Every parish has a Parochial Church Council (PCC). The PCC work alongside the minister ‘pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical’. They are the main decision-makers for the church and responsible for all aspects of governance.
A PCC’s members include the incumbent (and any other licensed clergy in the parish), the churchwardens (who are elected by an Annual Meeting of Parishioners), and representatives of the laity elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) of the parish.
A brief outline of a PCC’s role and responsibilities:
- It has the responsibility, along with the incumbent, to promote the mission of God in its parish.
- Legally, the PCC is responsible for the finances of the parish, GDPR compliance and compliance with all Safeguarding policies relevant to the work of the church.
- The PCC has ultimate responsibility for the care and maintenance of all church buildings and their contents. Although these responsibilities are executed by the churchwardens, all PCC members must share in the oversight.
- All PCCs are charities. Therefore, every member of a PCC is also a charity trustee.
To help the PCC discharge it’s duties effectively, St John’s PCC have set up various sub-committees to focus on specific areas of church management and welfare. Details of the sub-committees, their purpose and their chair are set out below:
| Name of Group | Chair | Purpose | Members | Meeting Schedule |
| Accessibility | Vicki Luker | Everyone who comes to church feels welcome, remove any barriers to people coming, everybody has what they need to give equality of experience. | Chris Franklin, Lorna Swanton, Ellie Donegan, Michael Wenham | 2/3 times a year depending on activities being undertaken |
| Mission | Helen Harwood | 1. To determine how missional funds should be distributed on behalf of St John’s, locally, nationally and internationally. 2. To distribute the news from our various partners to educate, inform and inspire our members about mission. | Johanna Fadipe, Margaret Harris, Barbara Talmage, Peter Challis | Twice a year |
| Finance Committee | Anna Beck | Support the work of the treasurer, provide scrutiny and feedback on reports and acting as a sounding board for budgeting. | Barry Cook, Benita Hiley, Colin Moulds, Jennifer Scott | Bi-monthly |
| Children, youth and families | Revd Miriam Jones | – Make children and young people a priority in our church. – Raise the profile of our children/youth ministry. – Facilitate joined-up thinking around this area of ministry. – Be a point of connection and sounding board for leaders. – Oversee the recruitment of new leaders. – Ensure there is ongoing support for team members. | Bev Aldridge, Anne Cheeseman, Sarah Gray, Frances Hobson | 3 x year (once a term). In between we will conduct our business via correspondence |
| Site Management Team | John Harris | To maintain the buildings and grounds and carry out any improvements approved by the PCC. | Noel Baker, Margaret Harris, Sue Parnell, Nick Terrill, Sarah Shackleton, Andy Hutchin | We aim to 5/6 times a year |
| Data Protection Team | Chris O’Neil | Oversite of St John’s Church personal data and the security and retention of that data. | Alan Eden, Nick Terrill, Chris Gray, Colin Moulds | When required but for now every couple of months. |
| Environment | Chris Franklin | Under discussion | Johane Fadipe, Noel Baker, Margot Hodson, Martin Hodson, Sarah Shackleton, James Mabbett | Once or twice a year as a full group |
| Standing Committee | Revd Alec Gill | Conducting business: The Standing Committee can conduct business for the PCC between meetings, as long as they follow any instructions from the PCC. | Revd Miriam Jones, Anna Beck, Colin Moulds, Sue Parnell, George Cook | Bi-monthly between PCC Meetings |
| Pastoral Committee | Sue Powditch | Shape St John’s response for the need for pastoral care within the church family. | Revd Alec Gill, Revd Miriam Jones, Sarah Shackleton, Colin Moulds | Quarterly |
This article originally appeared in the St John’s Messenger. If you would like to discuss contributing a future article please contact news@valebenefice.org.uk.
