In my characteristically moderate and understated Editorial in the previous issue, I commended to the Church of England in general, and the readership of this Journal in particular, the pressing need for informed engagement in the process of ‘re-establishment’ in the relationship between Church and State in the United Kingdom. Publication deadlines preclude the inclusion of considered responses until the following issue but it is pleasing to observe the stout resistance of a number of individuals to the prevailing tide of inertia which has dominated the non-debate in recent years.

The enforced delay in publishing responses enables me to deal with a number of domestic matters concerning the Journal, now in its twenty-third year and on the third anniversary of its ‘translation’ to Cambridge University Press. The first is to note with regret the departure of Dr Hester Higton. Although her name has never appeared in its pages, her contribution to the success of the Journal has been considerable. She was assigned as freelance copy editor and has worked assiduously in preparing text for publication, converting an assortment of idiosyncratic submissions into a coherent manuscript and in conformity with the Journal's house style. I am please to make this public expression of thanks for her work and achievements for the Journal and to wish her well with her future ventures.

Fortunately, the Journal continues to have the assistance of Peter Moore who has acted as ‘referencer-in-chief’ since the Journal began in 1987. His work in compiling indices and tables reached its height in the Consolidated Tables and Index 1987–2006, but his customary attention to detail continues to be reflected in the text and, perhaps more particularly, the footnotes in successive issues. Some, Peter included, may regret the discontinuance of annual indices and tables in printed form, but this conforms with Cambridge's policy for Journals On-Line and the searchable electronic access for the complete run of the Journal archive. For further details visit [email protected] or contact Rebecca O'Rourke by email at [email protected].

This issue also sees some changes to the Editorial Board. I am pleased to report that Will Adam, who will be well known to readers for his work on the Case Notes, has become Assistant Editor. In this new rôle he will take over responsibility for the day-to-day production of the Journal, which has become increasingly burdensome over the years. This will enable me to devote more time to the content of the Journal, and to developing and implementing editorial policy in conjunction with the distinguished Editorial Board.

Which brings me to several new appointments to the Editorial Board. I am delighted to welcome the Right Worshipful Charles George QC, recently appointed to the combined office of Dean of Arches and Auditor of the Chancery Court of York. His particular expertise in English ecclesiastical law and the faculty jurisdiction will be greatly valued. Also from within the Anglican Communion comes Garth Blake SC, an experienced barrister and member of the Professional Standards Commission of the Anglican Church of Australia, who writes in this issue on professional standards for clergy from an Australian viewpoint.

The international and comparative coverage for which this Journal has an enviable reputation is further strengthened by the addition of two more distinguished scholars. We welcome the first Latin American member of the Board, namely Professor Ana María Celis Brunet, of the Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, where she teaches canon law and law and religion. She is a member of the promoting committee of the International Consortium of Law and Religion Studies and will be hosting its next gathering in Chile in 2011. Secondly, Professor Douglas Laycock, who since 2006 has been Yale Kamisar Collegiate Professor of Law in the University of Michigan Law School, following twenty-five years teaching at the University of Texas Law School and, before that, Chicago University. His experience of religious liberty in North America, both as a practitioner and an academic, adds yet more depth to the international standing of the Journal.

And so the Editorial Board enters 2010 refreshed and invigorated by new blood, but thankfully with no corresponding resignations or retirements from the continuing members, upon whom I am pleased and proud to rely in the commissioning of new material and in expanding the readership. There are pressing matters of concern in relation to English ecclesiastical law. More contributions on the mainstream law of the Church of England – past, present and future – would be welcomed. But so also are international, ecumenical and comparative Articles and Comment which set the core material in context and illuminate the jurisprudence in this increasingly dynamic area of study.

As this issue was going to press, we were saddened to learn of the death of Bishop Eric Kemp, who had been President of the Ecclesiastical Law Society since its inception in 1987. I was honoured to serve as his Chancellor in the Diocese of Chichester, even though there was half a century between us in age. His contribution to the recovery of an understanding of the place of canon law in Anglican ecclesiology was immense, and the renaissance of ecclesiastical law as an academic discipline owes much to his scholarship. This Journal is very much in his debt. He will be greatly missed.