frequently asked questions
- Can our Vicar officiate at our daughter’s wedding in the local Methodist Church?
- As from 1 October 1985 it has been lawful for a cleric of the Church in Wales to officiate at a marriage service in a place of religious worship in Wales, other than a Church in Wales church, provided that place has been registered for marriages. The cleric must on each occasion be licensed by the Bishop to officiate in a place or places which include the proposed building; the cleric must be authorised to officiate in the building concerned for the purposes of the Marriage Act 1979 or a registrar must be present (the cleric’s own status as registrar which would apply for a Church in Wales marriage in a Church in Wales building does not apply); he must use a form of service approved by the bishop; have the consent of the trustees; and must ensure that there is no impediment in Canon Law to the marriage of the couple. The cleric must on no account use any Church in Wales or Church of England rite.
See also: Churches Together in Marriage: Pastoral Care of Inter-church Families (with a foreword by Bishop Huw Jones) published by CTE and CYTÛN (1994).
- As from 1 October 1985 it has been lawful for a cleric of the Church in Wales to officiate at a marriage service in a place of religious worship in Wales, other than a Church in Wales church, provided that place has been registered for marriages. The cleric must on each occasion be licensed by the Bishop to officiate in a place or places which include the proposed building; the cleric must be authorised to officiate in the building concerned for the purposes of the Marriage Act 1979 or a registrar must be present (the cleric’s own status as registrar which would apply for a Church in Wales marriage in a Church in Wales building does not apply); he must use a form of service approved by the bishop; have the consent of the trustees; and must ensure that there is no impediment in Canon Law to the marriage of the couple. The cleric must on no account use any Church in Wales or Church of England rite.
- The Churches in our village have worked well together for some time. We feel we would like to move on in our relationships. How might we do this in a formal way?
- Two possibilities might be:
- A local Covenant - solemnly made and publicly agreed at an appropriate service could provide the stimulus for a more structured and continuous process of growing closer together. This might be a suitable instrument for churches in areas where local ecumenical relationships have developed beyond the stage envisaged in the statement of occasional Local Ecumenical Relations – the DET can help you explore this possibility.
- A Local Ecumenical Project. This is defined as existing “where there is a formal written agreement affecting the ministry, congregational life, buildings and/or mission projects of more than one denomination; and a recognition of that agreement by the sponsoring authority, and by the appropriate denominational authorities”. LEP’s come in different shapes and varieties – the DET can help you explore this possibility.
- Two possibilities might be:
- The local Methodist Church has discovered major structural problems with their building. Can we extend an invitation for them to use our CIW building?
- The General Canon on p12 makes provision for sharing buildings on an informal basis.
On a more formal basis, two or more of the denominations named in the Sharing of Church Buildings Act 1989 may make arrangements called Sharing Agreements for the sharing by them of an existing or proposed church building. Agreements are entered into by the Representative Body of the Church in Wales with the consent of the Bishop, and the Incumbent and churchwardens. Agreements must make provision for the financial and other obligations of the parties concerned in respect of the management of the building. A Joint Council may be established as part of the Agreement with an acceptable proportional representation of the denominations involved.
Sharing agreements relate to sharing the use of buildings - not to the sharing of worship. However, the many opportunities now available within the Church in Wales should facilitate the introduction of shared worship, if the participating denominations and Joint Council desire it.
For further details about shared buildings see - Under One Roof: Guidelines to the Sharing of Church Buildings Act 1969 (Revised 1994) Published by CTBI in association with CTE and CYTÛN.
- The General Canon on p12 makes provision for sharing buildings on an informal basis.
On a more formal basis, two or more of the denominations named in the Sharing of Church Buildings Act 1989 may make arrangements called Sharing Agreements for the sharing by them of an existing or proposed church building. Agreements are entered into by the Representative Body of the Church in Wales with the consent of the Bishop, and the Incumbent and churchwardens. Agreements must make provision for the financial and other obligations of the parties concerned in respect of the management of the building. A Joint Council may be established as part of the Agreement with an acceptable proportional representation of the denominations involved.
- A new family have moved into our parish. They are Baptists and worshipped at their local Baptist church in their previous parish. We have no Baptist Church in our village so they have started worshipping with us and are very happy in our church. Can they be on our electoral roll?
- The Constitution of the Church in Wales was amended in September 1991 to allow communicants of Churches not in communion with the Church in Wales to apply for inclusion on the Electoral Roll, with the permission of the Bishop, granting them the rights and privileges of any member on the electoral roll.
Ecumenical conversation is not an exercise in diplomacy; once we think of it in that way we think that, if anything actually moves in this deadlock, this is because someone has made a concession, has compromised with principles, has watered down the truth. This is a disastrous illusion. True ecumenism is not diplomacy: it is kneeling and listening, in the presence of God, with brothers and sisters in Christ from whom the accidents of history have divided us, and asking God how we may together learn.
Henry Chadwick