Did you know there is a national Churchwarden Facebook page where Churchwardens can chat and support each other? Just search ‘Churchwardens England’ on Facebook.
This is your page – we hope you will find lots of things here that are useful in your role. We would love to hear from you, so do get in touch using the form below.
The Church’s Mission in a Diverse World
The 2025 Churchwarden’s Conference was held on Saturday 15th November. We were pleased to welcome Bishop Leah, our Archdeacons, key note speaker, the Revd Canon Dr Mark Powley, as well as Revd Anesia Cook and Rachel Edmonds from our Racial Justice team. A number of teams from Central Services were also there to take questions and offer support.
The day was filmed and videos of the various presentations and sessions will be available soon. Watch this space…
Heather Ford, our Ecclesiastical Insurance Church Support Manager has shared a number of contacts and links to resources that she spoke about on the day including preparing for winter and templates for risk assessments.
In the meantime, please add Saturday 14th November to your diary for 2026 conference.
New Churchwarden Training
Each year we offer a Saturday morning training session for new Churchwarden’s and those that would like a refresher. It is a good opporunity to meet with others new the role, ask questions and hopefully leave the session with information and points of contact to help you in your new role.
The date for the next training is Saturday 20th June 2026. More information will be circulated closer to the time, but you can find the slides from this year’s session below.
An induction toolkit – essential information for three groups of people: Those new to the role, existing Churchwardens and those considering the role
Fast-track your journey to Church HR excellence. 12 short modules with a bank of downloadable templates.
Read the latest Archdeacons’ News Magazine (Summer 2025)
What is a Churchwarden?
The office of Churchwarden is a vital and ancient part of the Church of England (it goes back to the 13th Century). Churchwardens have served the church since its beginnings and are directly responsible to the Bishop.
The role of Churchwarden is extremely varied but generally involves management, maintenance and ministry. It is a real calling and vocation giving the opportunity to make a significant difference in the life and history of the parish church.
The rights and responsibilities of Churchwardens are laid down in church Law and, as with most roles within a parish, this is a voluntary position. Churchwardens are the Bishop’s officers and are admitted to office each year by the Archdeacon, on behalf of the Bishop Download our Churchwarden Declaration form to find out more.
Their first responsibility is to the Bishop, usually via the Archdeacon. Along with the parish priest/incumbent, they are generally responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the parish.
Who can be a Churchwarden?
Churchwardens must be baptised, regular communicants who are resident in the parish or on the Electoral Roll. They need not be members of the congregation of the parish church, in a parish with more than one church. In addition any Churchwarden:
- Should be over 21
- Should consent to being appointed
- Should have been confirmed, and should have received communion at least three times in the previous year. A person who is ready to be confirmed and wants to be confirmed also qualifies.
How are Churchwardens elected?
Churchwardens are elected annually under the provision of the Churchwarden Measures 2001 by the Annual Meeting of Parishioners, as the senior lay people of the parish and congregations. Their term of office is one year and they may service for up to six consecutive terms of office unless the Annual meeting passes a resolution to set aside this rule.
Responsibilities and tasks
Please go to the Churchwarden Toolkit for a detailed description of Responsibilities and Tasks, and keep an eye on the Year at a Glance page which will guide you month by month.
Also, there is the requirement to maintain the Building(s)
There is a requirement to maintain the following Records:
- Terrier – a list of lands belonging to the Church,
- Inventory – a list of all the items belonging to the church
- Log book – a detailed record of all the alterations, additions and repairs to the church, its land and contents. (Do ensure the location of these documents is known and offsite copies kept)
Interregnum
During a vacancy in a parish, the churchwarden, along with the Area Dean, is responsible for ensuring that worship, pastoral care and mission continue in the parish, and for supporting any assistant clergy, lay ministers, staff and volunteers in the parish in their responsibilities. These documents may be helpful Managing a Vacancy and Appointments Process.
Please also visit the Churchwarden Toolkit as there is a section in there about responsibility during a Vacancy.
Church Support Team
