Church Commissioners


The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836. The Church Commissioners are a registered charity regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and are liable for the payment of pensions to retired clergy whose pensions were accrued before 1998.
The Secretary of the Church Commissioners is Gareth Mostyn.

History

The Church Building Act 1818 granted money and established the Church Building Commission to build churches in the cities of the Industrial Revolution. These churches became known variously as Commissioners' churches, Waterloo churches or Million Act churches. The Church Building Commission became the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1836.
An earlier Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues Commission had been set up under the first brief administration of Sir Robert Peel in 1835 with a wide remit, "to consider the State of the Established Church in England and Wales, with reference to Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues" ; this body redistributed wealth between the dioceses and changed diocesan boundaries, and the permanent Ecclesiastical Commission was formed the following year.
The Church Commissioners were established in 1948 following the passage, by National Assembly of the Church of England, of the Church Commissioners Measure 1947.
In 1992 it was revealed that the Church Commissioners had lost £500m through over-commitment of the Fund leading to poor investment decisions. This figure was later revised up to £800m, a third of their assets.
The value of the Commissioners' assets was around £5.5 billion as at the end of 2012. By September 2016, it was valued at £7 billion. The income is used for the payment of pensions to retired clergy whose pensions were accrued before 1998 and a range of other commitments including supporting the ministries of bishops and cathedrals and funding various diocesan and parish missions initiatives.
The Commissioners also oversee pastoral reorganisation, the consent of the commissioners being required for establishing or dissolving team and group ministries, uniting, creating, or dissolving benefices and parishes, and the closing of consecrated church buildings and graveyards.
The Church Commissioners are now based at Church House, Westminster, London, having long occupied No. 1 Millbank. The Millbank building was sold in 2005 to the House of Lords for accommodation of members and staff; the Commissioners completed the move to Church House in 2007. They used to be an exempt charity under English law, and is now a registered charity regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
The Secretary of the Church Commissioners is Gareth Mostyn.

Responsibilities

The Church Commissioners have the following responsibilities:
There are 33 Church Commissioners, of whom 27 make up the Board of Governors as the main policy-making body, with a further 6 who are Officers of State or Government ministers. Board Members are either elected by the General Synod of the Church of England, or appointed by either the Archbishops or the Crown. The Board of Governors is composed of all of the Commissioners apart from the First Lord of the Treasury, the Lord President of the Council, the Lord Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Lord Speaker.
The 33 commissioners are as follows:
Church Estates Commissioners are three lay people who represent the Church Commissioners in the General Synod of the Church of England. The first and second commissioners are appointed by the British monarch, and the third commissioner is appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. They are based at Church House, Westminster, having previously had offices at No. 1 Millbank, London.

First Church Estates Commissioners

The First Church Estates Commissioner is appointed by the British Monarch.
The Second Church Estates Commissioner is always a Member of Parliament appointed by the Monarch, and has additional duties as a link between the British Parliament and the Church.
The Third Church Estates Commissioner is appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.