Visitation From On High

The Archdeacon sat in the vestry with me and Hannah the outgoing churchwarden and went through a stack of documents, ticking them off a list. This was, as far as I can recall, the first time since I arrived in Swanvale Halt that the Archdeacon had himself done the usually-misnamed Archdeacon’s Visitation: in the past it was invariably delegated to the Area Dean. The Visitation traditionally focused on going through the Inventory of the church in question, checking that we hadn’t sold or stolen any of the silverware in the two years after the previous one. It’s a peculiar performance measure. Other topics included making sure we had the correct notices displayed (there is some debate as to whether this includes the Table of Kindred and Affinity). For one Visitation some years ago I happened to be away and it was churchwarden Patrick, a blithe and laid-back character, who dealt with the then Area Dean; he answered almost every question with a smile and ‘I don’t know about that’. It was just as well that they knew one another of old, but even then we were issued with two sides of A4 listing all the things that we must make sure we’d done.

Now the focus of the Visitation has changed. We were asked to lay out copies of our Health & Safety Policy, Safeguarding Policy, gas and electricity certificates, and insurance documents, and get out the service registers (although as far as I know the last are not legally-required documents at all and there used to be bitter and recalcitrant clergy who didn’t keep them). The Archdeacon had a checklist on his laptop, to confirm that we at least had something that looked like the kind of thing we should. Having passed that hurdle, we moved on to discussing the Church Development Plan about which the Archdeacon was very supportive and encouraging and made a couple of suggestions about points the diocese might be able to help with. We finished with a wander round the churchyard looking at the flowers.

OFSTED it’s not, and neither should it be. I’ve heard stories from colleagues in other dioceses of Visitations which begin with the legal checking-of-documents bit but then move on to a closed-door discussion between the Archdeacon and PCC members from which the incumbent is excluded – people being told ‘you are not allowed to attend’ – and the result of which the priest is sometimes not even informed, apart from a vague ‘it went well’. It sounds like the Church’s traditional love of secrecy and power-games under the guise of accountability, and I’m relieved we haven’t gone down that route here.

(I found this image by Googling ARCHDEACON. It depicts Revd Colley, Archdeacon and former Rector of Stockton. With his biretta, stole and shoulder-cape, he is clearly a Sound gentleman. But why is he, with so very serious an expression so we must assume he isn't taking the mickey, carrying a trumpet? Should this be standard issue for all archdeacons?)