Strictly speaking, the incumbent's stall is really just the prie-dieu (or prayer desk - from the French for "pray to God") where the incumbent is seated (usually in the front of the chancel at the right hand side) to officiate at or preside over the liturgy - the difference between these two terms being that at offices, such as morning and evening prayer, weddings, or funerals, the person who conducts the service is called the "officiant," whereas when the Eucharist is being observed the person presiding over the liturgy is called the "celebrant."

The reason why the bulletin is constantly referring to the "priest" rather than the celebrant or officiant is twofold: first for the simple, functional, reason that "priest" takes less space on the page than "celebrant" or "officiant," thus allowing the bulletin's text column to be larger and saving much needed bulletin real estate.

The second reason is because, while most people recognize the term "priest," newcomers are less likely to understand such churchy nomenclature as "officiant" or "celebrant."

I mention all these distinctions because, in the modern church the term "incumbent's stall" has more or lest lost its meaning since the seat where the incumbent would typically is for the officiant or celebrant, whether that person is the incumbent or not!   However, it was not ever thus.

In the English Church of the reformation, the incumbent's (or rector's) stall was reserved for the incumbent, and none would deign to sit in it for fear of incurring, if not God's wrath, then at least the rector's.

Part of the reason that the incumbent's stall enjoyed such exclusivity was because in the Church of England, the state religion, the rector's authority was not only spiritual, but temporal as well; he was responsible for the cure of souls in the parish and, because of that was entitled to the rectoral tithes, a portion of the revenue that the land-holding generated.

Thus the incumbent's stall was the "seat" of his authority, as he functioned as an agent of both church and state.

Interestingly, up until even the last ten years, much liturgical ado was made of “installing” the rector in his/her chair.   Some vestiges of this custom remain as, nowadays, to mark the new incumbent's arrival, a celebration of new ministry is held, part of which is the Bishop guiding the incumbent to the prayer desk where the celebrant presides.

However, it is clear in the oaths sworn and vows exchanged, between both priest and congregation in the liturgy, that the authority of the incumbent is not seated in who he/she is, but by what he/she does.

In repudiating the language of "installing the new rector" in favour of "celebrating a new ministry" it reinforces the notion that the emphasis is not on the actor, but the act; the incumbent's stall is now better described as the "prie-dieu", the place where the community is exhorted to "pray to God".