The seat becomes vacant on Jan. 6, 2025, when the resignation of the current archbishop, Justin Welby, takes effect.
This process is led by the Crown Nominations Commission, whose role is to discern the person they believe God may be calling to this ministry.
Unlike a secular recruitment process, no one applies to be the archbishop of Canterbury.
The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for the archbishop of Canterbury is a 20-member body, including 17 voting members and up to three non-voting members:
Voting members:
Chair: A lay Anglican in public life, who must be a communicant of the Church of England. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has chosen Jonathan Evans, also known as The Lord Evans of Weardale KCB DL, who sits in Parliament’s House of Lords.
Five Anglican Communion representatives: one from each of the five regions of the Anglican Communion – Africa, Americas, Middle East and Asia, Oceania, Europe. These five people must include at least one primate, one priest or deacon and one lay communicant; two men and two women; and three non-white people.
Three Canterbury diocesan representatives elected by the Diocese of Canterbury’s Vacancy in See Committee.
Six representatives of the Church of England General Synod – three ordained and three lay members – drawn from the CNC central members elected by General Synod.
The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev. Stephen Cottrell, participates unless he opts out, in which case another bishop will be elected by the House of Bishops to serve.
One bishop from the Southern Province elected by the House of Bishops. This bishop must reside in the Southern Province and can be retired.
Non-voting members (up to three):
The secretary for appointments for the archbishops of Canterbury and York. This person also serves as the secretary to the CNC
The prime minister’s appointments secretary
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, may join if he accepts the invitation to participate.
Steps in the process
The selection process involves multiple stages to ensure the needs of the Diocese of Canterbury, the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion are met.
It begins this month, when the Diocese of Canterbury’s Vacancy in See process begins to consider the needs of the diocese and decide who will represent it on the Crown Nominations Commission.
Once all its members are in place, the Crown Nominations Commission also begins meeting to reflect and pray about who it will nominate. Following a full and open public consultation, candidates are invited into a monthslong process of prayerful discernment. The commission’s selection must have the support of at least two-thirds of the group’s 17 voting members.
The commission then sends the name of its preferred candidate to the prime minister, who submits it to the king for approval. After that, the appointment is announced by the prime minister’s office.
Formal approval still requires that the person be elected by the College of Canons at Canterbury Cathedral.
Then a legal ceremony, called the confirmation of election, marks the official date on which the new archbishop takes office. At that time the archbishop pays homage to the king as supreme governor of the Church of England.
An installation service at Canterbury Cathedral at a later date marks the start of the new archbishop’s ministry.