THE membership of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) that will choose the next Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to be known by mid-March, before its first meeting in May, the Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments, Stephen Knott, has said.

In a letter to General Synod members, published on the C of E website on Monday, Mr Knott writes that, as already reported, the vacancy-in-see committee for Canterbury met for the first time last month, and that Lord Evans of Weardale, a former director-general of MI5 and a cross-bencher in the House of Lords, is to chair the Canterbury CNC (News, 20 December 2024).

In February and March, Mr Knott and the Prime Minister’s Appointments Secretary, Jonathan Hellewell, “will undertake an extensive consultation exercise”, the letter says, to which Synod members will be invited to contribute.

“The themes that emerge through this consultation will sit alongside the ‘Statement of Needs’ produced by the Diocese of Canterbury, as well as other information provided by the National Church and Anglican Communion, in informing the CNC of the needs of the mission of the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion,” the letter says.

“It is expected that the full membership of the Commission will be known by mid-March, by which time the names of the three individuals elected from the Diocese of Canterbury’s Vacancy in See Committee, the outcome of the election of the episcopal member(s), the Central Members and the Anglican Communion representatives will be announced. The election process for the episcopal membership will be overseen by the Central Secretariat and further information on this will be circulated in the next weeks.”

The Canterbury CNC is expected to meet for the first time in May, Mr Knott writes, followed by meetings in July and September. “Through these meetings, the Commission will agree the ‘Role Profile’ and ‘Person Specification’ for the next Archbishop, as well as longlist, shortlist and interview potential candidates.”

A page on the C of E website concerning the process says that, once the CNC’s meetings have concluded, it “nominates the name of the preferred candidate to the Prime Minister, who submits the name to His Majesty The King for approval. Once approved, the appointment is announced by 10 Downing Street.”