Repairs of Churches

Repairs Of Churches.

Canon 85 of the Church of England enacts, "The church-wardens or questman shall take care and provide that the churches be well and sufficiently repaired, and so from time to time kept and maintained," etc., specifying the work upon windows, floor, churchyard, walls, and fences. They are also to "see that at every meeting of the congregation peace be well kept, and that all persons excommunicated, and so denounced, be kept out of the church." Canon 86 adds, "Every dean, dean and chapter, archdeacon, and others which have authority to hold ecclesiastical visitations by composition, law, or prescription, shall survey the churches of his or their jurisdiction once in every three years in his own person, or cause the same to be done," etc. Usually the repair of the church belongs to the rector, and that of the nave to the parishioners, The repairing of the Established churches in Scotland belongs to the heritors, who, if they resolve to build a new church, must build it so large as to accommodate two thirds of the examinable permanent population, or persons above twelve years of age. The presbytery can ordain the heritors to make the necessary repairs, can appoint a visitation to a decayed church, receive the report of the tradesmen, and come to a decision. Unendowed congregations build and repair their own places of worship.