Church in Wales

The Church in Wales (Welsh: Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an

Church in Wales
Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.[3]
Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru
The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal
see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops.
The position is currently held by Andy John, Bishop of
Bangor, since 2021.[4]

Unlike the Church of England, the Church in Wales is not an

established church. Disestablishment took place in 1920 under
the Welsh Church Act 1914.[5]

As a province of the Anglican Communion, the Church in

Wales recognises the Archbishop of Canterbury as a focus of
unity but without any formal authority.[6] A cleric of the
Church in Wales can be appointed to posts in the Church of
England, including the See of Canterbury; a former Archbishop
of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was from Wales and served as Coat of arms of the Church in Wales
Archbishop of Wales before his appointment to Canterbury. Type Communion
Classification Protestant[a]
Official name Orientation Anglican

The Church in Wales (Welsh: Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) Scripture Bible

adopted its name by accident. The Welsh Church Act 1914 Theology Anglican doctrine
referred throughout to "the Church in Wales", the phrase being
Polity Episcopal
used to indicate the part of the Church of England within
Wales. At a convention (of the Welsh Church) held in Cardiff Primate Andy John,
in October 1917, Mr Justice Sankey said that, while the name Archbishop of Wales
"the Church of Wales" appealed to him, he advised that there and
were good legal reasons why the name "the Church in Wales" Bishop of Bangor
should be adopted, at least at first, in order to follow the
Language Welsh and English
wording in the act. The matter was therefore left at that
convention for the second Governing Body to decide at its first Headquarters Cardiff
session.[7] Territory Wales with 1,500
congregations[1]
History Independence 1920
(disestablishment)
Christianity in Wales can be traced back to the Romano-British Members 42,441 (2018)[2]
culture and an organised episcopal church has had continuous
existence in Wales since that time. The age of the saints in the Official website churchinwales.org.uk
6th and 7th centuries was marked by the establishment of (http://www.churchin
monastic settlements throughout the country, by religious wales.org.uk/)
leaders such as Saint David, Illtud, Padarn and Saint Teilo.
This was the period when the Welsh people developed a
shared national identity, arising from their language and
religious beliefs.[8]

The Welsh refused to co-operate with Augustine of

Canterbury's mission to the Anglo-Saxons. However, a
combination of other Celtic dioceses reconciling with the Holy
See and the conquest of Wales by Edward I meant that from
the Middle Ages, the Welsh dioceses were part of the Province
of Canterbury and also in communion with the See of Rome
until the English Reformation. Afterward they were part of the
Church of England until disestablishment in 1920, as during
the reign of Henry VIII, Wales was incorporated into the legal
realm of the Kingdom of England.

Map of the dioceses in the Church in

Disestablishment Wales

During the 19th century, Nonconformist churches grew

rapidly in Wales, and eventually the majority of Welsh Christians were
Nonconformists, although the Church of England remained the largest single
denomination. By the mid-19th century the failure to appoint a Welsh-
speaking bishop to any Welsh diocese for 150 years caused real resentment;
disestablishment was seen as a way to assert national and linguistic identity.

Under the influence of Nonconformist politicians such as David Lloyd

George, the Welsh Church Act 1914 was passed by the Liberal Government to
separate Anglicanism in Wales from the Church of England. The bill was
fiercely resisted by members of the Conservative Party and blocked in the
House of Lords, but it was eventually passed under the provisions of the
Parliament Act 1911.
F. E. Smith, later 1st
The opposition to disestablishment was led by the Conservative politician F. E. Earl of Birkenhead,
Smith, who characterised the disestablishment bill as "a Bill which has opposed
shocked the conscience of every Christian community in Europe." In response disestablishment.
to this description, the writer G. K. Chesterton penned the satirical poem
"Antichrist, or the Reunion of Christendom: An Ode" containing the
memorable retort "Chuck It, Smith".[9]

The act both disestablished and disendowed the "Church in Wales", the term used to define the part of the
Church of England which was to be separated. Disestablishment meant the end of the church's special legal
status, and Welsh bishops were no longer entitled to sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual. As the
Church in Wales became independent of the state, tithes were no longer available to the church, leaving it
without a major source of income.

