Anglican Consultative Council - Resources

The Constitution of the Anglican Consultative Council

1. Name

The name of the council is the Anglican Consultative Council.

2. Object

The object of the council shall be to advance the Christian religion and in furtherance of that object, but not further or otherwise, the council shall have the following powers:

To facilitate the co-operative work of the member churches of the Anglican Communion.
To share information about developments in one or more provinces of the Anglican Communion with the other parts of the Communion and to serve as needed as an instrument of common action.
To advise on inter-Anglican, provincial, and diocesan relationships, including the division of provinces, the formation of new provinces and of regional councils, and the problems of extra - provincial dioceses.
To develop as far as possible agreed Anglican policies in the world mission of the Church and to encourage national and regional churches to engage together in developing and implementing such policies by sharing their resources of man power, money, and experience to the best advantage of all.
To keep before national and regional churches the importance of the fullest possible Anglican collaboration with other Christian churches.
To encourage and guide Anglican participation in the ecumenical movement and the ecumenical organisations, to co-operate with the World Council of Churches and the world confessional bodies on behalf of the Anglican Communion, and to make arrangements for the conduct of pan-Anglican conversations with the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox churches, and other churches.
To advise on matters arising out of national or regional church union negotiations or conversations and on subsequent relations with united churches.
To advise on problems of inter-Anglican communication and to help in the dissemination of Anglican and ecumenical information.
To keep in review the needs that may arise for further study, and, where necessary, to promote inquiry and research.
To obtain, collect, receive, and hold money, funds, and property, old and new, by way of contributions, donations, subscriptions, legacies, grants, and any other lawful method, and accept and receive gifts of property of any description (whether subject to any special trust or not).
To assist any charitable body or bodies financially or otherwise.
To establish an emergency fund or funds for the support of clergy in special need and for other charitable purposes in any part of the world.
To assist the Inter-Anglican Finance Committee (as hereinafter defined), the Primates' Meeting, and the Lambeth Conference as and when required to do so.
To procure to be written in print, publish, issue, and circulate gratuitously or otherwise any reports or periodicals, books, pamphlets, leaflets, or other documents.
To receive and hold in custody, or cause to be held in custody, any records or legal or historical documents of any member church.
To arrange and provide for or join in arranging and providing for the holding of exhibitions, meetings, lectures, and classes.
To make bylaws, always subject to this constitution, for the better conduct of its business and to repeal or amend the same from time to time.
To do all such other things as shall further the objects of the council.

3. Membership

The Council shall be constituted with a membership according to the schedule hereto. With the assent of two-thirds of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, the council may alter or add to the schedule. "Primates," for the purposes of this article, shall mean the principle Archbishop, bishop, or Primates of each of the bodies listed in paragraphs b,c and d of the schedule of membership.
Members shall be appointed as provincial, national or regional machinery provides. Alternate members shall be appointed in a similar manner and shall be invited to attend a meeting if the ordinary member is unable to be present for a whole session of the council. Any appointment of a member or alternate member may be revoked by the body that made the appointment.

4. Appointment and Retirement of Members

Each of the appointing bodies shall have regard to the desirability of ensuring that any member appointed to represent it on the council shall be a member of its own representative structures and that such person shall be given appropriate opportunity to report the proceedings of the council to its own decision-making bodies and to convey the views of such decision-making bodies to the council.
The term of office for ordinary members shall be either
1. six years calculated from a member's first attendance at a meeting of the council, or
2. three successive meetings of the council, whichever period shall terminate the later, or
3. such shorter period as the appointing body shall determine
On termination of his or her period of office, no member shall be eligible for reappointment nor shall he or she be appointed an alternate member until a period of six years elapses from the date when such original membership ceased.
Bishops and other clerical members shall cease to be members on retirement from ecclesiastical office.
Any appointing body as set out in the Schedule of Membership shall have power at any time and from time to time to appoint any qualified person to be a member to fill a casual vacancy to hold office for the unexpired term specified in clause 4(b).
Alternate members: an alternate member may be reappointed as an alternate member or appointed an ordinary member unless he or she has already replaced a member at two meetings of the council.
Any appointing body shall upon making such appointment notify the Secretary General of the name of the person so appointed and all relevant contact information relating to the person.

