Chancellor is an ecclesiastical title used by several quite distinct officials of some
Christianchurches.
In some churches, the Chancellor of a
diocese is a
lawyer who represents the church in legal matters.
In the
Catholic Church a chancellor is the chief record-keeper of a diocese or
eparchy or their equivalent. Normally a priest, sometimes a deacon or layperson, the chancellor keeps the official archives of the diocese, as a notary certifies documents, and generally manages the administrative offices (and sometimes finances and personnel) of a diocese. They may be assisted by vice-chancellors. Though they manage the paperwork and office (called the "
chancery"), they have no actual jurisdictional authority: the
bishop of the diocese exercises decision-making authority through his
judicial vicar, in judicial matters, and the
vicar general for administrative matters.
In the
Church of England, the Chancellor is the
judge of the
consistory court of the diocese. The office of diocesan chancellor technically combines that of Official Principal (who presides over, and represents the bishop in, the consistory court) with that of
Vicar General (who acts as the bishop's deputy in non-judicial legal and administrative affairs).[1] The office was also known historically in some dioceses as Commissary or Commissary General, and Commissary General remains the usual title in the
Diocese of Canterbury.
In Church of England
cathedrals, the Canon Chancellor (more usually known simply as the Chancellor) is one of the
canons of the cathedral who has a particular responsibility for matters of education and scholarship, often acting as the cathedral
librarian and
archivist. The Chancellor is generally one of four chief dignitaries in the
cathedral chapter, the others being the
Dean, the
Precentor and the
Treasurer.
In the
United Methodist Church, each
Annual Conference has a Conference Chancellor, who is either an active or retired lawyer or judge who serves as the Annual Conference's legal adviser and representative. While the Annual Conference will usually hire outside professional counsel in legal matters requiring legal representation, that hiring and representation is done under the supervision, and with the consent, of the Conference Chancellor.