Why you should be on the St Paul’s Electoral Roll
It’s that time of year again: time to renew the St Paul’s electoral roll! It might not sound very exciting, but it’s an important thing that we need to do as a church. Every five years we need to start afresh and record our worshipping community details. So even though you have been on the previous Electoral Roll, you need to re-apply now for 2025.
What is the electoral roll
The electoral roll is literally a register of people who are able to elect other people in the church, a bit like being on the civic electoral roll allows you to vote in local and Parliamentary elections. Being on the church electoral roll means that you can vote on any relevant issues at the annual parochial church meeting (APCM) and stand for election to the PCC (the Parish Church Council).
Although the electoral roll is the closest thing the Church of England has to official membership, just signing up doesn’t really make you a member of the church. It’s more like you are already a ‘member’, by coming regularly to St Paul's and participating in the life of the church, and that would be your reason for being on the electoral roll.
How to apply to be on the Electoral Role
To apply for the church electoral roll, you must:
- be 16 years old or over (although you can apply in the year you become 16 and you can be on the electoral roll once your birthday has passed)
- be baptised
- either live in the parish or have attended the church regularly for at least 6 months. Check which parish you're in here.
You can also be on the electoral roll of more than one church.
You can apply by completing the form via the link below which is the best way as it saves time in compiling information manually. You don't need an email address to add your details to the form, but it is preferable so we can inform you by email of any changes relating to your entry to the Electoral Roll. You can still use a paper form if this is better for you and these are available at the back of church, at the Sunday service or when the church is open anytime during the week. The best way though is to simply complete the form online and we'll do the rest.
Other Advantages
Joining the electoral roll can be a way of confirming your commitment to the St Paul’s community and to our vision. But it also allows you to take part in the life of the wider Church of England, at, deanery, diocese and even national levels, if you’re interested in that.
The deadline
Each year we have a specific time period where we update the electoral roll. This year we have until Sunday 29 March, so please access the link below and add your details now.
Your information
We will keep your information secure in line with UK GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) regulations, held securely by our data management company ChurchSuite Ltd. Please see our policy page for more information about data handling. If you have any questions please contact the Electoral Roll Officer below. If you wish to chat about any of these matters in church please see who our current ERO is by visiting this page here.