Charities and the Church pt 3. Appointing trustees

Administration in the Church, Charity, Equipping, Finance
Last time we saw the importance of having a good relationship between the elders of the church and the trustees of the charity under which it operates. When considering registering a charity – a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) is probably now the preferred option – there are three very important features to consider. 1. What are the objectives of the charity? 2. What is the geographical sphere in which the charity will operate? 3. Who should be the trustees? Since we have been thinking about the trustee/elder dynamic I shall first address the third point. Who should be a Trustee? In some ways it might be thought that, in an ideal world, the trustees and elders should be the same people to avoid the 'double-headed monster' syndrome we discussed last…
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Charities and the Church pt 2. The two-headed monster

Administration in the Church, Charity, Equipping, Finance
A preliminary observation Since posting part 1 of this series I met with a staff member of a denominational church. That meeting reminded me that denominations often have their own legal frameworks, structures and terminology. The experience I have is based on independent, non-denominational churches and as such may vary in some respects from churches within denominations. So, I must reiterate that it is important that this series is taken as only my personal observations; appropriate legal advice should be sought when creating a new charity. Leadership Although a church does not have to be a charity this is increasingly the norm, especially if the church wishes to enjoy the tax benefits afforded to charities such as the recovery of tax through Gift Aid (in the UK) on donations that…
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Charities and the Church pt 1. What is a charity?

Charity, Equipping
Introduction In the UK most churches have charitable status. Several also have associated charities, often to help facilitate a ministry to those who are poor or in need. Most other nations have a comparable charitable structure, although inevitably they differ in the detail. For well over 30 years I have worked within a charitable environment on the staffs of both the Newfrontiers family of churches and Church of Christ the King (Brighton), and at different times I have been a trustee of these and other charities, in some cases as chair. Recently I have been contacted by several people for advice and opinion about setting up charities, how elders and trustees should relate, and so on. So I felt the time seemed opportune to share my thoughts and experience. Disclaimer…
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Beating Ebola

Guinea, Health, Liberia, News, Poor, Sierra Leone
In recent months I have written frequently about West Africa with particular reference to the effects of ebola. I have just viewed this TED talk on the subject of beating ebola, something that a few months ago when I started writing seemed an out of reach dream. Well it does seem to be happening and, rather than write more about the subject I urge you to watch this talk. Click on the picture.
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