Revised 16/09/15 version 3 Bishop’s Guidelines Section 02
Contents
Introduction
Authorised Services
Choice of which Rite of Service to use
Authorised Translations of the Bible
Reservation of the Sacrament
Visiting Clergy
Vacancies
The Leading of Worship by Lay People other than Readers
Distribution of Communion and Eucharistic Assistants
Public Worship with Communion by Extension
Communion at Home
Admission of Children to Communion before Confirmation
Ecumenism
The Filming or Videoing of a Church Service
A Code of Practice for Service Fees
Finally…..
Introduction
The three primary tasks of the church are the worship of Almighty God, the teaching and nurture of Christian disciples and faithful participation in God’s Mission to the whole world. Worship therefore lies at the heart of the Christian Faith. It followsthat the way in which we conduct our worship is of utmost importance; if the God we worship is worthy of our worship then this worship is worthy of due care and preparation. However, our worship is also central to both our nurture as Christians and to our exercising of God’s Mission in the world. The people of God grow in faith as they pray. Liturgy is central to growing within a holy and living faith. At the same time, the conduct of worship is for many people the ‘shop window’ of the Church’s life and what they experience will seriously influence the way in which they regard both the Church and Christianity more generally. When people come to a service, perhaps as a one-off for a special occasion or as a guest, the impression which we give them may be fundamental in determining the way in which they regard both God and His Church in the future.
I therefore regard the following guidelines as fundamental to all our worship whether it be a short daily office attended by two or three people, a Sunday service in a country church with a congregation of ten, an informal service of whatever size, a formal service with a congregation of hundreds, a marriage service, a funeral or anything in-between. I should also stress that these guidelines are intended to apply right across the broad spectrum of Churchmanship which we encounter within the Church of England and which is one of our joys and strengths. If any of them do not give that impression then that was not my intention.
Specific information on Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Funerals and other Pastoral Offices can be found elsewhere in these Guidelines.
Authorised Services
All licensed or beneficed ministers make the declaration of assent in which we declare that we will use only those forms of worship which are authorised by Canon. This means, in practice, that we must work within the regulations set out in Canons B1 to B5. Whereas in former times this might well have been thought to be somewhat restrictive in nature, the wide variety of liturgical material which is now available in the six volumes which constitute Common Worship, as well as the enduring status of the Book of Common Prayer (much of which is printed within the volumes of Common Worship) means that we have available to us forms of words to cover almost any conceivable situation.
Choice of which Rite or Service
All Bishops, Priests and Deacons are expected to be competent in presiding at the Eucharist and in leading both daily and pastoral offices both according to the Book of Common Prayer and according to the liturgies introduced with Common Worship. All Assistant Curates should be trainedso as to be competent in this way.
The way in which it shall be decided which rite shall be used in any given circumstance is governed by Canon.
Authorised Translations of the Bible
Any version of the Bible or Psalter which is not prohibited by lawful authority may be used at a service unless that service is contained within the Book of Common Prayer. At present, no versions are prohibited in this way although I would hope that we would only use those produced within the Christian Tradition. The decision as to which version to use therefore rests with the minister and the Parochial Church Council. At a Prayer Book Service, then strictly speaking it is only permissible to use the Authorised Version, the Revised Version, the Revised Standard Version, the New English Bible, the Jerusalem Bible and the Good News Bible (Today’s English Version).
Reservation of the Sacrament
The reservation of the sacrament, usually for distribution to those who are housebound, is a common practice. However, it is important to ensure that we always treat the consecrated elements with dignity and respect. They should therefore be reserved in suitable vessels which are both clean and in good repair. In the case of the wine it is important that the material is such as will not react and cause contamination. The sacrament should be kept in a secure place within the Church which has been designed and constructed for this purpose and if transported from the building the vessels should be secure and inside a second container of dignified appearance. Any reserved sacrament should be consumed on the next Sunday or on the next major Holy Day (printed in red in the Common Worship calendar of festivals) when a service is held in the Church in question, whichever is the sooner.
Visiting Clergy
From time to time services will be taken by visiting clergywho are not familiar with the particular church and local practice. In such cases it is both helpful and courteous to send them a copy of the service booklet at least a week in advance of the service and for someone to be available to brief them on any practicalities when they arrive. Whilst there will clearly be some differences in the way in which they conduct the service, for we are all individuals, all visiting clergy should be prepared to work within the local tradition unless it has specifically been agreed otherwise by the PCC.