Disendowment, which was even more controversial than disestablishment, meant that the endowments of
the Church in Wales were partially confiscated, and redistributed to the University of Wales and local
authorities. This process was carried out by the Welsh Church Commissioners in accordance with the
principles set out in the Welsh Church Act 1914. Endowments before 1662 were to be confiscated; those of
later date were to remain.[10] This was justified by the theory that the pre-1662 endowments had been
granted to the national church of the whole population, and hence belonged to the people as a whole rather
than to the Church in Wales; understandably, this reasoning was hotly contested. The date 1662 was that of
the Act of Uniformity following the Restoration; it was after this point that Nonconformist congregations
began to develop and the Church of England ceased to be a comprehensive national church. Although
secularisation of the cathedrals had previously been suggested,[11] the Church in Wales retained all the
ancient church buildings and the privilege of conducting legal marriages without reference to the civil
registrar.

Due to the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the Suspensory Act 1914 was passed at the same time as the
Welsh Church Act 1914, meaning that the act would not be implemented for the duration of the war.
Disestablishment finally came into effect in 1920. The Church in Wales adopted a written constitution,
which has been revised from time to time,[12] and elected a Governing Body which initially met once a
year,[13] but now meets twice annually. The Governing Body has ultimate authority "to approve liturgies,
review organizational structures, and secure firm fiscal resources for the mission and ministry of the
church". The Church in Wales was one of the first members of the Anglican Communion to adopt
synodical government.[14]

Since 1920

Parishes overlapping the border were allowed to vote either to accede to the Church in Wales or to continue
in the Church of England; so the line of disestablishment is not the same as the border between the two
countries.[15] A few districts in the former counties of Monmouthshire, Radnorshire and Flintshire remain
attached to parishes in the Dioceses of Hereford and Chester and consequently they are part of the Church
of England. A complete English rural deanery with the generalised name March containing Oswestry and
areas to the north-west of Shrewsbury, was transferred from its historic setting in the Diocese of St Asaph to
be consistent with the civil border there. The churches of St Mary, Caernarfon, and Llangadwaladr,
Anglesey, were transferred from the Diocese of Chester to that of Bangor.

Today, the Church in Wales is fully independent of both the state and the Church of England. It is an
independent member of the Anglican Communion, as are the Church of Ireland and the Scottish Episcopal
Church.

In the first years of the 21st century, the Church in Wales has begun to engage in numerous debates. These
particularly concern the appointment of women to the episcopate and the provincial recognition of the equal
statuses of the Welsh and English languages in all aspects of church life.

Membership
Following disestablishment in 1920, the Church in Wales initially fared better than the Nonconformist
churches, which suffered a decline during the late 20th century. In 1960 the Church claimed to have
182,854 communicants, an increase on the comparable figure of 155,911 for 1945,[16]: 107 although a
reduction on the figure of 196,389 Easter communicants in 1938.[16]: 122 The Anglican Church does not
have "a single definition of 'membership' in the Church in Wales."[17] In 2006 the average weekly
attendance was recorded at 6,780 aged under 18 and 39,490 aged over 18. The highest attendance was at
Easter, with 68,120 at worship (68,837 in 2007).[18] In 2014, the attendance in the Church in Wales was
52,021 at Easter: a decline of about 16,000 members since 2007, but an increase from 2013. Also, in 2014,
nineteen churches were closed or made redundant. Overall, in 2014, the Church in Wales reported 152,000
attenders in its parishes and congregations, compared to 105,000 in 2013.[19] In 2018, the number of
communicants during Easter was 46,163 and the number of persons on the Electoral Roll was 42,441.[2]
From 2015 statistics, when all "other major acts of worship" are included, the church reported having
206,000 total attenders. "Such additional services, which include civic services, family services,
Remembrance, Carol and Christingle services, registered a total attendance of some 206,000 in 2015,
compared with 152,000 in 2014."[20][17] In 2017, "parishes recorded 210,000 people attending other types
of traditional worship, which might include civic services, family services, Remembrance, Carol and
Christingle services."[21]