5. Advisers

The council may invite advisers, Anglicans, or others, to be present at its meetings, but not to vote.

6. Officers

The Archbishop of Canterbury shall always be a member of the council and its president, and not subject to retirement under the provision of clause 4(b). When present he shall inaugurate each meeting of the council. He shall be an ex officio member of all its committees.
The council shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from its own number who shall hold office for two meetings of the council.
The council shall delegate to its Standing Committee the appointment of a secretary for a specified term who shall be known as the Secretary General of the council and whose duties it shall determine. The Secretary General shall not be a member of the council. Remuneration and terms and conditions of service shall be determined by the Standing Committee [1]

[1] ACC-1, page,59, resolution 42, defined the terms of appointment as follows:
(a) to be responsible for all secretarial and other duties for the council and for the meetings of the council and of its Standing Committee; and (b) to serve the Anglican Communion and its member churches with particular regard to the stated functions of the Anglican Consultative Council and to the recommendations and reports of the Council.

ACC-8, resolution 30:
Meetings of the Primates and the Lan1beth Conference
The Secretary General shall be available to serve, as the Archbishop of Canterbury shall require, as staff for meetings of the Primates and Lambeth Conference. The ACC shall not be responsible for the expenses of the Primates' Meetings or the Lambeth Conference. The Primates' Meetings and the Lambeth Conference shall be responsible for expenses incurred on their behalf by the Secretary General and his staff.

7. Standing Committee

The council shall appoint a Standing Committee of nine members, which shall include the chairman and the vice chairman of the council. The Secretary General shall be secretary of the Standing Committee.
The members of the Standing Committee shall be the trustees of the council for the purposes of the Order of the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales sealed on May 6,1994.
Ordinary meetings of the Standing Committee shall take place annually.
At least six months' notice shall be given to every member of the date and place of the annual meeting of the Standing Committee and such notice shall specify the general nature of the business to be transacted thereat.

8. Powers of the Standing Committee

The Standing Committee shall act for the council between meetings of the council and shall execute such matters as are referred to it by the council. The Standing Committee may exercise all powers of the council as are not by this constitution required to be done specifically by the council, and in particular may borrow money and mortgage or charge the council assets.

9. Meetings of the Council

The Council shall meet at intervals of approximately two or three years as appropriate.
As far as possible the council shall meet in various parts of the world.

10. Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to this constitution shall be submitted by the council to the constitutional bodies listed under clauses b, c and d of the Schedule of Membership and must be ratified by two-thirds of such bodies provided that no amendment shall be made which cause the council to cease to be a charity at law.

11. Dissolution

If upon the winding-up or dissolution of the council, there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid or distributed among the members of the council, but shall be given or transferred to some other charitable institution or institutions having charitable objects similar to the objects of the council and which shall prohibit the distribution of its or their income and property among its or their members.

The Schedule of Membership

The membership of the council shall be as follows:

The Archbishop of Canterbury
Three persons from each of the following, consisting of one bishop, one priest, and one layperson:

Anglican Church of Australia
Anglican Church of Canada
Church of England
Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
Church of the Province of Rwanda
Church of the Province of Southern Africa
Church of South India
Anglican Church of Tanzania
Church of the Province of Uganda
Episcopal Church (United States of America)
Two persons from each of the following, consisting of one bishop or one priest plus one layperson:

Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia
Church of the Province of Central Africa
Province of the Anglican Church of Congo
Church of Ireland
Anglican Church of Kenya
Church of North India
Church of Pakistan
Episcopal Church of the Sudan
Church in Wales
Church in the Province of the West Indies
One person (preferably lay) from each of the following:

