Curate - Anglican Communion

Anglican Communion

In the Church of England, the technical term "curate" as found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer meant the incumbent of a benefice, that is the person licensed by the diocesan bishop to the "cure of souls" who was either a rector, a vicar, or a perpetual curate depending on how the benefice income was raised. Although the expression "curate-in-charge" was mainly used of an informal arrangement whereby an incumbent gave substantial responsibility for one of the churches within the parish to an assistant, in law it denoted a cleric licensed by the bishop to exercise some or all of the cure-of-souls when the incumbent had failed to make adequate provision for them or was subject to disciplinary measures. Once in possession of their benefices, rectors and vicars used to enjoy a freehold and could only be removed after due legal process for a restricted number of reasons. Perpetual curates were placed on a similar footing in 1838 and were commonly styled 'vicars' and this practice was legally recognised in 1968. Clergy (both transitional deacons and priests) who assist the "curate" were, and are, properly called assistant curates, but colloquially may be known as "the curate". They are also licensed by the bishop, but only at the request of the "curate" who had the right of dismissal subject to certain conditions.

With the passing of the 1968 Pastoral Measure, the Church of England has undergone a major process of pastoral adjustment which still continues today and much of above no longer holds good. Terms like "rector" and "curate" were carried overseas with the spread of Anglicanism but their exact significance depends on local conditions and regulations.

In the Church of Ireland some curates are styled "bishop's curates" as they are accountable directly to the diocesan bishop, while sometimes mentored by local parish clergy and are perceived to have more autonomy than other assistant curates.

Ministers in the Church of England whose main financial income comes from sources other than their work as clergy may be termed "Self Supporting Ministers" or "Curate (SSM)".

In Anglican parishes with a Charismatic or Evangelical tradition, the roles of curates are usually seen as being an assistant leader to the overall leader, often in a larger team of pastoral leaders. Many of the larger Charismatic and Evangelical parishes have larger ministry teams with a number of pastoral leaders, some ordained and others who are not.