In 2000, membership figures taken as a percentage of the population was 1.6%.[22] Between 1996 and
2016 the number of signed-up Church in Wales members dropped from 91,247 to 45,759[23] or 1.5% out
of a total population of 3,113,150[24] The number of Church in Wales members on the "Electoral Roll"
dropped further to 42,441 by 2018[2][25] or 1.4% out of the total Welsh population of 3,187,203[26][27] The
Anglican church claims to be the largest denomination in Wales.[28]

Structure
The polity of the Church in Wales is episcopal church governance,
which is the same as other Anglican churches.

Prior to 1920, there were four dioceses in Wales, all part of the
Province of Canterbury and each led by its own bishop:

The Diocese of Bangor Flag of the Church in Wales

The Diocese of St Asaph

The Diocese of St Davids
The Diocese of Llandaff

Two additional dioceses were erected soon after the creation of the Church in Wales:

The Diocese of Monmouth in 1921

The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon in 1923

Monmouth was created from one of the archdeaconries of Llandaff diocese. Swansea and Brecon was
created from the eastern part of the St Davids diocese, largely corresponding to the present day city and
county of Swansea and the traditional counties of Breconshire and Radnorshire.

Each diocese is divided into two or three archdeaconries, with 15 of these in total. Each has an archdeacon,
who is responsible to the bishop for its administration. The archdeaconries are further divided into
deaneries.

Each diocese has its own cathedral, the "mother church" of the diocese and the seat of the bishop. In the
cathedral are held important events such as the enthronement of a new bishop. Each cathedral has a dean,
appointed to manage the cathedral, with the assistance of the chapter. Together with the archdeacons, the
dean of the cathedral is one of the most prominent clerics of the diocese, after the bishop. The chapter is
composed of the dean and a number of canons selected from among the clerics of the diocese.

Diocesan and episcopal coats of arms

The following episcopal coats of arms are those each bishop is privileged to carry whilst in office. The
official diocesan coat of arms is identical to the episcopal version, however does not carry the mitre. With
the introduction of the new logos for many of the diocese, their strict use has fallen away during recent
years (generally since 2006 onwards), and as such, the coats of arms are often used synonymously.

Bangor St Asaph St Davids Swansea and

Brecon

Monmouth Llandaff Combined

Archbishop

Until 1920 the Welsh church was part of the Church of England and under the metropolitical jurisdiction of
the archbishop of Canterbury. Since independence in 1920, the Church in Wales has been led by the
Archbishop of Wales, who is both the metropolitan bishop and primate. The archbishop of Wales is elected
from the currently seated diocesan bishops and continues as a diocesan after election. Although it is not
necessary for every see in the Church in Wales to be filled before an archbishop may be elected, if the
vacancy in a see is caused by the resignation of the archbishop, or it arises within 14 days thereafter, the
vacant see must be filled before an archbishop can be elected.[29] In an archiepiscopal vacancy, the senior
bishop by date of appointment is acting archbishop.[30]

A former Archbishop of Wales, Rowan Williams, became the first Welsh-born Archbishop of Canterbury.
He was consecrated and enthroned as Bishop of Monmouth in 1992 and as Archbishop of Wales in 1999.
He was appointed by the Queen (his appointment having been proposed by the Crown Appointments
Commission) as Archbishop of Canterbury in July 2002.

Diocesan bishops

Unlike bishops in the Church of England, each bishop of the Church in Wales is elected by an "electoral
college" which consists of all diocesan bishops of the church (including the archbishop), and clerical and
lay representatives of all of the dioceses of the Church in Wales. The composition of the electoral college is
weighted so that the diocese in which a vacancy occurs is entitled to twice the number of clerical and lay
electors compared with other individual dioceses.[12] If no candidate who is considered by the electoral
college obtains the support of the necessary two-thirds majority of the electors within the three consecutive
days of deliberation which are allowed, the decision passes to the bench of bishops.[12] This has occurred
on two recent occasions.[31][32][b] In 2013 the Church in Wales officially agreed to the ordination of
women as bishops, five years after a previous proposal for their ordination failed in 2008.[33]

