The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word VESTRYMAN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
V
E
S
T
R
Y
M
A
N
More clues leading to the result VESTRYMAN
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Church official" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case church official = vestryman.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does VESTRYMAN mean?
VESTRYMAN noun- A member of a parochial vestry