Church of England’s wealth of buildings – beautiful churches built to the glory of God – some to the heritage of poetry and music and liturgy that we share – the voice of prayer that carries the character of this church. In this Church the character of being a member of something greater than the sum of its parts is expressed in our structures and hierarchies, our shared liturgies and common stories, in our networks of parishes within deaneries within archdeaconries within the Rochester Diocese, part of the province of Canterbury in the Church of England in the Anglican Worldwide Communion among the Worldwide Fellowship of Churches. It is not unreasonable, then - and may even be helpful - for the Bishop of the Rochester Diocese to try to draw together some of the threads of this identity and of the ii Rochester Diocese Bishop’s Guidelines 2017 processes of this structure into something that reflects what it is to be responsible for the work and mission of the Church in this place among these people. So these guidelines are not intended to be a rulebook, nor to be a complete encyclopaedia to the Diocese of Rochester and the Church of England. They are to be part of our shared understanding and local practice of what it means to be an Anglican in this place. I hope they form a useful handbook, providing answers to the most commonly asked questions. Many of these matters are deeply pragmatic: matters of money and housing and pensions and discipline; some of them touch on doctrine and the ancient practices of the church; some of this document rests on the responsibility each owes to the other, on our shared spirituality and on the care of the Bishop for his people. Wherever possible the reader is signposted to the guiding principles on which the Diocesan forms are based, and to sources of further advice and guidance. Within these pages are also listed the various resources available to you in this Diocese and in the wider Church. I have sought to make it a document of best practice and encouragement, rather than a series of “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots”. However, in a document like this, there are inevitably some subjects on which clear instruction is both necessary and, I hope, desirable. In short, it is my intention that these guidelines will help the clergy and officers of this Diocese to affirm your loyalty to [our] inheritance of faith as your inspiration and guidance under God in bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known to those in your care. With my prayers and good wishes, iii Called Together – Diocese of Rochester Framework Contents Foreword, by Bishop James ................................................................................................................................ ii Called Together – Diocese of Rochester Framework ............................................................................................. v A RESOURCES AND SUPPORT ............................................................................................................................... 1 A1 Common Tenure ........................................................................................................................................... 3 A1.1 Freehold ......................................................................................................................................... 3 A1.2 Common Tenure ............................................................................................................................. 3 A1.3 Qualified Common Tenure ............................................................................................................... 3 A1.4 Clergy who do not qualify for Common Tenure ................................................................................. 3 A2 Statement of Particulars ................................................................................................................................ 5 A3 Role Descriptions .......................................................................................................................................... 6 A4 Stipend ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 A4.1 How payable ................................................................................................................................... 7 A4.2 Training curates .............................................................................................................................. 7 A4.3 Incumbents .................................................................................................................................... 7 A4.4 Tax district ..................................................................................................................................... 7 A4.5 Local income .................................................................................................................................. 7 A4.6 Expenses ........................................................................................................................................ 7 A4.7 Council tax, water rates and utility costs ........................................................................................... 7 A4.8 Self Assessment .............................................................................................................................. 8 A5 Augmentation of Stipends ............................................................................................................................. 9 A6 Grants ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 A6.1 First appointment grants ............................................................................................................... 10 A6.2 Removal costs and expenses ......................................................................................................... 10 A6.3 Resettlement grants ...................................................................................................................... 10 A6.4 Continuing Ministerial Development grant ....................................................................................... 10 A6.5 Car loan schemes .......................................................................................................................... 10 Rochester Diocese Bishop’s Guidelines