About the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon

Rooted in Faith, Shaped by Community

We’re a diocese of the Church in Wales, serving communities from Knighton to Gower — from the heart of Swansea to village churches, coastal ministry, schools, chaplaincies, rural congregations and more. Our life together is worship, service, and sharing faith in Jesus.

Organisational Structure

Details of who’s who in the diocese can be found here: Who we are — The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon

Jargon Explained

These are some of the terms you will come across in the Handbook.

Regions

Province The Church in Wales as a whole.

Diocese Area within the Church in Wales (there are 6 dioceses). Ours is called Swansea & Brecon Diocese.

Archdeaconry Area within the diocese (we have two: Brecon and Gower)

Ministry Area (MA) Area within the Diocese, we have 14 in this diocese. Each MA has multiple churches.

Historical regions Prior to Ministry Areas, different regions within the Diocese may have been referred to as a Benefice, Parish, Rectoral Benefice or Deanery. These are no longer relevant.

Clergy Roles

Archbishop Cleric/leader with responsibility for the Province.

Bishop Cleric/leader with responsibility for the diocese.

Dean Cleric responsible for the Cathedral (the mother church of the diocese). The Cathedral for Swansea & Brecon Diocese is located in Brecon.

Archdeacon Cleric, licenced by the Bishop, with responsibility for an Archdeaconry, acting as the Bishop’s representative.

MAL Co-ordinator of the Ministry Area. This could be fulfilled by an NSM, Cleric or Lay member.

Cleric / Priest Licenced by the Bishop, to the whole MA (sometimes called a Rector, Vicar, or Incumbent). Usually has responsibility for named churches.

NSM Non-Stipendiary Minister. A volunteer cleric, licenced by the Bishop to the whole MA, but doesn’t receive a payment (stipend).

Curate Cleric at the beginning of their ministry, licenced by the Bishop, working under the supervision of an experienced cleric.

Associate Priest Volunteer Cleric licenced by the Bishop to a MA. Assists a team of clerics within the MA.

Chaplain The Bishop’s representative who is responsible for the religious needs of a different organisation e.g. Hospital Chaplain, Prison Chaplain, University Chaplain.

PTO Retired clerics who have a Bishop’s licence to provide ministry. PTO’s (Permission to Officiate) are licenced to the whole diocese.

Ordinand A person undertaking training to be a cleric.

Minor Canon Clerics who have a specific role within the Cathedral, or Precentor. A minor canon is a junior member of the Cathedral Clergy team. A Precentor is a member of a Cathedral Clergy team who is responsible for the musical and worship life of the Cathedral.

Canon Member of the management team of the Cathedral. This could be a cleric or lay member.

Additional Terms

Churchwarden A lay person elected by the congregation to represent the church and assist with practical matters such as property maintenance, finances, and supporting the clergy.

Laity / Lay member All non-clergy people within the Church in Wales.

Stipend Rather than a salary, Clergy who are stipendiary are given a regular income each month and house to live in.

Supervisor A nominated person who has the responsibility to directly oversee volunteer activities. This could be your cleric, the event co-ordinator, your churchwarden or whoever was assigned to support you. They may be a volunteer themselves. Supervisors may not have a formal title or role statement which says that they ‘supervise’ volunteers, but if they are involved in recruiting, training or rostering volunteers, it means that they have a supervisory role.

Vicarage / Parsonage Home made available to all clerics, owned by the RB, but financially maintained by the diocese. Sometimes can be called a rectory or chaplaincy.

Governance

RB: Representative Body of the Church in Wales
Based in Cardiff, this organisation is a separate entity to the diocese which oversees the governance applicable to the whole province. It manages the central investments and building portfolio (the majority of our churches & vicarages). The RB has its own Board of Trustees. Its Trustees comprise lay and clerical members elected from each Diocesan Conference.

GB: Governing Body
Comprising of membership of lay and clerical representatives elected from each of the dioceses, this body is responsible for decisions that affect the Church’s Faith, Order and Worship, broadly speaking it is the Parliament of the Church in Wales.

DBF: Diocesan Board of Finance
Each Diocese has a DBF; a separate entity with responsibility for the governance of the diocese. The DBF has its own Board of Trustees but must act within the Constitution of the Church in Wales. This body employs all diocesan staff, headed by the Diocesan Secretary (or CEO: Chief Executive Officer).

