Is God calling you or someone you know to play a leadership role within our church?
At our Annual Parish Church Meeting on April 28th, we need to elect 3 people to our Church Council to serve a 3 year term. Could God be calling you to this important role? Who could you be encouraging to serve in this way?
Why is the Parish Church Council important?
The PCC is responsible (with the vicar) for “promoting the whole mission of the church: pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical”. In practise, the PCC is responsible for discerning the vision and direction for St. James’ by the Park, and making major decisions to help bring that vision to fruition.
The PCC is the legal governing body of a Church of England parish. As such, it also has various legal duties with regard to our buildings, finances, paid staff and safeguarding procedures. Although we expect members to take their responsibilities seriously, we don’t expect PCC members to be an expert in any or all of these areas!
Who gets to be on the Parish Church Council?
The PCC is made up of:
* the clergy
* the elected Leadership Wardens
* 9 other elected members of the congregation – three of whom are up for election this April
* a youth rep, who is co-opted by the PCC
* a few ‘deanery synod reps’ (who represent us to other Anglican churches in Southampton)
* a Treasurer, who is appointed by the PCC
* some church staff also attend PCC meetings
What sort of people should stand for election to PCC?
Faith and character: None of us are perfect, but a PCC member should be able to say, “Follow me, as I follow Christ” – in other words, they should seek to be living a godly life, setting an example to others. The Bible says that a leader “must be worthy of respect, sincere” etc, and demonstrate integrity of belief, which means “they must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith [summarised in the Creed] with a clear conscience.”
Vision and leadership: We need people who can grapple with big issues and help make tough choices, helping us continue to discern God’s vision for our church.
Gifts and experience: None of us have all the gifts needed to lead a church, which is why the New Testament speaks of teams of leaders. We need a variety of gifts to make a rounded PCC. We need people who are willing to challenge our thinking, to contribute to discussions, preferably from a variety of backgrounds (age, gender, class, nationality etc).
Attitude: All of us have personal preferences for how a church should run, but PCC members need to put those aside to discern the corporate responsibilities the Lord is calling us to have as a community at this point in time. Members should be humble enough to learn from one another and serve the church.
Legalities: Candidates for election must be 16 or over. PCC members are considered ‘trustees’ by the Charity Commission, meaning that some criminal convictions bar people from holding this office. All PCC members must undergo Safeguarding vetting through DBS checks and Safeguarding training.
What sort of things will the PCC be discussing?
Vision and Values: we need to make sure our 3-D vision (embracing Different forms of church in order to make Disciple-making disciples who increasingly reflect the Diversity of our local area) shapes our decisions and prayers; and that we are being courageous, whole-hearted and expectant
Leadership: we need to continue to transition to a new model of shared leadership in many areas of church life, encouraging more people into leadership and supporting them.
Buildings: we hope to make significant progress working out options for the Parish Hall.
Finances: we need to keep a close eye on our income levels, making sure that we don't spend more than we've got, and using what we have got wisely!
What is expected of a PCC member?
We usually have one Monday evening meeting per month, although this is sometimes replaced by a Saturday day-time meeting. Members are expected to prayerfully read through any papers related to the agenda before each meeting, and to contribute constructively to the discussion and decision-making process. Many PCC members also serve on at least one other group (eg looking in more detail at buildings, finances, safeguarding or mission partnerships). Members help ensure 2-way communication between PCC and the rest of the church happens, and can raise concerns when appropriate.
What next?
If you feel the Lord might be prompting you to stand, feel free to chat informally with existing PCC members or the church wardens or clergy to gain more understanding of the role. Ask others whether they would be willing to propose or second you. If you can think of someone else who would be a good PCC member, approach them, or suggest them to the wardens.
Key dates
Completed nomination forms should be returned to the church office by Thursday 25th April. The elections will take place at our Annual Parish Church Meeting on Sunday 28th April following a shortened morning service. (You don’t need to be present to stand).
