As Baptists we believe that engaging every member helps us to hear from God and discern his will. If this is the case, what is the role of the leadership team, elders or diaconate? And how come the church meeting can feel like a trial to endure rather than a blessing from God? Do we need to re-interpret the whole concept of a church meeting for the 21st century? This session will give some ideas on how to make the most of your church meetings and discuss how they fit into a wider framework of good charity governance.
Most Baptist Churches are going to have to become registered charities once the excepting regulations expire in March 2021. This seminar will look at what churches need to do to register, which may include agreeing a new Church constitution. Many Baptist churches are also considering converting to the legal form of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) to reduce the legal liability of their Trustees. Our legal services Manager, Caroline Sanderson and Esther Campsall from the Baptist Union’s solicitors Anthony Collins will talk about what you can do to prepare your church for registration, our template constitutions, and how to decide whether becoming a CIO is appropriate for your church.
For most Baptist Churches, their church building is their most significant tangible asset. In this seminar Simon Willock of Baptist Insurance will look at best practice in managing your church property so it really is an asset for mission rather than a burden and Jim Hammett, of Christian Consulting and co-author of the ChurchBuild Project Guide, talk about how to approach potential redevelopment of church premises to provide the facilities your church needs for the 21st Century.
This session, aimed at church treasurers and anyone interested in church finances, will look at the basics of Church accounts and look at best practice in reporting to church trustees and members to enable good financial decision making, as well as issues. Speakers for this session will include Andrew Burgess from ACAT and Andrew Stickland, partner at Kingston Smith, who are leading charity accountants and auditors of the Baptist Union.
For our final session, all of our expert speakers will come together on stage to answer any questions you might have. A great opportunity to bring your questions and benefit from the combined expertise of all our speakers!
