Vacancy in See Committee

Our previous Vacancy in See Committee did tremendous work towards the appointment of our new Bishop. Now the members must stand down (as are the rules) and we invite you to consider putting yourself forward to join the new one.

Every three years our diocese elects a new Vacancy in See Committee. In accordance with the Vacancy in See Committees Regulation 2024, a committee should be in place at all times, in case of a vacancy in the office of the diocesan bishop. The term of the previous elected members of this diocese’s committee came to an end on December 31, 2024 (being the year in which a new Diocesan Synod was elected) and those places now need to be filled.

Please do rest assured that this is no reflection of a need for the committee – we are still very much looking forward to welcoming Bishop David soon! It may be that the committee doesn’t meet for the next three years until we are required to elect a new one.

The work of the Vacancy in See Committee in preparing for the appointment of a new diocesan bishop would be like the role of a PCC preparing a parish profile, but on a diocese-wide scale. Its work would require several meetings over a period of six months or so. Crucially, the committee elects six from amongst its number to form part of the Crown Nominations Commission, which decides who should be recommended to the Crown to be appointed as the next Bishop of Truro.

Its composition is a mixture of ex officio (x12) including the clergy and lay members who were elected to serve on the current General Synod and elected members.  It is expected that there will be at least 21 members.

We will be shortly issuing details of the election of the remaining members of the committee. There are spaces for both lay and clergy to be elected. Individuals will need to be nominated by a member of Diocesan Synod. More details on this will be sent to the members of Diocesan Synod.

If you have any questions about this election, please contact april.bullard@truro.anglican.org.

Diocesan Board of Patronage – casual vacancies

We are also electing members to the Board of Patronage.

Church patronage has a long history in the life of the church. Patronage is the right to put forward a person to take up a particular type of clergy post: – to ‘present’ a person to a Church of England benefice.

The Diocesan Board of Patronage holds the right of patronage in relation to certain benefices in the diocese, and meets to act as and when necessary, which may be as little as once or twice a year for a short meeting.

There are currently spaces for three clergy and four lay members.

Membership is open to any Clerk in Holy Orders beneficed in or licensed to any parish in the diocese and any lay person aged 16 + and a communicant member of the Church of England..

Members are nominated and elected by members of the Bishop’s Diocesan Council.

As this election is to fill casual vacancies, the term of office would end in 2027 (it started in 2021).

If you would like to put yourself or someone else forward for this election, please contact april.bullard@truro.anglican.org.