How to serve your church There is one body, though it is made up of many parts. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body...you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12 I m quitting the PCC! I can t stand these long, boring any more! We never achieve anything and spend hours going over the same ground. Does this sound familiar to you? Becoming part of the body of the Church and working together for the Kingdom of God is not an easy task! It is one that requires patience, tolerance, empathy and a willingness to dedicate your particular skills to helping others. For church to work effectively, a huge number of people are working behind the scenes; running accounts, organising, maintaining the church building, organising services, paying the bills, clearing the churchyard, welcoming new guests, cleaning the toilets, making funding applications, organising organ tuning the list seems endless. Working together can be difficult. Every member of the group needs to feel that they are being heard, that their contribution is valued and that they are making a difference. Creating this level of engagement is a tricky task, both for those leading the group and the group members themselves. Volunteers can easily find that they are overcommitted and resent the time they are spending on church activities. One way of keeping track of people s commitments is to ask everyone to fill in a form with the demands on their time. Things like families, demanding jobs, commuting time, household chores, studying commitments, other voluntary and paid work and standard of health should all be taken into consideration. Then people should assess their week and work out the spare time that they feel they could donate to church activities. Setting a time budget in this way should help to prevent your volunteers from feeling overworked. It can be useful to share this information with other members of the congregation, to make sure that everyone has an accurate perception of others time commitments and is not tempted to make unreasonable demands on their time. Creating a united and efficient church can also be helped by everyone knowing the roles others play. It is useful to communicate the jobs that are done in church life, the people who are doing these jobs, the time they donate and whether additional volunteers are currently needed. Displaying this information on a notice board with pictures of the various office holders can help to nurture the image of a living church. There are some parish jobs which churches are legally committed to having and some which help the parish to run smoothly. All parishes must have a churchwarden, a treasurer and a secretary to allow them to carry out all tasks required of them. Churches are all unique and are run in different ways, but the list below provides a sample of some of the jobs you might expect in your church. To suggest an addition or amendment to the list below, contact the Assistant Diocesan Communications Officer, Katherine Woolford on kwoolford@glosdioc.org.uk
Key tasks for a PCC treasurer The size and scope of the treasurer s job will depend on the parish. Generally, the treasurer s key tasks are: Carrying out the financial decisions made by the PCC. The responsibility for both raising and spending money to meet the PCC's responsibilities lies with the PCC. The treasurer implements their decisions Drafting an annual budget to assist the PCC in planning how it will fulfil its objectives for the coming year Recording all financial transactions carried out on behalf of the PCC and ensuring they are properly authorised Monitoring the PCC s finances throughout the year and alerting the PCC if any difficulties are likely Working with the PCC to meet all its financial obligations, especially Parish Share, clergy expenses and insuring the church buildings against fire, theft and public liability Maintaining and setting up a book-keeping system if needed. Preparing the annual financial statements for approval by the PCC and submission to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting. Ensuring that the annual financial statements comply with current Charity Commission requirements Sending a copy of the annual financial statements to the Diocese and completing the national financial information return The books and records the treasurer maintains must: Show all money received and spent, with explanations Include a record of assets and liabilities Enable the current financial position to be shown at any time Enable statutory accounts to be prepared Be kept for six years The Finance Department holds a number of Treasurers Workshops each year to help new treasurers to learn about their role and to introduce existing treasurers to new policies and requirements. These workshops are free and full of ideas to make your time as treasurer easier and more enjoyable. To find out more about Treasurers Workshops visit http://www.gloucester.anglican.org/downloads/150 9.doc
Key tasks for a secretary The PCC secretary does not have to be an elected member of the PCC. The secretary s key tasks are: To liaise with the parish clergy to decide the agenda for parish Arranging room bookings for PCC Preparing and distributing agendas for PCC Taking minutes at PCC and distributing them Keeping a record of all decisions made at PCC, with voting figures To keep a copy of PPC meeting minutes available for public inspection To organise and publicise the Annual Parochial Church meeting To report to the APCM on the work of the PCC over the preceding year To keep the Diocese of Gloucester informed of any changes of parish officers and addresses To handle correspondence for the parish Parochial Church Council (PCC) member These people are chosen by members of the congregation to be part of the church s governing body. They meet to make decisions about how the church manages its finance, its spiritual life and day to day work. It is similar to a parish council in structure. Key tasks for a churchwarden Churchwardens key tasks are to: Have responsibility for the maintenance of the church building Organise an annual inspection of the church building and grounds Hold a key to the church Prepare the church so the clergy can hold services Welcome visitors and newcomers Make sure there is enough seating and adequate lighting Promote safety in the church Welcome and arrange guest preachers Make reports to the annual parochial meeting Make annual reports to the Archdeacon Keep detailed records of all property, professional inspections, alterations and repairs Attend all of the PCC and standing committees Pray regularly with the parish priest Deal with unexpected problems Share responsibility for the church with the Area Dean during a vacancy Announce the final selection of a new incumbent (parish priest).