Visiting clergy should always be beneficed in the Diocese or hold either the Bishop’s licence or his Permission to Officiate (PtO) and should only officiate at the invitation of the Incumbent or Priest-in-Charge or, during a vacancy, the Churchwardens or Rural Dean. If they are licensed in another diocese and do not hold PtO in this diocese they may only take services in accordance with the canons, namely not more than any one period of seven days in any three month period. In practice, any minister taking more than the occasional service should obtain PtO as this avoids any confusion. It is also highly undesirable for any minister to take services in a former parish without the express invitation of the Incumbent or Priest-in-Charge and certainly not during a vacancy.
For detailed information concerning Bishops, Priests and Deacons who do not hold the Bishop of Exeter’s Licence or Permission to Officiate please see section 2A of these Guidelines.
A minister who has been ordained outside the Church of England, Church of Ireland, Church in Wales or Episcopal Church of Scotland is subject to the Overseas Clergy Measure. This applies even when he or she has been ordained by a Church of England Bishop at the request of and on behalf of an overseas Bishop. In practice, this means that they cannot exercise their ministry without a General Permission to Officiate being issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury or York. This must precede any licence or PtO being issued in a particular English Diocese.
Vacancies
During a vacancy the responsibility for arranging clergy and other ministers to officiate at services rests jointly with the Rural Dean and Churchwardens who act as sequestrators. Whilst some parishes may be fortunate in having a number of dedicated non stipendiary and retired clergy who will take most of the services, others will have to use a wide range of visiting clergy. In this latter case, the observations about visiting clergy made above will apply. However, whoever actually takes the service, this should not be done in a way which introduces a marked or notable shift in liturgical practice or tradition.
The Leading of Worship by Lay People other than Readers
The PCC (Powers) Measure 1956 encourages the Minister and PCC to co-operate:
It shall be the duty of the minister and the PCC to consult together on matters of general concern and importance to the parish. The functions of the PCC shall include cooperation with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical'.
It is good practice in the modelling of collaborative ministry if the individuals taking part in the leading of public worship are not acting on their own, but a part of, say, a parish worship group or local ministry team. It is also important for the PCC regularly to review both the content and the leading of public worship, and for the minister and people to be known to be working together on this.
These guidelines are designed to answer some of the more obvious questions, and to clarify the involvement of lay people in leading worship.
Leading Prayers and Reading Lessons.
There are no formal regulations about this. The incumbent may invite anyone to take part in this way, but the people asked must have some training, be acceptable to the PCC and speak in a way which is audible and intelligible.
Leading Morning and Evening Prayer
Canon B 11 states
Morning and Evening Prayer shall be said or sung in every parish church at least on all Sundays and other principal Feast Day and Ash Wednesday and Good Fridays ...
This may be dispensed with on a regular basis as authorised by the Bishop in accordance with Canon 14A,
A Service of the Word is authorized as an alternative to Morning and Evening Prayer, and so it is covered by the same Canon. This means that it applies also to services such as Family Service, Evening Praise or other non-eucharistic services, as well as to the first part of the Eucharist, when that is from Common Worship.
The same Canon says that the incumbent may invite a suitable lay person to say or sing Morning and Evening Prayer. It may be advisable for any invitation to have the support of the PCC in advance.
Readers, such other lay persons as maybe authorised by the Diocese, or some other suitable person may, at the invitation of the minister of the Parish or, where a cure is vacant or the minister incapacitated, at the invitation of the Churchwardens say or sing Morning and Evening Prayer (save for the Absolution).
Such worship does not have to be led by clergy, nor by a Reader. Churchwardens have the responsibility and right to lead Morning and Evening prayer or to appoint a suitable person to lead such a service as necessary in the absence of a licensed minister.
Leading part of the Communion Service
The Notes to Common Worship Holy Communion set the scene:
Holy Communion is celebrated by the whole people of God gathered for worship. The ministry of the members of the congregation is expressed through their active participation together in the words and actions of the service, but also by some of them reading the Scripture passages, leading the prayers of intercession, and, if authorised, assisting with the distribution of Communion.
When The Book of Common Prayer is used, a priest takes the whole service.
In all other cases, including the equivalent of the Book of Common Prayer service in Common Worship (Order 2), the situation is governed by the notes to Common Worship Holy Communion:
The unity of the liturgy is served by the ministry of the president, who in presiding over the whole service holds word and sacrament together and draws the congregation into a worshipping community. The president at Holy Communion expresses this ministry by saying the opening Greeting, the Absolution, the Collect, the Peace, and the Blessing. The president must say the Eucharistic Prayer, break the consecrated bread and receive the sacrament on every occasion. When appropriate, the president may, after greeting the people, delegate the leadership of all or parts of the Gathering and the Liturgy of the Word to a deacon, Reader or other authorised lay person.