In descending order of seniority, as of 17 October 2023 (after Davies' election to St Davids), the bench of
Welsh bishops consists of:[c]

Andy John, Bishop of Bangor and Archbishop of Wales

Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph
Cherry Vann, Bishop of Monmouth
John Lomas, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon
Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff
Dorrien Davies, Bishop-elect of St Davids

In addition, there was recently an Assistant Bishop of Bangor:

Assistant Bishop of Bangor (vacant)

In cases where a see is vacant due to the death or translation of a bishop, episcopal acts such as ordinations
and confirmations are carried out by the archbishop or by another bishop appointed for that purpose by the
archbishop.

As of 2021, four of the bishops used the Welsh name of their See as their episcopal signature (Bangor,
Llanelwy for St Asaph, Tyddewi for St Davids,[34] and Mynwy for Monmouth);[35] Landav derives from
the Latin Landavensis and the then-Bishop of Swansea and Brecon was Archbishop (who signs as
Cambrensis, Latin for 'of Wales').

Assistant bishops

Assistant bishops may be appointed within the Church in Wales. Although there have been several assistant
bishops in the diocese of Llandaff, in practice assistant bishops have been appointed in other dioceses only
when the diocesan bishop is the archbishop for the time being, in order to assist them with diocesan
episcopal functions. As archbishop, Barry Morgan had an Assistant Bishop of Llandaff: from April 2009 to
April 2017 that post was held by David Wilbourne.[36] See also: Assistant Bishop of St Asaph. On 26
January 2022, it was announced that Mary Stallard had been appointed Assistant Bishop of Bangor, to
assist Andy John in his diocesan duties while he also serves as Archbishop of Wales; her consecration took
place on 26 February 2022 at Bangor Cathedral.[37]

A provincial assistant bishop was appointed in 1996 to provide episcopal ministry to congregations which
could not accept the ministry of bishops who ordained women. The role was analogous to the office of
Provincial episcopal visitor in the Church of England. David Thomas held the position for twelve years,
retiring in 2008. At that time the Bench of Bishops decided that it would not continue to appoint a specific
bishop to minister to those who reject the ordination of women as priests. This point was reiterated by
Barry Morgan at the Governing Body of the Church in Wales in September 2013, during the debate on
whether or not the Church in Wales would ordain women to the episcopate.
Historically, there have been suffragan bishops both before and since disestablishment, including two
Bishops of Swansea and one Bishop of Maenan. From 1946 until his death in 1953, Richard William Jones
(Archdeacon of Llandaff and Rector of Peterston-super-Ely) was "Assistant Bishop of Wales".[38]

Representative Body

The Representative Body of the Church in Wales is responsible for the care of the church's property and for
funding many of the activities of the church, including support for clergy stipends and pensions. Its
somewhat misleading title - unlike the Governing Body, it is not a representative decision-making body - is
derived from the fact that under the Welsh Church Act 1914 the bishops, clergy and laity were required to
set up a body to "represent" them and to hold property which was transferred to them by the Welsh Church
Commissioners.[39]

Governing Body

The Governing Body is responsible for decisions that affect the church's faith, order and worship. It also
has powers to make regulations for the general management and good government of the church and its
property and affairs. The Governing Body is the supreme legislature of the Church in Wales, broadly
speaking the Parliament of the Church in Wales. It usually meets twice a year to receive reports and make
decisions on matters brought before it.[40]

Worship and liturgy

The Church in Wales as a whole tends to be predominantly High Church, meaning that many of the
traditions are inherited from the Oxford Movement in more rural dioceses such as St Davids and Bangor
and especially in the industrial parishes of Llandaff and Monmouth. Although the province tends more
toward liberal and Anglo-Catholic positions in theology and liturgy, it also has a tradition of evangelicalism,
especially in the southern parts of Wales, and the university town of Aberystwyth. In the 1960s there was a
revival of evangelicalism within the Church in Wales and the Evangelical Fellowship of the Church in
Wales exists to support such members of the church.