Church of Bangladesh
Episcopal Anglican Church of Brasil
Church of the Province of Burundi
Anglican Church of the Central America Region
Church of Ceylon
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui
Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean
Nippon Sei Ko Kai (Anglican Communion in Japan)
Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
Anglican Church in Korea
Church of the Province of Melanesia
Anglican Church of Mexico
Church of the Province of Myanmar
Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea
Episcopal Church in the Philippines
Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America
Scottish Episcopal Church
Church of the Province of Southeast Asia
Church of the Province of West Africa
Co-opted members:

The Council may co-opt up to six additional members of whom two shall be women and two persons not over 28 years of age at the time of appointment.
Additional members:

When the chairman's appointment as chairman extends beyond the date at which his or her membership of the council ordinarily expires, from the time of the expiry of the ordinary membership:
1. the body which made the appointment shall be entitled to appoint a new member of the council;
2. the chairman shall become an additional member of the council until the completion of the term as chairman;
3. the same rules shall apply to the vice chairman.

The Bylaws of the Anglican Consultative Council

(adopted pursuant to clause 2q of the constitution)

Meetings of the Council
1. All meetings of the council shall be called at a minimum of six months' notice in writing. Such notice shall specify the date, the place, and the general nature of the business to be transacted thereat.
2. No business shall be transacted at any meeting of the council unless a quorum of members is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. A quorum shall consist of members appointed by a majority of the bodies listed in clauses b, c, and d of the Schedule of Membership personally present.
3. Conduct of business at any meeting of the council shall be regulated by procedural rules adopted from time to time by the council, and insofar as any procedural matter shall arise that shall not be dealt with in the procedural rules currently in force, the chairman shall have power to determine such matter conclusively after such consultation as he shall think fit.
Proceedings of the Standing Committee
1. The chairman of the council may and on the request of five members of the Standing Committee shall summon a special meeting of the Standing Committee.
2. The Standing Committee may regulate their meetings as they think fit and determine the quorum necessary for the transaction of business. Unless otherwise determined, five shall be a quorum. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
3. The Standing Committee may delegate any of its powers to committees as it thinks fit and any committee so formed shall, in the execution of he powers so delegated, conform to any requirements imposed on it by the Standing Committee. Any such committee may call advisers.
4. In electing members of the Standing Committee the council shall have regard to the desirability of achieving (so far as practicable) appropriate regional diversity and a balance of representation between clergy and laity and between the genders
5. Elected members of the Standing Committee shall hold office from the end of the council meeting at which they are appointed until the end of the last ordinary council meeting at which they would be entitled to attend but subject to earlier termination in the event that such elected member shall for any reason cease to be a member of the council.
Finance
1. The Secretary General is responsible to the council for overseeing its financial affairs and the affairs of the Inter-Anglican Finance Committee and shall ensure that proper books of account be kept with respect to:
  1. All sums of money received and expended by the council and the matters in respect of which the receipt and expenditure took place
  2. The assets and liabilities of the council
  and shall be responsible for presenting the council's audited accounts at each annual meeting of the Standing Committee.
2. The Standing Committee shall lay before the council properly audit- ed annual income and expenditure accounts, balance sheets, and reports, and such documents to include full financial reports on the Inter-Anglican Finance Committee, the Primates' Meeting, and, where necessary, the Lambeth Conference. Copies of the same shall be circulated to members of the council with the other papers for the m,eeting at which the accounts are to be considered.
Inter-Anglican Finance Committee
1. The council in conjunction with the Primates' Meeting shall appoint a finance committee of at least five members, to be called the Inter-Anglican Finance Committee, which shall be responsible for coordinating the finances required by the council, the Primates' Meeting, and the Lambeth Conference.
2. The membership shall consist of at least two members appointed by the Primates' Meeting and at least three members appointed by the council.
3. Members appointed by the council shall take their place on the committee at the end of the council meeting at which they are elected, and their membership shall continue until the end of the last ordinary council meeting they would be entitled to attend but subject to earlier termination in the event that such elected member shall for any reason cease to be a member of the council. Members appointed by the Primates' Meeting shall serve as long as the Primates shall determine.
4. The Inter-Anglican Finance Committee shall appoint from its own membership its chairperson and vice chairperson.
Inter-Anglican Budget

