(unless the patron is the Crown or the Lord Chancellor)
When there is a vacancy in a benefice the PCC is required to hold a meeting, often known as a "Section 11 Meeting", within four weeks of receiving a notice from the Registrar as the Designated Officer for the purposes of
a) preparing a statement describing the conditions, needs and traditions of
the parish;
b) appointing two lay members of the council to act as representatives of the
council in connection with the selection of the incumbent;
c) deciding whether to request the patron to consider advertising the vacancy;
d) deciding whether to request a meeting with the patron and the bishop or their
representatives;
e) deciding whether to request a statement in writing from the bishop describing
in relation to the benefice the needs of the diocese and the wider interests
of the Church;
f) deciding whether the PCC wishes to vote on 'Resolutions A & B' over the
ordination of women as priests.
The parish representatives have to approve the making of an offer by the patron
to a priest unless the PCC has failed to provide a statement or given notice
of the meeting.
