What the management committee does and how to join or work with it?

What is the Management Committee?

The Management Committee (or, as it is usually known, ‘the Committee’) is the body that oversees the life and work of the Church. All Committee members become in that capacity Management Trustees of the Church, and sign a declaration that they will discharge their responsibilities in keeping with the expected standards set out by the Charity Commission. (Our Guardian Trustees are a separate body, which comprises members appointed by the Management Committee to act as a sounding board and advisory group on an ad hoc basis, and to oversee the Management Committee’s work. Guardian Trustees meet at least once a year, and are usually people with longstanding connections to the Church. Our Guardian Trustees are currently Gareth Hoskins, Trevor Lewis, Kitty Lloyd-Lawrence, David Strachan, Chris Stutz and Lawrence Tuckman.

Who sits on the Committee, and who chooses them?

All Committee members are formal members of the Church, and the committee is elected at the AGM for the following year. Members must be nominated and seconded by members of the Church. Each member is elected to serve a three year term, on a ‘staggered’ basis, which means that at least two posts on the committee become vacant every year. Committee members may stand for re-election if they wish.

The committee has four officers (Chair, Deputy Chair, Treasurer and Secretary), also elected at the AGM to serve for the coming year. The Secretary is not necessarily also the Minutes Secretary for the Committee.

Other committee members also take on specific portfolios, such as Lettings Officer and Premises Officer.

The Committee has at least 6 members, and the Minister, when in post, attends and participates in every meeting, although without a formal vote.

The Committee may co-opt members of the Congregation to serve as members of the Committee, for a maximum of one year. Such co-optees will normally be members of the Congregation with specific experience or expertise that is needed by the Committee for a particular purpose. It is expected that such co-opted members stand for election at the next AGM if they wish to continue to sit on the Committee.

Current committee members are: Alex Warleigh-Lack (Chair), Paul Richards (Treasurer), Lawrence Tuckman (Facilities), Mary Armstrong (Secretary), Trevor Lewis, Margaret Lord and Christopher Warleigh-Lack. Although she is not a Committee member, Helen Nicholls kindly serves as Minutes Secretary, alternating with Mary Armstrong. Margaret, Mary and Trevor will be stepping down after years of loyal service at the 2014 AGM.

 

What does the Committee do?

The Committee normally meets every month, and has four core functions:

·                           First, it sets out the direction of the Church, in keeping with periodic consultations with the Congregation and the Church Trust Deed.

·                           Second, it is the body to which the Minister is formally accountable, and a sub-group of the Committee undertakes a formal performance review with the Minister on an annual basis.

·                           Third, it monitors the progress of the Church towards its key objectives, often with the help of working parties that it has set up for a particular purpose, such as the current Ministerial Hiring Group or the past Mosaic Group on governance structures.

·                           Fourth, it monitors the more routine matters of Church life, such as lettings and maintenance, while also ensuring that the Church finances are properly administered.

How can I work with the Committee, or shape what it does?

The Committee’s agenda is prepared each month by the Secretary and Chair. If you are a member or regular attender of the Church, you have the right to ask that items be placed on this agenda, and to receive written reasoning from the Chair if such a request is not granted (this will normally be only for issues which are outside the Committee’s remit or of questionable legality).  

If you would like to put an item on the Committee agenda, you can do so by email or in writing to the Chair, Secretary or the Minister. Emails can be sent to alexwarleighlack@gmail.com. Please make sure you send any items for the Committee's attention at least a week ahead of the Committee meeting.

Can I attend the meetings of the Committee?

All Committee meetings are open to the Congregation, but speaking rights are not automatic. They are granted to non-Committee members by the Chair, at her or his discretion. In practice, this means non-Committee members will have speaking rights on any items that they have had placed on the agenda, but not necessarily on other items. Only Committee members may vote at Committee meetings.

 

How can I Find Out What the Committee has Decided?

Each Committee meeting is minuted by the Secretary, and the Minutes are formally agreed at the following Committee meeting. Once they are adopted, they are placed on the website of the Church. Particularly important items are reported on in the Chair’s regular column in our Church newsletter, The Flame.