In a nutshell...
Deals with legal and property issues.
Act as a property trustee for Baptist churches, working in partnership with the church, especially when land is bought or sold or alterations made to church premises.
Publishes guideline leaflets specifically for Baptist churches on legal, property and charity topics.
Holds funds deposited by churches and uses them to make loans to churches for building projects including manses.
Contact The Baptist Union Corporation
Email: buc.corp@baptist.org.uk
Tel: 01235 517747
In more depth...
Churches and the Law
Churches are bound by numerous rules and regulations and it can be difficult for them to keep up to date. The Baptist Union Corporation produces a wide range of leaflets on practical legal issues that affect Baptist churches which are amended whenever the law changes. There are leaflets on Employment, Burial Grounds, Health and Safety and many, many other different topics. Some are written specifically for individual members of the leadership team. Churches are encouraged to look at all the leaflets relevant to them in order to ensure both that they are aware of their legal responsibilities and that they do not spend time researching legal information which is already available from us.
There is considerable legal expertise and experience within the staff of the Baptist Union Corporation but we are not a legal department. We will try to avoid the need for you to incur legal costs whenever possible but it is sometimes necessary for a solicitor to become involved and we can introduce you to our own retained solicitors, Anthony Collins LLP, if appropriate.
Any church wishing to apply for a Home Mission Grant should contact their local Association. Downloadable Application Forms for 2009 Home Mission Grants will be available on this website from December 2007.
Churches as Charities
Churches are charities and need to comply with charity law. They also need to operate within a framework of best practice in charity management which is regulated by the Charity Commission. The church leadership team are the managing trustees of the charity and have legal responsibility for directing its affairs on a day to day basis, in accordance with the wishes of the church meeting, and for ensuring that the church is solvent, well-run, and delivering the charitable outcomes for which it was established.
Very few churches are registered as charities at present but registration for churches with an annual income over £100,000 will commence in April 2008. If you need to prepare or revise your church constitution we can help. We produce a model Baptist constitution which has been written to complement the registration process.
Contact: Linda Holder, Justine Higgin
Church Property
We hope that your church will give priority to expressing its Christian faith through mission and serving the community but buildings are still important. If the Baptist Union Corporation is your property trustee we will work with you to ensure that the financial investment in your church buildings is secure and that they are maintained as a vital resource for the church's life and mission.
We can help you with the legal arrangements that apply to buying, selling or leasing your buildings and advise you on redeveloping or looking after your existing property. Please refer to us if you are undertaking any building work so that we can review your proposals. We can help you to ensure that appropriate trust arrangements are in place for your property and advise you on the different sets of Baptist model trusts. We can also help with the special provisions that apply to Baptist burial grounds.
If we are your property trustee we provide secure storage for your property deeds at Baptist House. We are currently involved in a long term project to register land owned by churches with the Land Registry.
Contact: Linda Holder, Steve Wing, Sally Spicer (Redevelopment), Jenny Evans (Land Registration)
Manses
Many churches own a house that is used by their Minister which is usually called a manse. Manses are often held in the name of property trustees, such as the Baptist Union Corporation, who will need to be involved if the manse is sold or if a new property is purchased. The Corporation has a great deal of experience in similar transactions and will be happy to help with the legal requirements. We can help you with suitable trust arrangements and explain the Baptist model trusts for manses. We can also assist if you decide to let your manse or if you want to set up a shared ownership agreement.
Contact: Linda Holder, Steve Wing
Listed Buildings
Some Baptist churches are of special historic or architectural importance and are subject to listed building controls. These controls became more important after 1994 when the Listed Building Advisory Committee of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Baptist Union of Wales (LBAC) was established under a scheme agreed with the Government. Consent is needed from the LBAC before alterations can be made to a listed Baptist church and the Baptist Union Corporation can help you with this process and with your application.
Repairs can be carried out on a 'like for like' basis without special permission provided that the same materials are used and that no alterations are made.
Contact: Linda Holder, Steve Wing
Community Involvement
Many churches are involved in working relationships with other organisations within their community or have established separate charitable activities in order to better serve that community. This might include establishing pre-schools, coffee shop projects or other community partnerships for example. We can help churches to manage the legal aspects of these relationships and ensure that appropriate legal documentation is in place.
Some churches decide to work more closely with other local churches. We can help if a church amalgamation is being considered or if you want to share the use of your existing building or to use somebody else's property.
Contact: Linda Holder
Loan Fund
This fund provides loans to churches, principally to assist with the costs of providing new buildings, manses, or repairs to existing premises, on terms that are generally more favourable than those available from the commercial sector. Deposits are welcomed from churches to enable this important resource to remain available.
Any Baptist church, which is a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, is eligible to apply for a loan. Normally, the Holding Trustees are the Baptist Union Corporation, or one of the other Baptist Trust Corporations, but applications can also be made by churches with Private Trustees.
Currently, up to £800,000 can be lent, normally over ten years, but the Directors may consider a longer term, particularly for manse purchases where a loan can be granted for up to twenty five years.
Monthly interest is charged at a variable rate, which rises and falls approximately in line with market forces, but which is lower than commercial rates.
The Loan Fund Officer is Rob Bruce, who is usually available at Didcot on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week. His direct dial telephone number is 01235 517746.
Contact: Rob Bruce
- back to the top
- back to Finance & Administration
Deals with legal and property issues.