Book of Common Prayer

An Act of Parliament passed in the year 1563, entitled "An Act for the Translating of the Bible and the
Divine Service into the Welsh Tongue," ordered that the Old and New Testament, together with the Book
of Common Prayer, were to be translated into Welsh. A translation by Richard Davies, bishop of St Davids
and the scholar William Salesbury was published in 1567[41] by Humphrey Toy as Y Llyfr Gweddi
Gyffredin. A new revision — based on the 1662 English prayer book and probably by George Griffith,
Bishop of St Asaph - was published in 1664.[42] The 1662 prayer book and its Welsh equivalent continued
to be used, even after the Church in Wales was disestablished in 1920.

The Church in Wales began revising the Book of Common Prayer in the 1950s. The first material
authorised for experimental use was a lectionary in 1956, followed by a baptism and confirmation service
in 1958, an order for Holy Matrimony in 1960, and an order for the Burial of the Dead in 1962. These did
not however enjoy widespread use. In 1966 an experimental order for the Holy Eucharist was authorised.
This was the first to enjoy widespread use. Revision continued throughout the 60s and 70s, with an
experimental version of morning and evening prayer in 1969. In 1971 a definitive version of baptism and
confirmation was authorised, replacing the equivalent in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. This was
followed in 1974 with a definitive order for the Burial of the Dead, and in 1975 with a definitive order for
Holy Matrimony. It was hoped that a new Book of Common Prayer
for the Church in Wales would be produced in 1981. However, in
1979 a definitive version of the Holy Eucharist failed to gain a two-
thirds majority in the House of Clergy and the House of Laity at the
Governing Body. A light revision of the 1966 experimental Eucharist
was approved by the Governing Body, and the Book of Common
Prayer for use in the Church in Wales was authorised in 1984. This
Prayer Book is unique in that it is in traditional English. The Church in
Wales first considered a modern language Eucharist in the early 70s
but this received a lukewarm reception. A modern language Eucharist
(The Holy Eucharist in modern language) was authorised alongside
the new prayer book in 1984, but this did not enjoy widespread use. In
1990 new initiation services were authorised, followed in 1992 by an
alternative order for morning and evening prayer[43] in 1994 by an
alternative order for the Holy Eucharist, in 1995 by the alternative
calendar lectionary and collects, and in 1998 an order for compline
was produced. These enjoyed widespread use. In 2003 a new calendar
and collects was made part of the Book of Common Prayer for use in
the Church in Wales. This was followed in 2004 by an order for the
The first Book of Common Prayer
Holy Eucharist, services for Christian initiation in 2006 and in 2009 by
in Welsh published in 1567
daily prayer. Experimental services continued, with an ordinal
produced in 2004, Ministry to the Sick and Housebound in 2007,
healing services in 2008, funeral services in 2009, and in 2010 marriage services which became part of the
Book of Common Prayer in 2013. The ordinal was made part of the prayer book the following year. In
2017 prayers for a child were released, together with a Revised Order for Confirmation, the latter
authorised for five years experimental use following the bench of Bishops' decision to admit unconfirmed
children and adults to communion.[44] In 2018 Times and Seasons was released. All of these were
published on line.[45][46] The following year Funeral Services became part of the Book of Common Prayer,
and additional prayers for different events in life were launched (Blessing of a home, prayers for victims of
crime etc.).

Other publications

Discontinued publications which frequently provided articles of sub-academic quality were Province, Yr
Haul â'r Gangell, and Y Llan. Bi-annual news from the Governing Body meeting is released in Highlights.
News is predominantly circulated on the Church in Wales' provincial and diocesan websites, and in various
diocesan magazines.

Doctrine and practice

Central to the teaching of the Church in Wales is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic
teachings of the church, or catechism, include:

Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
Jesus continues to provide the way to eternal life for those who believe.
The Old and New Testaments were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit". The Apocrypha are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for
the formation of doctrine.
The two great and necessary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist
 Other sacramental rites are confirmation, holy orders, matrimony, reconciliation of a penitent,
and anointing of the sick.
Belief in heaven, hell, and Jesus' return in glory.

