What is the Electoral Roll?

The Electoral Roll is the list of electors at St Philip and St Jacob Church. In the same way that being on the civic Electoral Roll allows you to vote in parliamentary and local elections and referenda, joining the Electoral Roll at St Philip and St Jacob Church means that you can vote on church matters, attend the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and stand for election to the Parochial Church Council (PCC). Being on the Electoral Roll does NOT make you a “member” of Central, however regarding Central as your spiritual home and ascribing to our vision and core vales does. Indeed, a condition of joining the Roll is that you are already a “member” of the church family here at Central!

Do I have to join?

You can of course be a full and active member of Central without joining the Roll. Being on the Electoral Roll does not entail signing up to any additional commitments. However, joining the Electoral Roll is necessary if you want to stand for election to the PCC or other synodical councils (such as the Deanery, Diocesan or General Synod) or attend and vote at the APCM. 

What does the Electoral Roll affect?

The Electoral Roll is the only official register of membership within the Church of England.  When the national press talk about numbers attending church services, this is based on Electoral Roll figures. In addition, the size of our Electoral Roll affects the number of representatives on the PCC and the other synodical bodies. Numbers on the Electoral Roll also help the diocese when establishing their request to us for Parish Share – this is the amount we give to the diocese each year to cover the cost of our clergy, support churches that cannot cover their costs, training new clergy as well as other central diocese costs.

Do I qualify to join the Roll?

To apply for the Electoral Roll you must meet ALL the following conditions:

• You must be aged 16 or over (though you can apply in the year you become 16 and your name will be entered once your birth date has passed).

• You must be a lay person and baptized.

• You must be a member of the Church of England and EITHER live in the parish of St Philip and St Jacob with Emmanuel OR have attended St Philip and St Jacob Church regularly for at least 6 months.  In this context, regularly means at least twice a month.

The phrase “member of the Church of England” requires further explanation and means one of the following:

• Member of the Church of England

• Member of a Church in communion with the Church of England. The only Churches at present in communion with the Church of England are other Anglican Churches (excepting the so-called Anglican continuing Churches in North America) and some other foreign churches.

• Member of a Church not in communion with the Church of England but which subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity; you must be prepared to also declare yourself a member of the Church of England. This category includes other Protestant denominations such as Moravian, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist, as well as Roman Catholic, URC, Russian/Greek Orthodox etc.

Application for Enrolment on the Church Electoral Roll

Please complete the application form below.  Although you can join the Electoral Roll at any time, to be eligible to participate at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday 21st April you must submit your application no later than Wednesday 3rd April 2024.  Applications received after this date will be added to the Electoral Roll after the APCM.

APPLY - coming soon

Some additional notes:

• If you are a parish resident you do not have to actually attend the Church of which you consider yourself a member; but if you live outside the parish, the 6 months’ regular attendance at Central is a requirement. If you know your postcode you can find out if you are resident in the parish by using the online tool at www.achurchnearyou.com.

• You can be on the Electoral Roll of more than one Church, but you can only serve on the PCC of one Church at a time.

• If you are not resident in the parish but were a regular worshipper at Central, and have been prevented by sickness or absence or other essential reason from worshipping with us for the past six months, you can still join the Electoral Roll but please include a note on the form to indicate the reason you have not been able to attend regularly.

• In these notes, “parish” means ecclesiastical parish.