Annual Membership Return 2016
Membership and Finance Returns Completion of the Form Use a ballpoint pen when completing the form to ensure it shows through to the copies beneath The sheets have a perforation at the spine to help with removal Once the form has been completed in full, please detach two of the forms (coloured white and pink) and send them to your diocesan office. The remaining copy should be retained within the book for parish reference. Collection of Data The Church in Wales has been collecting data from parishes for over 20 years, and is now able to produce valuable statistics on dioceses, archdeaconries and parishes over this period. From this data, a Membership and Finances leaflet is prepared for the Governing Body in September each year. Guidance Notes Guidance notes to assist you in the completion of your forms are enclosed within this booklet, and can also be found on the Church in Wales website at: http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/structure/representative-body/finance/membershipand-finance Online Submission Link http://mandf.churchinwales.org.uk. Deadline Date Please could you ensure that the Membership and Finance Returns are sent back to your diocesan office by 1 May 2017.
Membership Guidelines Year Ended 31 December 2016 These notes are to assist Churchwardens completing the Membership return. 1. PARISHES All parishes, including those forming part of a grouped benefice, are requested to complete the Return. Data is collected on a parish basis as the parish remains the legal entity, and so you will need to return one form per parish. This may mean that more than one form may need to be returned from a large grouped benefice or Ministry Area; equally, it may be necessary in some parishes or Ministry Areas, such as united parishes, to consolidate data from more than one local (congregation or church) source. If you are in any doubt about the makeup of your benefice, please contact your Diocesan Office. 2. BAPTISMS These are now split into three categories: 1) Under 7 Years 2) 7-10 Years 3) 11 Years and Over 3. COMMUNICANTS a) the number of Communicants at all services of Holy Communion should be given; b) when the service at which the largest congregation is present is NOT the Eucharist, an estimate of the number of communicants attending should be given in addition to the number of Communicants in a) above; c) when the ONLY service is NOT the Eucharist, an estimate of the number of communicants attending should be given. PENTECOST i. if there are NO services on Pentecost Sunday, the rules a) to c) above should be applied to the next Sunday on which a service or services will be held after Pentecost; ii. if the attendance on Pentecost Sunday is considerably increased beyond normal numbers by reason of Confirmation or other special services, please apply the above rules to attendance on the next normal Sunday after Pentecost. In this case, please include a short note of explanation. TRINITY III / PENTECOST 4 Use the nearest non-festival Sunday on which a Eucharist is celebrated if there is no celebration on Trinity III.
CHRISTMAS i. the number of Communicants at the First Eucharist of Christmas late on Christmas Eve and ii. the number of Communicants at all services on Christmas Day excluding those already counted in i. above EASTER The figure entered should be the total of: i. the number of communicants at Holy Communion on Easter Eve (i.e. the first Eucharist of Easter); ii. the number of Communicants at all services on Easter Day, excluding those already counted in i. above; iii. the number of communicants at services held on Monday or Tuesday of Easter Week, excluding those already counted in i. or ii above; iv. the number of communicants who would have been present in Church but who through sickness or other reason receive their Communion at home or in hospital. N.B. The number of Communicants at services in hospitals or Nursing/Residential Homes in the Parish should not be included, except as indicated in iv) above. 4. BAPTISED PERSONS RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION BEFORE CONFIRMATION Please enter the number of baptised persons receiving Holy Communion prior to Confirmation in accordance with the revised guidelines approved by the Bench of Bishops in 2001. This information should be provided in three categories: 1) Under 7 Years 2) 7-10 Years 3) 11 Years and Over 5. CONFIRMATIONS Please check this entry very carefully as there have been instances where the numbers entered have not agreed with diocesan figures. The number confirmed for this parish ONLY should be entered even if confirmed elsewhere. Likewise if the confirmation service in the parish includes candidates from other parishes ONLY those from your own parish should be counted. 6. FUNERALS a) In Church: only the number of funerals that take place in church should be counted. b) Other: the number of funerals not held in a church but taken by a Church in Wales officiant.
7. ATTENDANCE o It is appreciated that average attendance of people aged 18 and over can only be estimated. However, where possible, please base the estimate of average attendance on figures recorded for attendances throughout the year o Provide an estimate of those aged 18 and over who attend services i. on a normal Sunday and ii. on a weekday but not on a Sunday; o o In each case, please count once only individuals who attend more than once either on a Sunday or on a weekday but not on Sunday. Please estimate an average figure if attendances fluctuate significantly; A normal Sunday should exclude major festivals (Easter, Pentecost and Christmas). Average number under 18 Attending services and / or Sunday School / Messy Church: 1. Under 7 Years 2. 7-10 Years 3. 11-17 Years Groups involving young people (excluding Sundays) Average number attending a weekday club. This has been expanded to three categories: 1. Under 7 Years 2. 7-10 Years 3. 11-17 Years Other Acts of Worship This field is an opportunity to record attendances at any other major acts of worship in the parish which might be traditional (for example, family services, Christmas carol services) but do not fall into one of the categories above. Please provide the total number of attenders for these services for the year. There is also a box for you to provide examples of the types of services included. Non-traditional Acts of Worship This field has been provided to enable parishes to record details of new or less traditional activities. These might be activities which have been called Fresh Expressions, but could include any kind of experimental or new ways of being Church. Again, please provide the total number of attenders for these services for the year, and provide examples of the types of activities included.
8. TOTAL NUMBER OF FAMILIES Total number of families attending services with their child(ren) on Sunday, averaged over a month. 9. CHURCHES IN USE Please check that the total number of churches entered matches the number of dedications given at the top of the page. Helpline If you require assistance with completion of the forms, please contact: Diocese Name Phone Number Email Address St Asaph Pam Thompson 01745 582245 pamelathompson@churchinwales.org.uk Bangor Owain Pritchard 07393 147503 owainpritchard@churchinwales.org.uk St Davids Val Hockey 01267 236145 valhockey@churchinwales.org.uk Llandaff Rob Webb 01656 868860 robwebb@churchinwales.org.uk Monmouth Bethan Davies 01633 216094 bethandavies@churchinwales.org.uk Swansea and Brecon Huw Evans 01874 623716 huwevans@churchinwales.org.uk
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP RETURN 2016 Diocese:... Archdeaconry:... Parish of:... Enter below the dedications of all Churches included in this Return:... PLEASE REFER TO GUIDANCE NOTES WHEN FILLING IN THIS RETURN. Baptisms Under 7 years 7 10 years 11 years and over Communicants Pentecost 2016 Trinity III Christmas 2016 Easter 2017 (count individuals 12.06.16 once for any festival) Baptised Persons Receiving Holy Communion before Confirmation Under 7 years 7 10 years 11 years and over Number of Weddings Confirmations (number from this parish only even if confirmed elsewhere) Funerals In Church Other by Church in Wales Officiant Church Attendance Average number attending services over 18s Normal Sunday on a weekday but not Sunday Average number under 18s attending services and/or Sunday School/Messy Church Under 7 years 7 10 years 11 17 years Groups involving young people (excluding Sundays) Under 7 years 7 10 years 11 17 years Other Acts Non-traditional Acts (In both cases please show of Worship of Worship the number of attendees) Activities falling within these categories: Total number of families (including single parents) attending services with children Electoral Roll Number on roll at annual vestry meeting 2017 Number of Weekly Fortnightly Less frequently Churches in Use Incumbent s Signature: Churchwarden: Date: Churchwarden: