Armed Forces Chaplains (Licensing) Measure 2025

2025 No. 3

A Measure of the General Synod of the Church of England to make provision for licensing Armed Forces chaplains to exercise their ministry, in that capacity, at any place in the province of Canterbury or York.

[18th December 2025]

1 Ministry by Armed Forces chaplains E

(1) After section 2A of the Extra-Parochial Ministry Measure 1967 insert—

“2B Armed Forces chaplains

(1) The Archbishop of Canterbury may license an Armed Forces chaplain to perform, in that capacity, the offices and services specified in the licence at any place in the province of Canterbury or York.

(2) The performance of offices or services at a place in accordance with a licence under this section—

(a) does not require authority from the Bishop of the diocese in which the place is situated;

(b) does not require the consent, and is not subject to the control, of the Minister of the parish in which that place is situated.

(3) In this section—

(a) “Armed Forces chaplain” means a person who—

(i) is a clerk in Holy Orders, and

(ii) is commissioned or appointed as chaplain to any of His Majesty’s Forces, other than a Commonwealth force;

(b) “Commonwealth force” means a force of a country, other than the United Kingdom, that is a member of the Commonwealth.”

(2) The amendment made by subsection (1) is to be treated as having always had effect.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 1 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 2(2)

2 Short title, commencement and extent E

(1) This Measure may be cited as the Armed Forces Chaplains (Licensing) Measure 2025.

(2) This Measure comes into force on the day on which it is passed.

(3) This Measure extends to—

(a) the whole of the province of Canterbury, except the Channel Islands (subject to subsection (4)), and

(b) the whole of the province of York, including the Isle of Man.

(4) This Measure may be applied to the Channel Islands or either of them, with or without modifications, under any procedure for doing so which has effect in the Islands or (as the case may be) the Island in question; and for this purpose, the references to the Channel Islands or either of them have the same meaning as references to the Bailiwicks or either of them have in the Channel Islands Measure 2020.

Commencement Information

I2 S. 2 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 2(2)