• Children and Youth
• Church Buildings
  • Caring for your church building
  • Caring for your church’s contents
  • Caring for your churchyard
  • Developing your church building
  • The Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches
  • DAC Meeting dates 2011/12
• Church Tourism
• Communications
• Disability Access
• Environment
• Finding a church
• Fresh Expressions
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• The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Church Buildings

Church buildings.

Our churches, both ancient and modern, are a valuable possession and a great responsibility. Their repair and maintenance is an on-going task and no work should be done or item be placed in a church which is not thoroughly good in itself and suitable to its situation. This applies not only to the structure, but equally to ornaments, monuments, furniture, lettering, lighting and heating, and also to work in churchyards. Even the simplest things should not be ordered without skilled advice. In the past much money has been thrown away on furniture and schemes which have defaced the buildings; good designs usually cost no more than bad.

Any changes by way of alteration, addition, improvement or repair to the fabric, fittings or furnishings require the authority of the Bishop given through the Chancellor of the Consistory Court of the Diocese by Faculty. This also applies to churchyards, even though memorials which fall within the authority delegated by the Chancellor through the Churchyard Memorial Rules (may be authorised by the minister.

This may seem like a challenge, but we are able to provide help every step of the way. Phil Thomas is the Church Building Officer (and Secretary to the DAC) and is here to offer you help and guidance in caring for your church building, its contents and the churchyard. If the information in these pages does not provide the answer to your question, Phil can be contacted on 01904 699523 or at phil.thomas@yorkdiocese.org.

The Diocesan Registry has advice on many matters pertaining to caring for your church buildings and churchyards. Another useful resource is the Church Care website. Below, you can dowload "Ours is a Living Church", the text of an excellent talk that Phil Thomas, Church Buildings Officer gave in October 2010, on caring for our churches.