Part 7

Mission

Mission initiatives

Review of duration of mission initiatives and further provisions
83
1
Without prejudice to section 81(1)(b), the Visitor shall conduct a review of the mission initiative not less than six months before the expiry of the bishop’s mission order under section 82(7), in consultation with the leader or leaders, the mission and pastoral committee of each diocese affected by the order and such other persons or organisations referred to in section 80(6) as the Visitor thinks fit and, where relevant, any such authority as is referred to in section 82(3).
2
The Visitor shall report to the bishop or bishops on the outcome of the review conducted under subsection (1) and the report shall contain the Visitor’s recommendations on whether the mission initiative should continue and, if so, whether the bishop’s mission order should be renewed and, if it should, on the period (not exceeding five years) of the renewal or, if not, how the mission initiative or its objectives should be continued.
3
The Visitor’s report may contain such other recommendations or comments as the Visitor may think fit and copies of the report shall be sent to such other persons or bodies as the bishop or bishops may direct.
4
The bishop or bishops, after considering the report, may, if he or they consider that the mission initiative should continue, after consulting the mission and pastoral committee or committees and after carrying out such further consultation as he thinks or they think fit make a further bishop’s mission order continuing the mission initiative and, if he thinks or they think fit, a further supplementary instrument.
5
The further order and supplementary instrument if any, shall specify the duration of the order and instrument and the order shall continue in force—
a
for a period of up to five years; or
b
for a period of up to eighteen months so as to enable arrangements to be made for the mission initiative or its objectives to be continued by other means.
6
If the bishop or bishops make a further order under subsection (4) the Visitor shall be under the like duty to review and report on the mission initiative as is conferred on the Visitor by subsections (1), (2) and (3) and section 81(1)(b) shall not apply.
7
The bishop or bishops, after considering the report referred to in subsection (6), may, if he or they consider—
a
that the mission initiative should continue, and
b
that there are no other suitable means by which the mission initiative or its objectives can be achieved,
after consulting the mission and pastoral committee or committees, make a further mission order and, if he thinks or they think fit, a further supplementary instrument.
8
Where a bishop’s mission order contains or is to contain a provision for participation in a local ecumenical project the order or supplementary instrument may, with the agreement of the appropriate authority of each Church which is to participate in the ecumenical project, provide that the reports referred to in subsections (2) and (6) and the functions of the bishop or bishops under subsections (3), (4), (5), (7), (9), (10), (11) and (12) shall, in the case of the reports, be made to and, in the case of the functions, be performed by, or on behalf of, a body of persons which shall include the bishop or bishops and one or more representatives of the appropriate authorities mentioned above and may include persons otherwise representing the Church of England and any functions of the Visitor which, under section 81 or this section, are performed on behalf of the bishop or bishops shall be performed, instead, on behalf of that body.
9
Any order or supplementary instrument made under subsection (7) shall continue without limit of time, unless revoked or varied by a further order or instrument.
10
Any order or supplementary instrument made under this section shall, so far as appropriate, make provision for any of the matters mentioned in sections 80 to 82 and those sections shall apply accordingly.
11
Any order or supplementary instrument may be varied or revoked by a further order or instrument and section 82(4), (5) and (6) shall apply in relation to any such order or instrument as it applies to orders and instruments made under that section.
12
Any order or instrument made under this section shall be signed in like manner as is provided by section 82(8) and shall include the like requirement to contain a declaration of acceptance by the leader or leaders.