The balance of Scripture, tradition and reason as authority for faith and practice is traced to the work of
Richard Hooker, a sixteenth-century apologist. In Hooker's model, Scripture is the primary means of
arriving at doctrine, and things stated plainly in Scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are
determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.[47]

Ordination of women

A proposal to ordain women as priests was introduced and debated in 1995 after it had failed to secure a
two-thirds majority in 1994.[48] The ordination of women to the priesthood was approved by the two-thirds
majority in 1996.[49] The Church in Wales has ordained women as priests since 1997.[50] Prior to 1997,
women were permitted to serve as deacons.[51] The first deaconess was consecrated in 1884.[52] In 2013,
the church voted to allow women to serve as bishops. In 2016, Joanna Penberthy was elected the first
woman bishop in the church.[53] Penberthy was enthroned as Bishop of St Davids on 11 February 2017.
As of 2020, following the enthronement of Cherry Vann as Bishop of Monmouth,[54] there were three
women bishops, and three men bishops, sitting on the Welsh Bench of Bishops. This situation was
maintained in 2021, with John Lomas having been elected as Bishop of Swansea and Brecon following the
resignation of John Davies.[55] In 2022, Stallard's consecration as Assistant Bishop of Bangor meant that a
majority of the active bishops in the Church in Wales was female, a situation presumed to be a first in any
Anglican church.[56] Although a Twitter feed suggested that Stallard had joined the "Bench" of bishops,
this was a loose use of terminology, as the "Bench" consists of the Archbishop and the other diocesan
bishops.[57]

Same-sex unions and LGBT clergy

Beginning in the 1980s, the Church in Wales embarked on an increasingly open stand on various issues
including economic justice, the ordination of women and inclusion of homosexual people. In some areas,
such as human sexuality, the church establishment has faced resistance from congregations. In 2005, the
church allowed gay priests to enter into civil partnerships.[58] "In the wake of civil partnerships, the Welsh
Bishops sought legal advice, and told gay partnered clergy that they were welcome, as well as gay
ordination candidates."[59] Speaking on such partnerships, it was communicated that "The Church in Wales
has no formal view on whether people in civil partnerships who are in a sexual relationship can serve as
clergy. If the issue arises, it is up to the relevant Bishop to decide."[58] Therefore, the Welsh church does
not require abstinence for clergy in civil unions.[60] Regarding transgender issues, an officer announced
that the church believes transgender people "should be acknowledged and celebrated in their new
gender."[61] Currently, "the Church has published prayers that may be said with a couple following the
celebration of a [same-sex] civil partnership or civil marriage."[62]

Currently, "the Church in Wales is much more liberal on this issue [than the Church of England]" and is
discussing the possibility of blessing or performing same-sex marriages.[63] In 2018, the Welsh Bishops
released a statement saying it was "unjust" to not offer formal provision for same-sex marriages and civil
partnerships.[64] Following the bishops' announcement, the General Synod voted in favour of requesting
formal provision for same-sex couples.[65] The Welsh Church has decided to move forward with possibly
offering same-sex marriage and blessing rites for same-sex unions.[66] The Diocese of St Asaph provides a
chaplaincy and services for LGBT people.[67] Jeffrey John, who is openly gay and in a civil partnership,
was nearly elected bishop of Llandaff when he "won more than half of a Church in Wales electoral college,
but fell short of the two-thirds majority required."[68] As of 2020, the Church in Wales has consecrated a
bishop, Cherry Vann, who is openly lesbian and in a civil partnership.[69][70]

"The Anglican Church in Wales took the first steps towards allowing clergy to celebrate same sex marriage
in its churches when more than half its Governing Body voted in favour of the move."[71] In the 2016
results, 52% of the Governing Body voted in favour of allowing same-sex marriages in church.[72]
"Members of the Church in Wales Governing Body voted 61 in favour of gay marriages in church, nine in
favour of blessing gay partnerships and 50 for making no change."[73] As a result of the majority support
for same-sex couples, but not a two-thirds majority needed to create a same-sex marriage ceremony, the
church's Bench of Bishops affirmed members in same-sex relationships and "published a series of prayers
which may be said with a couple following the celebration of a civil partnership or civil
marriage."[74][75][76] The service, in Form One, gives God thanks "for [the two people] who have found
such love and companionship in each other, that it has led them to dedicate their lives in support of one
another."[77] In September 2021, the Church in Wales voted to "formally bless same-sex couples" instead
(by way of debate and compromise) – but still not legally recognising same-sex marriage within titles of the
Church officially.[78][79][80]