MAC: Ministry Area Council
Each MA is a separate charity. The MAC is its board of Trustees, responsible for the management of the MA. It must act within the Constitution of the Church in Wales.

Diocesan Standing Committee
Comprising representation from each of the MA’s, this body is responsible for the strategy of the diocese.

Diocesan Conference
This body comprises representation from across the diocese of both clerics and lay. It ensures that directions and orders of the Governing Body are carried out within the diocese. Its day-to-day functions are delegated to the Diocesan Standing Committee. It is responsible for electing diocesan representatives to the Governing Body and Representative Body.

Church Committee
Local body of volunteers who support and manage the church building and activities associated with it.

St Padarn’s Institute
Educational Body of the Church in Wales responsible for theological training of our clerics and laity.

Bishop’s Staff
This body is the senior management team for the diocese. In Swansea & Brecon it comprises the Bishop, the Archdeacons, Registrar, Diocesan Secretary, Director of Mission, Director of Ministry, Bishop’s Chaplain and Bishop’s Executive Assistant.

How to Address the Clergy

Multiple options are given, which may depend on the level of formality of the occasion or your connection with the person.

Role	In an address block, e.g. on an envelope	Opening of an email or letter; “Dear…”	As a reference, e.g. in a meeting minute	In Person
Priest or deacon (incl. MAL, NSM, PTO, curate & associate priests)	The Reverend A B Smith	Formal: Rev’d Smith Informal: Alan	Formal: Rev’d Smith Informal: Rev’d Alan Smith	Father/Mother or Vicar, or Father Alan / Mother Emma, or Alan / Emma
Archdeacon	The Venerable A B Smith	Formal: Archdeacon Informal: Archdeacon Alan or Alan	Formal: The Ven Archdeacon of Gower Informal: Archdeacon Alan Smith	Archdeacon, or Archdeacon Alan
Dean	The Very Reverend A B Smith	Formal: Mr/Mrs Dean Informal: Dean Alan or Alan	Formal: The Very Reverend Dean of Brecon Cathedral Informal: The Dean	Mr Dean / Mrs Dean, or Dean Alan / Emma
Bishop	The Right Reverend A B Smith	Formal: Bishop Informal: Bishop Alan or +Alan	Formal: The Bishop of Swansea and Brecon Informal: Bishop Alan Smith	Bishop, or Bishop Alan
Archbishop	The Most Reverend A B Smith	Formal: Your Grace or Archbishop Informal: Archbishop Alan	Formal: The Archbishop of Wales or The Archbishop Informal: Archbishop Alan Smith	Your Grace, or Archbishop, or Archbishop Alan

Priest or deaconIncl. MAL, NSM, PTO, curate & associate priests

In an address blockThe Reverend A B Smith

Opening of an email or letterFormal: Rev’d Smith. Informal: Alan

As a referenceFormal: Rev’d Smith. Informal: Rev’d Alan Smith

In personFather/Mother or Vicar, or Father Alan / Mother Emma, or Alan / Emma

Archdeacon

In an address blockThe Venerable A B Smith

Opening of an email or letterFormal: Archdeacon. Informal: Archdeacon Alan or Alan

As a referenceFormal: The Ven Archdeacon of Gower. Informal: Archdeacon Alan Smith

In personArchdeacon, or Archdeacon Alan

Dean

In an address blockThe Very Reverend A B Smith

Opening of an email or letterFormal: Mr/Mrs Dean. Informal: Dean Alan or Alan

As a referenceFormal: The Very Reverend Dean of Brecon Cathedral. Informal: The Dean

In personMr Dean / Mrs Dean, or Dean Alan / Emma

Bishop

In an address blockThe Right Reverend A B Smith

Opening of an email or letterFormal: Bishop. Informal: Bishop Alan or +Alan

As a referenceFormal: The Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. Informal: Bishop Alan Smith

In personBishop, or Bishop Alan

Archbishop

In an address blockThe Most Reverend A B Smith

Opening of an email or letterFormal: Your Grace or Archbishop. Informal: Archbishop Alan

As a referenceFormal: The Archbishop of Wales or The Archbishop. Informal: Archbishop Alan Smith

In personYour Grace, or Archbishop, or Archbishop Alan

Multiple titles: Where a person has multiple titles they should be used in the correct order. In our diocese we have Reverend Canon’s and Reverend Canon Dr’s. If you are in doubt, please ask the person concerned (they won’t bite!).

Getting Started