The Inter-Anglican Finance Committee in collaboration with the Standing Committee shall, in consultation with member churches, be responsible for the annual Inter-Anglican budget, which will include the costs of the Inter-Anglican Finance Committee, the Primates' Meeting and the Lambeth Conference, and shall keep members of the council and member churches informed about each year's budget and about the forecast for each of tJ1e succeeding three years. In the light of those draft budgets, the council shall determine the level of expenditure and the income required to meet its purposes. The contributions to the Inter- Anglican budget shall be apportioned among the member bodies as in clauses b to d inclusive of the Schedule of Membership.
Casual Vacancies in the Co-opted Membership of the Council

In the event of any casual vacancy occurring in the co-opted membership of the council, the Standing Committee shall have power to co-opt a member under the provisions of clause e of the Schedule of Membership of the council to hold office until the conclusion of the next meeting of the council. Any member co-opted in this manner by the Standing Committee shall be eligible for election by the council if it so wishes.
Casual Vacancies on the Standing Committee

In the event of a casual vacancy occurring in the membership of the Standing Committee between council meetings, the Standing Committee itself shall have power to appoint a member of the council of the same order as the representative who filled the vacant place, and such member shall have full voting rights for the remainder of the term of service of the former member. Such member shall, subject to his or her eligibility for continuing membership of the council, be eligible for re-election to the Standing Committee at the next council meeting.
Common Seal

The seal of the council shall at all times be kept in safe custody and shall not be affixed to any instrument except by authority of a resolution of the Standing Committee and in the presence of the secretary or the chairman of the Standing Committee and one other member of the council, each of whom shall sign every instrument to which the seal shall be so affixed in their presence.

Guidelines for Meetings of the Anglican Consultative Council

General

1. All arrangements for the conduct of the business of the council shall be made under the general direction of the president.

Arrangements far Meetings

2.1 The Standing Committee:

2.1:1 Shall make all detailed arrangements for meetings of the council, and

2.1:2 Shall settle the agenda and determine the order in which business shall be considered by the council at its meetings, and

2.1:3 May delegate any of its functions relating to such matters to member(s) or officers(s) as it shall see fit.

2.2 In settling the agenda, the Standing Committee shall pay particular regard to:

2.2:1 The role of the council as one of the instruments of unity in the Anglican Communion, and

2.2:2 Specific issues referred by the Archbishop of Canterbury, by the Lambeth Conference, by previous meetings of the council, and by the Primates' Meeting, and

2.2:3 The need to inform members about the ongoing work of the council, its Standing Committee, and its officers, and

2.2:4 The finances of the council.

2.3 In its preparation for each meeting of the council, the Standing Committee shall give opportunity to members at the first business session of every meeting {which shall take place within the first three days of assembling) to comment upon the settled agenda and to request the inclusion of additional material.

2.4 The chairman after consultation with the president shall have power to direct the addition to the agenda at any time of such urgent or specially important business shall seem to them desirable.

Chairing of Meetings

3.1 The Standing Committee shall appoint persons to chair each session of the council who shall be either the president, the chairman, the vice chairman, or such other member of the council as the Standing Committee shall think fit.

3.2 It shall be the duty of the chair of each session to maintain order in debate, to ensure so far as possible that discussion of matters is broadly representative of the full range of views of members of the council as a whole, and to encourage the council to reach general assent on matters under discussion.

3.3 The chair of each session may with or without the request of any member of the council after such consultation as the chair shall think fit suspend debate on any topic under discussion for a specified period or impose any speech limit or direct that any matter under discussion shall be put to the vote or give any other direction as shall seem to the chair to be conducive to the proper despatch of business.

Speakers

4.1 In their contributions to discussion members shall pay proper respect to the chair of the session and in particular shall have regard to the duties of the chair under 3.2 above.

4.2 All members of the council shall qualify to be called upon by the chair of the session to speak in any session of the council, and Primates, ecumenical participants or other persons present at the invitation of the council may address the council at the invitation of the chair of the session.

