Updated Monday
Second Church Estates Commissioner: Andrew Selous MP
The appointment of Andrew Selous MP as Second Church Estates Commissioner.
Published 10 January 2020
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street and Andrew Selous MPThe Queen has approved the appointment of Mr Andrew Selous MP as Second Church Estates Commissioner.
Notes to Editors
Andrew Selous has been a Member for South West Bedfordshire since 2001. He is a confirmed member of the Church of England.
There is information on the role of the Second Church Estates Commissioner here. The Commissioner’s primary parliamentary role is to answer oral and written questions from MPs about Church of England matters.
Update
Church Times has more information: Andrew Selous is new Second Church Estates Commissioner.
Is it beneficial these days for announcements of appointments to say that “The Queen has approved” or for announcements to come from the Number Ten press office rather than Lambeth Palace?
It is extra profile but it makes the church look old-fashioned and takes the focus away from matters ecclesial.
I genuinely don’t know whether it is advantageous or not.
When I last checked, the Church of England remains the ‘church by law established.’ The appointment of the Second Church Estates Commissioner (SCEC) is made on the advice of the Prime Minister. It is a Crown appointment, in the same way that bishops are, hence the announcements being made by Downing Street. Lambeth Palace had nothing to do with it, although there was probably some consultation. By convention, the SCEC is from the ‘ruling party’ in the House of Commons, a backbencher, and ex-officio on General Synod. It is a fairly straightforward role, providing the link between Parliament and the… Read more »
Yes, I understand the structure but I don’t know that it remains the right one for a 21st century church in a society which is increasingly leary of “the establishment”.
It really is tedious that every appointment reported here is immediately met with Kate’s anti-establishment views. I think we get the message Kate that you don’t agree with way it is done so can’t you give it a rest for a bit!
I thought the official announcement was a little lacking in detail: ‘he is a confirmed member of the Church of England’ – presumably a qualification for being Second Church Estates Commissioner (Anthony Archer doesn’t say in his response). But now, thanks to the Church Times, we have more information: not exactly supportive of the LGBT community, and attends the Vineyard church in St Albans, which says on its website that it ‘loves and accepts everyone’. However, internet references to the Vineyard movement suggest that it does not accept ‘practising’ LGBT people; which may be where Andrew Selous finds his reasoning… Read more »
Thanks Peter, yes, the post holder is required to be a confirmed member of the Church of England, but whether s/he needs to be on the electoral roll of a parish is not clear. The implicit assumption must be that it is a requirement. Andrew Selous MP is clearly on the roll of St Mary’s Studham. I don’t know much about the parish, which is very near me in the Diocese of St Albans. The Vicar, Nichola Lenthall (also Rural Dean of Dunstable), is highly regarded. My surmise is that it is a pretty inclusive place.