Archdeacons' Annual (Deanery) Visitations

Every year parishioners elect Churchwardens to represent them and to work with their parish priest in enabling Christian mission and ministry in their parish. In 2020, the Archdeacons will hold visitations across the Diocese, where the Churchwardens are sworn in as officers of the Diocesan Bishop.  The dates and venues are below.

This page contains all the paperwork relating to election of Churchwardens, completion of the Articles of Enquiry, and other paperwork required to be legally compliant in the run up to the election of Churchwardens.  Please be aware that there are new Church Representation Rules effecitve 2020 which impact on how PCCs and APCMs are organised.  For this year we are encouraging parishes to stay with the pattern of holding APCMs before 30th April to enable the planned Visitations to go ahead.  Next year, 2021, the Visitations will be held in June.

Visitation Services

The Archdeacons write to all parishes with more details relating to the year end and visitations early in 2020. The letter for 2019 is here (left on webpage for information).

The Notice for the Church door or noticeboard is the official Invitation from the Archdeacon to Churchwardens and members of the PCC to attend a Visitation Service (usually). The notice should be displayed from the first Sunday after receiving the full documentation directly from the Archdeacon until the date of the Visitation. For the notice to display in your church, please click on the link below. 

Churchwardens' Briefings

We are as usual holding two briefings, one in each Archdeaconry, provisional dates below.  .Booking details to follow.

Blackburn -  17 June at 7pm at Whalley Abbey, starting with the swearing in of wardens not yet sworn in.

Lancaster -  23 June at Fulwood St Cuthbert (TBC) starting at 7 with with the admission of any wardens not yet sworn in, then the main event starting at 7.30 pm.  But do come at 7pm to network.  

Notices to Deaneries

Please click onto your deanery to print off the appropriate Notice for the Church Door from the table below.

A Churchwarden should confirm that the notice has been displayed by returning the notice confirmation form to gillian.beeley@blackburn.anglican.org , ideally by end April. 

PARISH VISITATIONS 2020

Nomination as a Churchwarden

The Nomination Form for Churchwarden should be made publically available for anyone on the church electoral roll to nominate someone as Churchwarden. The Archdeacons do not need to see the the completed form(s).

Election of Churchwarden

The forms relating to the election of churchwardens can be found on the Parish Resources Website.

This site also contains the forms for the election of PCC members, Deanery Synod members and administration of the electoral roll. 

After election as a Churchwarden

After election at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM), a Churchwarden should complete the Churchwarden's declaration either on-line (preferably) via this Survey Monkey link or print off and email the Declaration in Word format to Gillian.Beeley@Blackburn.Anglican.Org  

Please return your forms by 1 May in order for us to be sure we have your names in time for the visitation.  We shall also be updating the database - if your written declaration has not been received by May 31st, then you may not subsequently receive mailings etc from the Diocese.

Electoral Roll 

The Electoral Roll was revised in 2019.  The link to information is here.

The latest edition (2019) of the Archdeacons' Visitations News is here

Articles of Enquiry are now live.
The Articles of Enquiry are now completed via the Parish Returns Online - in the same way as you would complete other returns.