Apply directions on behalf of church (7)
I believe the answer is:
enforce
'apply' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'directions on behalf of church' is the wordplay.
'directions' becomes 'en' (east and north).
'on behalf of' becomes 'for' (eg speaking on behalf of or for someone else).
'church' becomes 'ce' (Church of England).
'en'+'for'+'ce'='ENFORCE'
(Other definitions for enforce that I've seen before include "Impose by necessity" , "Insist on" , "Put into effect" , "Compel or impose obedience, say to law" , "Administer with pressure (70" .)