The new PCC will have a meal together the following day: Monday 29th April. Subsequent dates include Mondays 13th May, 10th June and 8th July. We expect PCC members to be present at most of the meetings.
Why is the Parish Church Council important?
The PCC is responsible (with the vicar) for “promoting the whole mission of the church: pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical”. In practise, the PCC is responsible for discerning the vision and direction for St. James’ by the Park, and making major decisions to help bring that vision to fruition.
The PCC is the legal governing body of a Church of England parish. As such, it also has various legal duties with regard to our buildings, finances, paid staff and safeguarding procedures. Although we expect members to take their responsibilities seriously, we don’t expect PCC members to be an expert in any or all of these areas!
Who gets to be on the Parish Church Council?
The PCC is made up of:
* the clergy
* the elected Leadership Wardens
* 9 other elected members of the congregation – three of whom are up for election this April
* a youth rep, who is co-opted by the PCC
* a few ‘deanery synod reps’ (who represent us to other Anglican churches in Southampton)
* a Treasurer, who is appointed by the PCC
* some church staff also attend PCC meetings
What sort of people should stand for election to PCC?
Faith and character: None of us are perfect, but a PCC member should be able to say, “Follow me, as I follow Christ” – in other words, they should seek to be living a godly life, setting an example to others. The Bible says that a leader “must be worthy of respect, sincere” etc, and demonstrate integrity of belief, which means “they must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith [summarised in the Creed] with a clear conscience.”
Vision and leadership: We need people who can grapple with big issues and help make tough choices, helping us continue to discern God’s vision for our church.
Gifts and experience: None of us have all the gifts needed to lead a church, which is why the New Testament speaks of teams of leaders. We need a variety of gifts to make a rounded PCC. We need people who are willing to challenge our thinking, to contribute to discussions, preferably from a variety of backgrounds (age, gender, class, nationality etc).
Attitude: All of us have personal preferences for how a church should run, but PCC members need to put those aside to discern the corporate responsibilities the Lord is calling us to have as a community at this point in time. Members should be humble enough to learn from one another and serve the church.
Legalities: Candidates for election must be 16 or over. PCC members are considered ‘trustees’ by the Charity Commission, meaning that some criminal convictions bar people from holding this office. All PCC members must undergo Safeguarding vetting through DBS checks and Safeguarding training.
What sort of things will the PCC be discussing?
Vision and Values: we need to make sure our 3-D vision (embracing Different forms of church in order to make Disciple-making disciples who increasingly reflect the Diversity of our local area) shapes our decisions and prayers; and that we are being courageous, whole-hearted and expectant
Leadership: we need to continue to transition to a new model of shared leadership in many areas of church life, encouraging more people into leadership and supporting them.
Buildings: we hope to make significant progress working out options for the Parish Hall.
Finances: we need to keep a close eye on our income levels, making sure that we don't spend more than we've got, and using what we have got wisely!
What is expected of a PCC member?
We usually have one Monday evening meeting per month, although this is sometimes replaced by a Saturday day-time meeting. Members are expected to prayerfully read through any papers related to the agenda before each meeting, and to contribute constructively to the discussion and decision-making process. Many PCC members also serve on at least one other group (eg looking in more detail at buildings, finances, safeguarding or mission partnerships). Members help ensure 2-way communication between PCC and the rest of the church happens, and can raise concerns when appropriate.
What next?
If you feel the Lord might be prompting you to stand, feel free to chat informally with existing PCC members or the church wardens or clergy to gain more understanding of the role. Ask others whether they would be willing to propose or second you. If you can think of someone else who would be a good PCC member, approach them, or suggest them to the wardens.
Key dates
Completed nomination forms should be returned to the church office by Thursday 25th April. The elections will take place at our Annual Parish Church Meeting on Sunday 28th April following a shortened morning service. (You don’t need to be present to stand).
The new PCC will have a meal together the following day: Monday 29th April. Subsequent dates include Mondays 13th May, 10th June and 8th July. We expect PCC members to be present at most of the meetings.
