The Church of England works through the parish system: a geographical division of our country into small units, each containing one or more parish churches. In times gone by every parish would have its own Vicar, or Rector, but as rural populations shifted to the cities, parishes began to join together in order to share their clergy. Such a union of two or more parishes which remain distinct legal entities is called a benefice. - https://www.thebourne.org.uk/the-united-benefice/

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TERMS USED IN PASTORAL RE-ORGANISATION

Pastoral reorganisation         Creating, dissolving, or altering the boundaries of a parish or a benefice or establishing, dissolving or
altering a team ministry or plurality.
Cure of souls          “Cure” means “care”. Basically the care of souls in a particular area.
Incumbent          A priest who can be either a Vicar or Rector who holds responsibility for the cure of souls in a benefice. Thjs is
a freehold office.
Priest in Charge          A priest given charge of a benefice by licence of the Diocesan Bishop. A priest in charge does not own the
freehold of the benefice.
Benefice          The office to which an Incumbent is appointed. This is not a geographical area and can include one or more
parishes.
Parish          The basic geographical unit over which an Incumbent has cure of souls. There may be several parishes in the
area of one benefice.
Freehold          A priest’s complete and unrestricted “ownership” of the office of Incumbent of a benefice.

https://dioceseofyork.org.uk/uploads/attachment/49/pastoral-...

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18. Will clergy involved in pastoral reorganisation be able to keep their freehold if they take on an extra parish?

Sometimes pastoral schemes are drafted, so that existing benefices cease to exist and new benefices are created, with the first incumbent being designated by the scheme. Such incumbents would therefore be taking up new posts. An unintended consequence of the terms of service legislation is that these incumbents would hold their new post under common tenure if the scheme was brought in after 31 January 2011 and would lose their existing freeholders’ rights.

Following discussion at the Church Commissioners’ Pastoral Committee, it has been agreed (subject to the approval of the Commissioners’ Board of Governors and the Archbishops’ Council in September) to ask the General Synod to amend the Measure in November, so that a new post created in this way would not count for the purposes of the Measure and its Regulations. This would mean that incumbents on freehold could not have common tenure imposed on them as a result of pastoral reorganisation.

https://www.salisbury.anglican.org/ministry/clergy-hr/freque...