Ecumenical relations

Following the similar step taken by the Church of England in 1932, and other Anglican provinces, the
Church in Wales entered into intercommunion with the Old Catholics in 1937.[81] The Church in Wales has
also been a member of the Porvoo Communion since September 1995.[82] Because of the Anglo-Catholic
dominance, relations with the Free Churches (formerly known during establishment times as
Nonconformists), ecumenical progress has been slower in Wales than in England. The Church in Wales is a
member of the Covenanted Churches in Wales.[83] A covenant (with church unity as an ultimate goal) was
signed by the Church in Wales, the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church of Wales, the United
Reformed Church, and some Baptist churches in 1982 under the title of Enfys ("rainbow").

See also
Cytûn – Churches Together in Wales
List of archdeacons in the Church in Wales
List of Church in Wales churches
Religion in Wales

Notes
a. With various theological and doctrinal identities, including Anglo-Catholic, Liberal and
Evangelical
b. The failure of the electoral college to elect a new Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in
September 2021 brought about the unusual situation where the choice of a new bishop fell
to a body with a majority of female members.
c. Although Press Releases of the Church in Wales suggest that Mary Stallard as Assistant
Bishop was a member of the bench of Bishops, the Constitution of the Church in Wales
 (Chapter I; Part II - 7) clearly defines "Bench of Bishops" as meaning "the Archbishop and
the other Diocesan Bishops"

References
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ales.org.uk/structure/representative-body/). churchinwales.org.uk. Church in Wales. Archived
from the original (http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/structure/representative-body/) on 24 April
2017. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
2. Church in Wales Membership & Finance 2018 (https://s3.amazonaws.com/cinw/wp-content/
uploads/2019/08/Membership-Finance-2019.pdf)
3. Y Catechism; Amelinelliad o'r Ffydd – The Catechism: An Outline of the Faith. Section III,
clause 25, p. 7 (Caerdydd/Cardiff. Gwasg yr Eglwys yng Nghymru/Church in Wales
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4. "New Archbishop of Wales elected" (https://web.archive.org/web/20211206220943/https://w
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from the original (https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/news-and-events/new-archbishop-of-
wales-elected/) on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
5. "Welsh Church Act 1914" (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/4-5/91/contents).
Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
6. Except for residual roles — in ecclesiastical court to try the archbishop, as metropolitan; and
the appointment of notaries, and the granting of Special Marriage Licences, s.6, Welsh
Church (Temporalities) Act 1919. Both these functions formed part of the jurisdiction of the
Papal Legate which were transferred to the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Reformation.
7. Owen, Eluned E. (1961). The Later Life of Bishop Owen. Llandyssul: Gomerian Press.
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Sources
Muss-Arnolt, William (1914). The Book of Common Prayer Among the Nations of the World:
A History of Translations of the Prayer Book of the Church of England and of the Protestant
Episcopal Church of America...a Study Based Mainly on the Collection of Josiah Henry
Benton (http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Muss-Arnolt/ch7&8.htm). London: Society
for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

Further reading
D T W Price, A History of the Church in Wales in the Twentieth Century (Church in Wales
Publications, 1990)
Charles A H Green, DD, The Setting of the Constitution of the Church in Wales (Sweet and
Maxwell, 1937)

External links
Church in Wales website (http://www.churchinwales.org.uk)
Church Heritage Cymru: online database of Church in Wales churches (https://churchheritag
ecymru.org.uk/home)
Text of the Welsh Church Act 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. 5 c. 91 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/
Geo5/4-5/91/part/I) as in force today (including any amendments) within the United
Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

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