Pastoral reorganisation
The Thame Benefice, comprising nine parishes, is proposing to formally unite three of its parishes—St Mary the Virgin (Thame), Barley Hill (Thame), and St Catherine’s (Towersey)—into a single parish. This proposal does not extend to the other rural parishes in the benefice.
Detailed Proposal
The Thame Benefice is formally a group of nine parishes that extends into six rural parishes. Around Thame we have the parishes of St Mary the Virgin (Thame), Barley Hill (Thame) and St Catherine’s (Towersey). The proposal to unite parishes only applies to these parishes. There is no plan to extend this to other parishes within the wider benefice.
Background
Since the time of the Covid lockdowns we, as parishes within the Church of England, have increasingly worked together believing that we can do more together than apart to carry out our vision to see our local community transformed through the radical love of Jesus.
Initially this was demonstrated through worshipping as Church Online as we quickly adopted a way of meeting each week using Zoom when we were prevented from meeting physically in the church buildings. Then, after lockdown, we started meeting together in person. Now, we have been worshipping as Thame Church through a weekly 9am service of Holy Communion, followed by a more relaxed family service at 11am.
We have done this through an informal arrangement, now in its fifth year.
Proposed Changes
Whilst doing so we have continued to operate legally by maintaining three separate Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) and reporting to the Charities Commission through three separate sets of accounts. During this time we have created a Joint Church Council (JCC) which, although it is informal, follows wherever we can the Church Representation Rules as best as we can. Day to day, we use a combined set of accounts, but this takes very considerable effort to then report separately as three separate parish churches as this is a legal obligation.
Unifying the three Church of England parishes provides the local church with greater cohesion, shared resources, and a united community presence. This idea finds its roots not only in practical benefits but also in the teachings of the Bible, which emphasize unity, love, and cooperation among believers (see Ephesians 4:3-6). Ministers will be released from the bureaucracy of having three separate PCCs behind the JCC and we believe this will save time and eliminate duplication. Although we do not believe it will make discernible material difference for members of the public, each of the PCCs has voted strongly in favour of uniting into one single parish on the basis that it will improve our mission.
Progress to date
Following an explanation and meeting of the joint PCCs of the three churches with the Diocese’s Pastoral Secretary, Maggie Metaliaj on 6 November 2024 at St Mary’s, each of the three separate PCCs met during March 2025 at which each gave strong support to unifying the parishes through adopting the proposal:
The PCCs of St Mary the Virgin Church, Thame; Barley Hill; and St Catherine’s, Towersey support the proposal to unite the parish of St Mary’s Thame, with the parish of Barley Hill, and the parish of Towersey and asks the deanery of Aston and Cuddesdon to consider this proposal for recommendation to the Dorchester Archdeaconry Mission and Pastoral Committee for consideration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Following historical precedent, the proposed name will be the Parish of Thame. The names of the buildings will remain St Mary the Virgin and St Catherine’s.
Existing PCCs are formally dissolved by a Pastoral Scheme under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 (MPM 2011). Each individual PCC ceases to exist and must be formally wound down. Members of the previous PCCs can stand for the new PCC.
Employees will be transferred to the new PCC on the same terms as at present.
A Special Parochial Church Meeting (SPCM) must be held as soon as possible to elect new PCC officers, including the PCC Secretary, Treasurer, Safeguarding Officer, Electoral Roll Officer, and we will have two Churchwardens assisted by a team of Associate Churchwardens.
The new PCC is established upon the coming-into-effect date of the relevant Pastoral Scheme. They will be elected at the SPCM.
The new PCC manages the finances, agrees on a budget, oversees churches in the united parish, and ensures all services (baptisms, weddings, funerals) are recorded appropriately.
The Electoral Rolls of the former PCCs are merged into a single new Electoral Roll.
No, this is not under consideration.
Yes, a parish may have multiple Parish Churches. Both St Mary’s and St Catherine’s will be Parish Churches on the current draft proposals.
We will have two Churchwardens assisted by a team of Associate Churchwardens.
All assets and property of former PCCs are merged into the new PCC. Former PCCs must prepare final accounts, and new bank accounts must be opened for the new PCC.
Yes. The combined income of the united parish will exceed £100k, so the new PCC must register.
The numbers are determined by the relevant section of the Church Representation Rules. For our PCC we would have an Electoral Roll of approximately 200 people, and this would lead to twelve lay representatives being elected at the APCM.
We expect to have four or five representatives based on the number on the Electoral Roll.
Clergy provision and worship patterns must be discussed during the planning process. However, no changes in clergy provision or worship patterns are envisaged as a result of bringing the parishes together.
No changes are envisaged for the church buildings or churchyards as a result of bringing the parishes together.
Next steps
Now that each PCC has supported the proposal, the period of public consultation starts.
To help inform people we are maintaining a list of Frequently Asked Questions, as shown above. We will be pleased to add to the questions and answers during the time of consultation as questions are submitted.
We will be holding two public meetings at which questions can be raised. The dates are:
Tuesday 10 June 7pm at St Mary’s
Monday 16 June 7pm at St Catherine’s
We also welcome questions submitted by clicking on the button below. Additional questions can also be directed to the Rector, Revd Mike Reading by emailing him at rector@thame.church.