The anatomy of Anglican governance

News

9 Sept

An introduction to the inner workings of the Anglican body.

By Petra Oomen and Anglican Movement

[This article first appeared in the Nelson Diocese news and website. It is part of a series to help explain the governance structure and functions of the Anglican Church from the perspective of the parish. As we prepare for our Diocesan Synod in October, we are republishing the articles - with changes where necessary to localise the content. Our thanks to the Nelson Diocese for allowing us use of this content.]

On a wet Tuesday night in a parish hall, eight volunteers are deciding whether to spend $80,000 on a leaky roof or keep funding a youth worker. This is vestry – the small elected group that quietly determines how an Anglican church will survive and grow.

This series on the anatomy of Anglican governance looks to demystify some of the roles that are absolutely vital to the running of our churches, but often hidden beneath layers of jargon. The term “anatomy” works well as we investigate the inner workings of the body of Christ as seen in 1st Corinthians ch 12.

Our parishes are living bodies of believers who have unique and essential functions, all working together for the wider flourishing of the Church.

There are different types of leadership in a church:

Visionary leadership (deciding where the church needs to be and creating the environment and culture to get it there)
Governance leadership (keeping the church on course to get it to the desired goal)
Management leadership (organising the staffing and daily operations of the church)

While there’s some overlap, the first is primarily the role of the vicar, the second is the role of vestry, and the third is the role of staff and volunteers involved in parish management.

This series, will unpack a number of particular roles, starting with vestry.

Vestry is the elected governing body of members responsible for the big decisions in a parish. The word “vestry” actually comes from the room where vestments are kept in a church (tracing back to the Latin vestiarium: a wardrobe). This room would often serve as a meeting room for transactions of parish business, which eventually led to the word “vestry” referring to the governing body itself.

Who is in vestry?

Vestry is made up of the vicar, two church wardens – the vicar’s warden and the people’s warden – two or three synod representatives, and three to ten elected members. Those numbers vary across different dioceses and each person has particular responsibilities.

There might also be a health and safety advocate, a treasurer, a secretary and a youth synod representative. Those people don’t have to be on vestry (and they will have speaking but not voting rights unless they've already been elected onto vestry), but they’re important for the functioning of the parish.

As well as governance, vestry is a group of disciples who pray, read scripture, and openly share their lives.

They are wholehearted disciples of Jesus, proclaiming the Kingdom of God, growing in faith, trusting in the Holy Spirit and bringing people to Christ. They embody parish and Anglican Movement mission and values and embody good culture.

If you’re regularly involved in your local parish and have an interest in how things run, you may be eligible to – and maybe should?! – put yourself forward to be nominated. Names are put forward for nomination, each one seconded by someone else on the parish role, then elected by parishioners at the AGM.

What does vestry do? What do they actually talk about?

Vestry usually meets monthly. The agenda is sent out in advance so members can get their heads around the items of business. Typically the vicar will lead the meeting, and someone will be appointed to write the minutes. Often vestry meetings will include supper and a short devotion. After the meeting, members receive a copy of the minutes.

According to our statutes, the primary duties of vestry are:

to promote the worship of Almighty God and to provide all things necessary for the ordering of public worship
to foster the spiritual growth and wellbeing of the parishioners, to bring before the parishioners the claims on them of the mission of the church in their community and in the world at large, and generally to promote the extension of Christ's Kingdom
to encourage all members of the parish to grow in the faith and service of Christ by the power of his Spirit, and in particular to see that Christian education is provided for persons of all age groups
to be responsible for the overall good management of the parish, to administer and undertake the business affairs of the parish, and to provide and care for the buildings, furnishings, and equipment needed for the good working of the parish
to determine the establishment of any paid position within the parish

Most items on vestry agenda will fall under those categories. It’s a broad scope of responsibilities, which could range from choosing curtains for the crèche and colours for the parish website to reviewing property insurance and renewing ministry licences.

This is why a colourful and unique assortment of people make the best vestry.

Someone with a background in business will offer good input on finance decisions. A construction worker might have ideas on how to renovate a church building to suit the needs of the parish. A primary school teacher may give suggestions on how to make the services more interactive for children.

If you’re interested in church leadership – and there’s a good chance you are if you’ve made it to the end of this article – you might want to look into joining vestry! We’re entering AGM season now, which is when most vestry members are elected for the year.

Talk to your vicar about it and help shape the future of your church.

Sign up for Vestry Leadership Course

Our popular course for Vestry members is on again starting in February 2027.

Happening over zoom, the course includes four sessions - one per term.

David Cross