Guiding Principles
Our new Larger Parish will have one PCC, serving as the governing body, and focusing on finance, buildings, employment, safeguarding and other legal aspects. Meanwhile, Local Leadership Teams will concentrate on worship, mission, ministry and justice initiatives.
1. We align all our initiatives with our Shared Mission
The PCC (Trustees) will align all plans, initiatives, finances and human resources to fulfil our shared mission.
2. We protect and promote Unity in our Diversity
The PCC will protect and promote differences in theology and how we express these as the Body of Christ in worship and in our missional practice.
3. We respect and encourage Local Leadership Teams
The PCC will support the mission plans developed by the Local Leadership Teams which reflect their unique ministry context in their worship, mission, ministry and justice initiatives.
4. We commit to clear and transparent decision-making
The PCC commits to clear and transparent decision-making through consultation, collaboration and communication with all clergy, lay leaders, Local Leadership Teams, wardens and parishioners.
5. We pledge to fulfill our legal responsibilities as Trustees
The PCC pledges compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements through good governance, best practices and risk management.
FAQs
In March 2024, local church PCCs who decided to engage in the Fit for Mission journey submitted key questions to be answered. Below you will find a summary of the questions and answers. Should you like to explore additional information you may access the FFM FAQ with over 200 responses or send an email to info@hopeparishliverpool.org.
Q: Alongside the single PCC, will there be other forms of governance?
A: There will be a regular Parochial Church Meeting in addition to the usual Annual Meeting. Any member of the parish electoral roll will be entitled to attend, speak and vote at these parish meetings: deanery synod members, assistant wardens and licensed ministers will be expected to attend. There will not be other formal governance structures, such as District Church Councils (DCCs).
Q: How will a single PCC relate to leadership of a church or worshipping community?
A: The aim of having a single PCC is to streamline governance and practical oversight and release time for missional activities in the churches.
However, there will need to be a local leadership team for each church (with a collection of congregations / justice initiatives) or for a new worshipping community that will be planted. The leadership team will have more time to focus on mission and ministry because most of the governance and much of the admin will be centralised. The aim is to
focus on mission and ministry, not maintaining duplicate CofE structures that we have today in each parish.
Q: How much autonomy will worshipping communities have? What decisions will they still make?
A: Plenty. There will be an expectation that each worshipping community works clearly to support the four priorities, but how that is done will be a matter of choice around ecclesiology, local context etc. It absolutely won’t be a case of one size being expected to fit all. We really do want choice and variety across the parish.
They will still be developing their plans for mission and community engagement, their budget (including approving spend against that budget), and for their life of prayer and worship.
Q: How will clergy roles change? How will tasks and responsibilities be allocated?
A: Currently stipendiary clergy are usually in one small parish or in a small team of parishes with some shared work but usually not any shared responsibility across parishes. In the Larger Parish there will be one Rector and a larger number of other clergy who will fully work together as a team to ensure all aspects of ministry and mission in all areas of the parish are well served.
An individual clergyperson will still have some pastoral oversight of specific worshipping communities but will not have responsibility for every legal and ministerial task to be organised. They are likely to have a specific portfolio ministry responsibility in the whole new parish e.g. overseeing the children’s ministry. This will not mean that they individually will do all of the children’s ministry in every church meeting place in the Larger Parish, but they will be accountable for forming a team/teams, developing vision, supporting training, development and evaluation of children’s ministry in existing and new worshipping
communities and contexts.
Clergy will have significant pastoral, relational ministry and will be released from duplicated administrative and legal requirements so that they can focus on growing specific areas of ministry in a larger area with teams of other ordained and lay people that best uses their gifts and skills in a focussed way. Self-supporting ministers will become part of the whole Larger Parish but will have the option of having a new agreement about the focus of their particular ministry which will also involve being part of a team but may also have some specific responsibilities in one or more specific worshipping communities. All of these ordained roles will be accountable to each other and to the Rector who will hold together the oversight of all of the ministry in the team to ensure that all areas of mission and ministry are well led and supported.