| answer text |
<p>The Church of England law around church buildings is complex, but there are two
main types; a consecrated church building where the bishop has performed a rite of
consecration, setting the church building (and font and altar) aside for public worship,
and a place of worship that has been licensed for that purpose by the bishop (not
consecrated).</p><p>The Church of England does not have a rite of "deconsecration"
as such – it is more usual to refer to the 'closure' of a church that is consecrated.
The process of closure is a legal one, set out in the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011
and its predecessor legislation. The bishop's consecration of a church building for
worship cannot be removed. However, the legal effects of consecration can be withdrawn
in order to allow the disposal of the building and a new use to be found for the building.</p><p>Since
1994 there have been around 650 closure schemes for consecrated church buildings brought
forward under the Mission and Pastoral Measure. In some of those cases, the closed
church building will have been sold to other Christian denominations for worship use,
and in some cases some occasional worship continues, even if the closed church building
is being used for community activities, for example.</p><p> </p>
|
|