Additional jobs Child Protection Officer This individual should hold the parish policy for child protection, ensure that it is regularly updated and reviewed and ensure that at least one person from every church group is aware of the procedures in the event of an incident. Communications officer A communications officer/s should be involved in all aspects of church life. Their key tasks are to: Plan the church s communications for the year with the PCC, ensuring a consistent and organised message is released through all church publications Review and update the communication plan with the PCC Advise the PCC on internal and external communications Maintain the content of the church website or work with the website editor Edit the parish magazine or work with the parish magazine editor Organise and maintain the church notice board Promote church events through flyers, posters, adverts etc. Send regular updates on church events to the diocesan Communications Offiicer Edit all publications sent to the public from the church Regularly attend parish committee Maintain good links with the local press Training The Church of England offers communication training courses for all aspects of church communication. To find out more, visit www.commstraining.cofe.anglican.org/2010/flc.php Churchyard maintenance A well maintained churchyard is welcoming and makes a church look cared for and active. Volunteers should make sure the land is managed, with grass cutting at appropriate times of year, take measures to report unsafe tombstones etc. and keep paths cleared. They may also like to take part in conservation programmes or provide leaflets with interesting information about the churchyard. Sides-people These are the first people visitors see when they visit a church. They welcome people as they come in, give them a hymn book, service sheet or any other printed material relevant to the service. They also keep track of the number of people attending a service for the parish records. Music group members/choir Some churches have music groups which provide an alternative accompaniment to hymns and worship songs. This can include singers, guitar players, flautists, drummers, pianists and trombonists anyone who has a musical talent and would like to share it with the congregation. As well as playing for services, volunteers must commit to attending regular rehearsals. Organist This person offers musical accompaniment before, during and after the service. This is often a formal job with a contract and organists are also invited to play for weddings, funerals, baptisms and other special services. They are usually paid a small amount for their time and to cover the cost of music. Flower arranger Usually on a rota of flower arrangers and would be responsible for buying flowers (often using church funds) and displaying them. They often liaise with couples getting married and families holding funerals to discuss arrangements. Local Ministry Teams These are parish based teams of volunteers, usually including the clergy, who plan the spiritual direction of church life, under the approval of the PCC. They may be responsible for planning and leading informal services, family services or prayer, or for shaping new initiatives. These people are nominated to the post by fellow members of the congregation and formally invited to join the team by the parish priest. For more information visit the Local Ministry page on the website - http://www.gloucester.anglican.org/ministry/local
Cleaning As with all buildings, churches need dusting, vacuuming, tidying and a little organisation. Many churches have a rota of volunteers who commit to a certain amount of cleaning. Churches Together Representative Many areas have local teams of representatives from all the churches in the area who work together on community projects. Ideally, every church should have a representative on the local Churches Together committee, to ensure that the Anglican Church is working in harmony with the rest of the local Christian community. Open the Book Teams These teams go into local primary schools assemblies and dramatise Bible stories to give children an introduction to the Christian message. Many children are no longer taught about the stories that appeal in the Bible, like Jonah and the whale or Noah and the ark. These lively, interactive assemblies provide a simple and engaging introduction to Christian concepts and messages. Volunteers need to be available during the daytime. Permission to administer the elements People in churches are sometimes chosen by other members of the congregation to administer the elements. This means that although they are not ordained, they are allowed to give people the bread and the wine, once it has been consecrated or blessed by the priest. These people can work alongside the member of clergy during a Communion service. Playgroup leader Churches often have playgroups or mother and toddler groups to provide a place for young children and their caregivers to meet. This environment is different from Sunday school, as the parents or caregivers of the children must be catered for as much as the needs of the children. There should be a time for play, a time for learning a little about the Christian message through stories, songs or craft and also a time when the adults are able to enjoy each others company while their children play. This job may involve a couple of hours planning time each week. Prayer leader During the service, there is a time of intercession, which means a time when we are led in prayers for our Church, our world, our local community, the sick and suffering and the dead. Volunteers may either write out their prayers in advance to read for the congregation, or they can simply pray aloud using the words that come to them. When asking other people to join with your prayers, it is important that you do not express strong opinions, or make controversial comments, as this may alienate parts of the congregation. Readings and collect During a church service there are usually one or two readings and a prayer for the week, called the collect. Volunteers are usually added to a rota and are not usually expected to do all of the readings etc in one service. Sunday school leader This usually requires people to leave the service during Holy Communion and supervise the children of the church, exploring the message of the day at a level that they can understand. It is often a weekly commitment, so that they children can know what to expect. This job may involve a couple of hours planning time each week. Youth leaders The future of the Church is in our young people and taking time to guide them and help them explore their faith should be an important part of church life. Some churches run faith based youth clubs, others run youth clubs to build initial connections with young people and introduce them gradually to the Church. Youth groups can meet weekly, fortnightly or monthly, but again, there should be consistency in leadership and an organised plan of events so that the young people know what to expect. This job may involve a couple of hours planning time each week. Refreshments These volunteers usually agree to be listed on a rota of people to serve tea and coffee and perhaps cake or biscuits during a time of fellowship after the service. They also wash up and clean the kitchen.