Act as a property trustee for Baptist churches, working in partnership with the church, especially when land is bought or sold or alterations made to church premises.
Publishes guideline leaflets specifically for Baptist churches on legal, property and charity topics.
Holds funds deposited by churches and uses them to make loans to churches for building projects including manses.
Contact The Baptist Union Corporation
Email: buc.corp@baptist.org.uk
Tel: 01235 517747
In more depth...
Churches and the Law
Churches are bound by numerous rules and regulations and it can be difficult for them to keep up to date. The Baptist Union Corporation produces a wide range of leaflets on practical legal issues that affect Baptist churches which are amended whenever the law changes. There are leaflets on Employment, Burial Grounds, Health and Safety and many, many other different topics. Some are written specifically for individual members of the leadership team. Churches are encouraged to look at all the leaflets relevant to them in order to ensure both that they are aware of their legal responsibilities and that they do not spend time researching legal information which is already available from us.
There is considerable legal expertise and experience within the staff of the Baptist Union Corporation but we are not a legal department. We will try to avoid the need for you to incur legal costs whenever possible but it is sometimes necessary for a solicitor to become involved and we can introduce you to our own retained solicitors, Anthony Collins LLP, if appropriate.
Any church wishing to apply for a Home Mission Grant should contact their local Association. Downloadable Application Forms for 2009 Home Mission Grants will be available on this website from December 2007.
Churches as Charities
Churches are charities and need to comply with charity law. They also need to operate within a framework of best practice in charity management which is regulated by the Charity Commission. The church leadership team are the managing trustees of the charity and have legal responsibility for directing its affairs on a day to day basis, in accordance with the wishes of the church meeting, and for ensuring that the church is solvent, well-run, and delivering the charitable outcomes for which it was established.
Very few churches are registered as charities at present but registration for churches with an annual income over £100,000 will commence in April 2008. If you need to prepare or revise your church constitution we can help. We produce a model Baptist constitution which has been written to complement the registration process.
Contact: Linda Holder, Justine Higgin
Church Property
We hope that your church will give priority to expressing its Christian faith through mission and serving the community but buildings are still important. If the Baptist Union Corporation is your property trustee we will work with you to ensure that the financial investment in your church buildings is secure and that they are maintained as a vital resource for the church's life and mission.
We can help you with the legal arrangements that apply to buying, selling or leasing your buildings and advise you on redeveloping or looking after your existing property. Please refer to us if you are undertaking any building work so that we can review your proposals. We can help you to ensure that appropriate trust arrangements are in place for your property and advise you on the different sets of Baptist model trusts. We can also help with the special provisions that apply to Baptist burial grounds.
If we are your property trustee we provide secure storage for your property deeds at Baptist House. We are currently involved in a long term project to register land owned by churches with the Land Registry.
Contact: Linda Holder, Steve Wing, Sally Spicer (Redevelopment), Jenny Evans (Land Registration)
Manses
Many churches own a house that is used by their Minister which is usually called a manse. Manses are often held in the name of property trustees, such as the Baptist Union Corporation, who will need to be involved if the manse is sold or if a new property is purchased. The Corporation has a great deal of experience in similar transactions and will be happy to help with the legal requirements. We can help you with suitable trust arrangements and explain the Baptist model trusts for manses. We can also assist if you decide to let your manse or if you want to set up a shared ownership agreement.
Contact: Linda Holder, Steve Wing
Listed Buildings
Some Baptist churches are of special historic or architectural importance and are subject to listed building controls. These controls became more important after 1994 when the Listed Building Advisory Committee of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Baptist Union of Wales (LBAC) was established under a scheme agreed with the Government. Consent is needed from the LBAC before alterations can be made to a listed Baptist church and the Baptist Union Corporation can help you with this process and with your application.
Repairs can be carried out on a 'like for like' basis without special permission provided that the same materials are used and that no alterations are made.
Contact: Linda Holder, Steve Wing
Community Involvement
Many churches are involved in working relationships with other organisations within their community or have established separate charitable activities in order to better serve that community. This might include establishing pre-schools, coffee shop projects or other community partnerships for example. We can help churches to manage the legal aspects of these relationships and ensure that appropriate legal documentation is in place.
Some churches decide to work more closely with other local churches. We can help if a church amalgamation is being considered or if you want to share the use of your existing building or to use somebody else's property.
Contact: Linda Holder
Loan Fund
This fund provides loans to churches, principally to assist with the costs of providing new buildings, manses, or repairs to existing premises, on terms that are generally more favourable than those available from the commercial sector. Deposits are welcomed from churches to enable this important resource to remain available.
Any Baptist church, which is a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, is eligible to apply for a loan. Normally, the Holding Trustees are the Baptist Union Corporation, or one of the other Baptist Trust Corporations, but applications can also be made by churches with Private Trustees.
Currently, up to £800,000 can be lent, normally over ten years, but the Directors may consider a longer term, particularly for manse purchases where a loan can be granted for up to twenty five years.
Monthly interest is charged at a variable rate, which rises and falls approximately in line with market forces, but which is lower than commercial rates.
The Loan Fund Officer is Rob Bruce, who is usually available at Didcot on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week. His direct dial telephone number is 01235 517746.
Contact: Rob Bruce
- back to the top
- back to Finance & Administration