Faculties: what, why and how Diocesan Advisory Committee

Faculty Jurisdiction Has been in existence for hundreds of years. A faculty is permission to do something when there is no set right to do so. A ‘faculty’ and a ‘licence’ are really the same thing and were often interchangeable in the past. Today, a faculty refers specifically to a permission by a court to deal with a church or churchyard whilst a licence describes all other permissions such as to officiate as a minister or marry in church.

What is a faculty? Faculties are now known as the Church’s equivalent of planning permission. The Faculty Jurisdiction system extends to all consecrated churches and churchyards, whether they are listed or not.  Everything in or on the land is included within the jurisdiction, as are the fabric, ornaments and furniture of the church. The jurisdiction also extends to unconsecrated land surrounding, or adjacent or ancillary, to a church, and to certain buildings which, though unconsecrated, are licensed by the bishop for public worship.

Why do we need faculties? Mid C19th – many churches had fallen into disrepair Revival of interest in Gothic architecture Early C20th – political radicalism, religious sectarianism 1906 – Govt. wanted to disestablish the Church in Wales and seize its lands France was in the grip of the anti-church Third republic and wanted to place ecclesiastical property under state control CofE needed to safeguard the use and control it had over its buildings against a rising tide of secularism.

Threats to the freedom of the church

Threats to the church 2 St Peter and St Paul, Salle Norfolk In 1802, Edward Hase of Salle, Norfolk built a memorial to his late wife in the parish church of St Peter & St Paul. Without consultation, he removed the glass and blocked the north transept perpendicular window to create a site for the memorial. The Rector could have obtained a court order to restore the window but failed to do so. However, the case gave weight for a protective system to be made available. St Peter and St Paul, Salle Norfolk

Ecclesiastical exemption The Solution 1913 Parliament was persuaded to exempt ecclesiastical buildings from secular control of ancient monuments PROVIDING THAT the Church of England would take proper care of its buildings Faculty jurisdiction is the means by which this process is administered and enforced. The first Faculty Jurisdiction Measure was passed in 1938.  Faculty law has expanded in the second half of the 20th century, and seems to have followed the expansion of secular planning and environmental law

Diocesan Advisory committee Diocesan Advisory Committees are statutory bodies set up under the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991. Their main functions are to give advice on the architecture, archaeology, art and history of places of worship to the diocesan Chancellor, the Archdeacons and parishes. At the first stage of the Faculty Jurisdiction process, the Diocesan Advisory Committee considers faculty applications and advises the Chancellor whether or not a faculty should be granted. DACs now also provide advice and support to parishes at all stages of their projects encouraging the development of church buildings to reflect the past and present life of the parish they serve and to play a key role in mission and outreach.

Role of the dac To ensure church buildings are maintained to the best possible standard To inspire parishes to make strategic and sustainable changes to their buildings To encourage congregations to explore new ways of engaging with local communities To help churches become a welcoming, stimulating and hospitable heart for their parishes seven days a week. To help churches discover, celebrate and share the heritage of their building and parish for mutual benefit. To inform the Chancellor on the appropriateness of projects To liaise between the church and amenity bodies

Church as a living organism Any organism that is unable to modify itself in response to changes in its environment will die Church as a museum Church as a living organism To retain as much as possible the appearance and setting as it was originally built (listed) Churches cannot evolve Church becomes disconnected from its wider community Unable to meet new needs Unable to change liturgy The Church is no longer at the fore of people’s interests Where there is no vision, the people perish Proverbs 29.18 If you are going to build a church you are going to create a thing which speaks. It will speak of meanings, and of values, and it will go on speaking. And if it speaks of the wrong values it will destroy. There is a responsibility here. Robert Maguire ‘Meaning and Understanding’ in Towards a Church Architecture, 1962

For sale Salford St Ignatius Ufford St Andrew

Churches are a tangible expression of the Christian faith They are hard-wired into the landscape Even those who rarely attend consider them part of their identity They play significant parts in the lives of those around them They are not museums They are a visible sign of ongoing Christian faith and an unparalleled part of our heritage. They can and should evolve to meet new needs

the diocese of Sheffield Covers an area of 580 square miles Has a population of 1.25 million Has 214 churches In an ideal world this means there are 5869 potential congregants for every church Average age of congregants = 62 2014 figures show the usual Sunday attendance per church ranged from 5 to 981 The median usual Sunday attendance = 42 37 churches have fewer than 30 regular congregants 23 churches have over 100 regular congregants 60% of congregations have fewer than five members under 16

National Church buildings review group Nationally Diocese of Sheffield 15,700 churches 54% of churches are Grade I or II* 57% in rural areas 17% of the national population live in rural areas 70% of Grade I & II* churches are in rural areas 5.2% are on the At Risk Register 214 churches 31% of churches are Grade I or II* 26% in rural areas 8% of the Diocese of Sheffield’s population live in rural areas 33% of Grade I & II* churches are in rural areas 5.6% are on the At Risk Register

Help, support and advice

Getting the job done MINOR WORKS List A or B – Archdeacon’s permission No Public Notice, no Faculty Petition, DAC monthly meeting or Faculty BUT: plans, drawings, specifications, photographs, reports etc STILL needed MAJOR WORKS Pray Plan Consult DAC QI Other churches Advice Application Form 1A, Form 3A Faculty Petition, Public Notice, PCC resolution, full plans, permissions, consultations, statements of significance and needs