4.3 The chair of any session may request that members wishing to speak on any particular subject be asked to submit their names in writing to the chair of the session in advance with a general indication of their particular interest or expertise in relation to the matter under discussion.

4.4 Members may not speak unless called upon to do so by the chair of the session and, if called upon to speak, shall address their remarks through the chair.

4.5 Upon being called upon to speak, a member shall first announce his or her name and province or church.

4.6 Subject to any other direction by the chair of the session, a speaker introducing a report or moving a motion may speak for up to ten minutes and all other speakers may speak for up to five minutes.

4.7 The chair of the session shall call a member to order for failure to address remarks through the chair, irrelevance, repetition of previous arguments, unbecoming language, discourtesy, or any other breach of reasonable order of debate, and may order a member to end any speech.

4.8 The person moving a motion (but not an amendment) shall have a right of reply limited to five minutes at the close of the discussion, but no member may otherwise speak more than once in the same discussion except with the express permission of the chair.

Motions and Amendments

5.1 Insofar as daily business shall not have been dealt with in the main agenda, relevant motions shall be made available in writing to members in such form as the Standing Committee shall determine as soon as possible after receipt from the person proposing the motion and in any event not later than the commencement of the session in which it is proposed to be presented or discussed, unless the chair of the session shall permit otherwise.

5.2 Motions for consideration by the council shall be presented:

5.2:1 In the case of motions forming part of the main agenda, bya member of the council nominated by the Standing Committee; and

5.2:2 In the case of motions formulated by a regional or other group set up for a specific purpose as part of the work of group of sessions, by a member of such group; and

5.2:3 In the case of any other motion to be brought to a plenary session designated by the Standing Committee for such business, by any member of the council with a written indication of support; signed by ten other members;

and in the case of motions under 5.2:2 and 5.2:3 above, the full text of such a motion shall be submitted in writing not later than the time directed by the Standing Committee in advance of the relevant discussion in order that the full text may be made available for consideration by all members unless the chair of the session shall permit otherwise.

5.3 Members wishing to submit any amendment to an existing motion shall submit the full text of such motion or amendment in writing, signed by the mover and ten other members, not later than the time directed by the Standing Committee in advance of the relevant discussion in order that the full text may be made available for consideration by all members unless the chair of the session shall permit otherwise.

5.4 An amendment shall not be accepted for discussion if in the opinion of the chair of the session it repeats an amendment that has already been withdrawn or disposed or would negate the motion to which it relates.

5.5 Amendments will normally be considered in the order in which they first affect the motion under discussion but may be considered in some other order at the discretion of the chair of the session, and the order in which amendments will be taken shall be announced at the commencement of the session.

5.6 A main motion shall not be put finally to the meeting until all I amendments shall have been carried, withdrawn, or otherwise disposed of, and in the event that an amendment shall have been carried, the chair of the session will read to the council the motion as amended before further discussion on the motion or any outstanding further amendment may proceed.

5.7 When all amendments shall have been dealt with, the motion, subject to any agreed amendments, shall be put to the council.

Decisions on Business

6.1 Only members of the council shall be entitled to vote on business before the council.

6.2 The chair of each session shall put the motion under discussion to the council for general assent, which may be indicated in such manner as the chair shall think fit.

6.3 If the chair of the session shall so direct, or if upon the chair request- ing general assent any member shall request that a vote be taken, and such request has the support of not less than one-third of the members present and entitled to vote, then a vote shall be taken by show of hands or on ballot papers as the chair of the session shall decide.

6.4 In the event of a vote being taken, a simple majority shall be required unless the president after consultation with the Standing Committee shall direct that some other majority shall apply.

General

7.1 The chair of a session may after consultation with the Standing Committee suspend the application of these guidelines for part or all of the relevant session if the chair shall think it conducive to the better despatch of the business then before the council.

7.2 The Council may at any time with the consent of the Standing Committee revoke, amend, or supplement these guidelines or any part of them for the better conduct of the business of the council.

Top

Page 1 of ?

Anglican Consultative Council

Section Home Section Map Meetings News Resources