Churchwardens are lay officials working as part-time volunteers. In this parish the two churchwardens are members of the Parochial Church Council. They are elected at the Meeting of Parishioners by the parishioners, whether on the electoral roll or not. This must happen on or before 30th April and are sworn in, formally admitted to office by the Archdeacon, between being elected and 31st July the same year. They are also ex-officio members of the Standing Committee.

Tops of the churchwardens' staffs

Churchwardens may be men or women and are the bishop's officers in the parish by representing the laity and co-operating with the incumbent. They do not have to be treasurer of the P.C.C. although many are. They have several formal duties but most importantly they must maintain order and peace in the church and churchyard at all times and assist the clergy in their work of ministry. Among other things, the latter requires that the church buildings and their contents are kept in a fit condition for services of worship and maintained as part of our heritage. They are assisted in this by the Properties Committee. Incumbents tend to devolve day-to-day maintenance of church buildings and contents to their churchwardens.

Churchwardens have a duty under ecclesiastical law to keep an up to date terrier of the property and an inventory of the furnishings, ornaments and valuables. These detailed records and also professional inspections, alterations and repairs must be produced for inspection when required. Although they are resonsible for all the moveable things in and around the church, the vicar owns the buildings. Whenever churchwardens spend money to pay tradespeople for repairs etc., they have to record this in a logbook which is inspected along with the inventory.

Churchwardens also have a duty to make sure that the clergy can conduct their services and other meetings without hindrance. This requires that any visitors or newcomers are welcomed and assisted, that there is adequate seating, proper lighting and heating, and that all other facilities required are in place, including safety requirements. As members of other parish committees and groups, churchwardens are often able to offer advice and assistance. Each churchwarden will have her or his own particular areas of knowledge and interests; between them they should not only fulfil their formal duties but also deal with unexpected problems and add to the general wellbeing of the parish. Churchwardens each carry a staff of office at certain services. These are wooden with brass tops as shown in the pictures above.

Historical Background to the Churchwardens
The office of churchwarden is a very ancient office going back to the 13th Century. The primary function of the office at that time was taking care of the church building and its contents on behalf of the parishioners. As time went on other duties were added, and churchwardens became the local officers of the Bishop of the diocese, responsible to him for the proper carrying out of their responsibilities. St. James's has always had two churchwardens who are elected at the Meeting of Parishioners which has to take place by April 30th each year. All parishioners on either the church electoral roll or the civil Electoral Register can vote at this meeting.