In the absence of a priest for the first part of the service, a deacon, Reader or other authorised lay person may lead the entire Gathering and Liturgy of the Word.
This again is something which should be discussed by the PCC, who should consider very seriously the pattern of services on a Sunday to try to make sure that the incumbent is not dashing madly from one service to another.
Preaching
Preaching is one of the means by which people come to faith, and are taught and built up in that faith. So it is important for the well-being and growth of the church that it is done well by those who have been trained and have some theological knowledge. This is why only clergy and Readers who have received the Bishop’s Licence are allowed to preach on a regular basis. The authorisation granted by a licence is a sharing of the authority of the Bishop A lay person who is not a Reader, invited by the incumbent to lead worship, may read a prepared and approved text, give a testimony or lead a bible study or discussion - in each case under the authority, supervision and oversight of the person who shares the Bishop’s cure of souls in that place..
Canon B 18.2 says,
The sermon shall be preached by a minister, deaconess, Reader or lay worker duly authorised in accordance with Canon Law. At the invitation of the minister having the cure of the souls another person may preach with the permission of the bishop of the Diocese given either in relation to a particular occasion or in accordance with Diocesan regulations.
In this Diocese, the Bishop may give permission for a named individual to preach in a named church for a specific number of years on a specific number of occasions. An application for such permission should include:
- an indication that the application has the approval of the PCC
- an indication of the training undertaken or in process
- the frequency with which this ministry might be exercised
- the pastoral reasons for the application.
Distribution of Communion and Eucharistic Assistants
Canon B12.3 states:
No person shall distribute the Holy Sacrament of Lord's Supper to the people unless he shall have been ordained in accordance with the provisions of Canon C1, or is otherwise authorised by Canon or unless he has been specially authorised to do so by the Bishop acting under such regulations as the General Synod may make from time to time.
The Church Assembly regulations of 1969 are still in operation:
An application to the Bishop to authorise a baptised and confirmed person to distribute the Holy Sacrament in any parish shall be made in writing by the incumbent or the Priest-in-Charge of the parish supported by the Churchwardens, and shall specify the name and shall give relevant particulars of the person to whom the application relates.
Whilst the distribution of communion should never be rushed, but should rather be conducted in a prayerful atmosphere, it is important for the balance of the service that this does not take an excessive length of time. This is particularly important atchurches with larger congregations and in any church which is faced with a congregation which is larger than is usually the case.
For special services it is usually important to introduce additional stations for the distribution of communion. The Cathedral is very good at this and provides an excellent example of how this can be done. On a more regular basis it is important to have sufficient numbers of authorised Eucharistic Ministers to provide the necessary level of assistance on a regular basis.
Eucharistic Ministers should be nominated by the Church Council and Parish Priest and then approved by the relevant Suffragan Bishop. It is most important for those appointed to understand that this is not in perpetuity and that the group of Eucharistic Ministers in a particular parish should be reviewed on a regular basis so that this ministry can be shared amongst a wide group of people. Such authorisations are normally for the distribution of the Sacrament (i.e. both bread and wine).
A separate application should be made for the distribution of Communion to the sick and housebound. The same procedure is followed but Suffragan Bishop will require more specific training to be undertaken. There are separate guidelines for Public Worship with Communion by Extension.
Public Worship with Communion by Extension
House of Bishops guidelines permit the use of extended communion to enable the reception of the sacrament at a public service when no priest can be present. The consecration must have taken place earlier the same day and the order of service follows that which is published by Church House Publishing in the format of Common Worship. Where the Eucharist can be celebrated by the people and presided over by a priest Holy Communion by Extension is not an option.
In all cases the guidelines issued by The House of Bishops should be followed as should our own Diocesan Regulations. The guidelines and regulations are printed hereand application forms are available at the end of this chapter.
Whilst Public Worship with Communion by Extension mustalways be seen as the exception rather than the norm, it is possible to be very creative in the way in which such a service is presented. It should be noted that there is nothing in the guidelines which precludes the service with communion by extension beginning before the service at which the consecration will take place, provided that the consecrated elements are transported with dignity by a Eucharistic Minister of the Church concerned. Indeed, if the two services run almost concurrently, the nature of extension is affirmed and almost takes on the nature of a remote distribution point of the service in the first church.
Diocesan Policy and Practice as revised in 2015.
Background
‘Communion by Extension’ is a provision whereby, in the absence of a priest to preside at the Eucharist, a congregation may nevertheless be nourished with the consecrated bread and wine of Holy Communion. It is an exceptional provision for which the Diocesan Bishop’s explicit permission is required.