Churchwardens are the Bishop’s lay officers responsible directly to her for the life and work of the church in the parish. Responsibilities laid upon them from time to time by the Bishop, or by the Archdeacon and the Area Dean, include ensuring the maintenance of the building, arranging for services to be taken in an interregnum and acting as ex-officio members of the PCC.
The appointment of Churchwardens is governed by the Churchwardens Measure 2001.
Please look through this page and refer to the Key Documents below to find documents designed to help and support churchwardens. In particular, please refer to the Churchwarden's Handbook.
Archdeacons' Visitations
Churchwardens serve as officers of the Bishop and are required to appear before her or her deputy to swear their oath and be formally admitted each year.
Churchwardens and others are invited to attend a Visitation service for prayer, worship and the formal admission of Churchwardens. The visitations take place in June/July each year.
Please note that churchwardens need to attend one of these services to be admitted. Anyone elected as churchwarden does not take up office until admitted, and this must be done before the 31 August.
Archdeacons’ Visitation Services 2026
Churchwardens elected at the 2026 APCMs, along with their clergy, PCC members and others are invited to attend the Visitation services for prayer, worship and the formal admission of Churchwardens.
The visitations will be held at 7 pm with the exception of 15 June which will be held at 5.30 pm as part of Evensong in the Cathedral.
Tuesday 9 June 7pm - Canterbury archdeaconry, Canterbury Cathedral
Monday 15 June 5.30pm - All archdeaconries (during evensong), Canterbury Cathedral
Tuesday 16 June 7pm - Ashford archdeaconry, Canterbury Cathedral
Wednesday 24 June 7pm -Maidstone archdeaconry, St Faith’s, Maidstone
Tuesday 30 June 7pm - Ashford & Maidstone archdeaconries, St Mildred’s, Tenterden
The Visitations are not ticketed events and there is no restriction on numbers attending. Churchwardens should attend whichever service suits them best and will receive a warm welcome whichever archdeaconry they are connected with.
Churchwardens need to be admitted to office as required by s6 of the Churchwardens Measure 2001. That stipulates that those elected at the current year’s APCMs must be duly admitted to office by 31 August or their post is deemed to be a casual vacancy and new elections are required. For this reason, attending a Visitation service is not an option for a Churchwarden: there is a legal requirement to attend and until a Churchwarden has been admitted by the Archdeacon, he or she is not legally entitled to hold office.
Training for Churchwardens
Whether you are newly elected or have been a Churchwarden for some time, our Churchwardens' training sessions are an opportunity to find out more about what support is available and connect in with other churchwardens.
Dates for churchwarden training will be listed here. Churchwardens are invited to attend whichever date suits them best and are not confined to the archdeaconry to which they are linked.
Upcoming Training:
Please check back during 2026. Emails will also be sent regarding dates for training in Spring 2026.
Key documents
- Archdeacons' Visitation News
- Order the 2026 Churchwardens Yearbook or the 2025 Churchwardens Yearbook at a reduced price using the code Visitation25.
- Risk Management Guides for Churches - from Ecclesiastical Insurance
- Records and Information Management | The Church of England - guidance for incumbents and churchwardens
- Churchwardens Handbook
- The Churchwarden: Area Dean's Parish Visits
- Public Liability Insurance
- Churchwarden Declaration and details form
- Archdeacons' visitation certificate and declaration
Maintenance Booker
Maintenance Booker is a website that gives churches a straightforward way of arranging for companies with the right experience and qualifications to carry out many routine repairs and inspections and help keep the building in good order before small issues become larger problems. Using this website, churches can book gutter clearance and repairs, lightning protection inspection, tree surveys and maintenance as well as asbestos surveys and removal. More services will be added as time goes on, such as stonework and lime mortaring, bat surveys, and grounds and graveyard maintenance.