Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011

43 Places of worship

(1) Where a parish has no church, the bishop shall make provision for public worship according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England by licensing one or more buildings or parts of buildings for public worship.

(2) The bishop may designate any church in any parish, other than a parish church, or any building or part of a building licensed for public worship in any parish, as a parish centre of worship and thereupon, but subject to subsections (3) and (4), for the purposes of—

(a) the Marriage Act 1949 and paragraph 12 of Schedule 3 to this Measure,

(b) any other enactment (including this Measure), or rule of law requiring or authorising any service or ceremony to be held or notices to be affixed or other thing done in or at the parish church or a parish church,

a church, building or part of a building so designated shall be deemed, while the designation is in force, to be a parish church.

(3) Where a church, building or part of a building in a parish has been so designated and the parish has no parish church, then, if the persons to be married so elect, they may proceed under sections 6 and 15 of the Marriage Act 1949 (which contain provisions whereby parishes in which there is no parish church are deemed to belong to adjoining parishes) as if the church, building or part had not been so designated; and this subsection shall have effect notwithstanding that there is in the parish a church or chapel licensed for marriages or a church or chapel in which divine service is usually solemnized every Sunday.

(4) A building or part of a building so designated shall not by virtue only of the designation be subject to the faculty jurisdiction, but without prejudice to the power of the bishop under section 6 of the Faculty Jurisdiction Measure 1964 (1964 No. 5) to direct that it shall be so subject.

(5) A designation under this section may be revoked by the bishop, but without prejudice to the continuation in force of any licence thereunder, if the bishop thinks fit.

(6) Any such designation or revocation shall be under seal and shall be registered in the registry of the diocese, and the registrar of the diocese shall give public notice of the designation or revocation in one or more newspapers circulating in the locality.