Meeting of parishioners
The annual meeting of parishioners is held yearly in every parish of the Church of England to elect churchwardens and deputies for the forthcoming year. The meeting must be held by 31 May and is commonly held immediately prior to the annual meeting of the parochial church council. It is the last remnant of the old vestry meeting.
The meeting
Since this is a public meeting, notice must be given in writing with the minimum period of two Sundays before the date of the meeting and the notice must be displayed publicly.The meeting is convened and chaired by the minister, or if there is no minister or if she or he is unable or unwilling to chair the meeting, the churchwardens convene, and the meeting elects a chairman.
Agenda
Typically, the meeting's structure is as follows:- Opening statement by the chair, usually the parish priest
- Minutes of the previous annual vestry meeting
- Nominations for churchwardens have to have been handed to the minister before the meeting, in writing: he/she has the right to reject one of the nominees if he/she feels that person would be a difficulty
- Vote – only required if there are more applicants than posts available
- Meeting closes
Attendees and voters
The following people may vote:- People whose names are on the church electoral roll.
- People who are resident in the parish and who are also on the register of local government electors: in other words, any resident of the parish – of any faith or none – who is registered to vote.