January 2011
TRANSFORM
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Your Kingdom Come
Read online at www.baptist.org.uk/transform
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Editorial Prayer used in this form on a regular basis so that everybody, and especially our children and young people, is clear that this prayer is about today, and God’s desire to transform our world in a way that honours him. YOUR KINGDOM COME The Lord’s Prayer needs to be prayed with care. It is a completely revolutionary prayer. In it we are praying that the world will be turned upside down, and nothing less. We pray that God’s rule will be established on earth in just the same way as it is in heaven. I hope that we will all pray the Lord’s Prayer in 2011 and that as we pray it we will allow God to mould our thinking, so that we will see more signs of his Kingdom breaking out in our families, churches and communities. Baptist Assembly this year will be held in Blackpool and we have taken three words from the Lord’s Prayer as our theme. It is significant and, I believe, important that we have put them in the modern form. For most of my life I have been in churches that have used the old form of the Lord’s Prayer but I have to confess that praying “thy kingdom come” sounds very strange in the context of modern worship. In most of our churches it is decades since “thee” and “thou” have been used. But I suggest that using the older form of the Lord’s Prayer could also obscure the radical edge of the prayer. The prayer is about the radical transformation of today’s society, not about a harking back to a world of long ago. Twenty years ago we welcomed a new hymn book – Baptist Praise and Worship – and, interestingly, the very first prayer in the book is the Lord’s Prayer in the modern form. I would love to see the Lord’s
May this wonderful prayer give shape and focus to the way in which we live this New Year.
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed by your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, As we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours Now and for ever. Amen.
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Mission Ian Bunce Head of Department
Introduction The Mission Department is excited by all that we see God doing in the local church and through national campaigns. With new projects and opportunities coming up, there is even more reason to be hopeful and optimistic about the potential for mission in these lands. The following is just a taste of the many, many initiatives and projects in which we are involved. For a fuller picture please email us at mission@ baptist.org.uk for a copy of the latest newsletter or current list of Mission Files.
Easter Resources Hope for Easter Lent and Easter provide us with many opportunities to tell the amazing news about what Jesus did for us on the cross 2000 years ago and how it can change lives today. The team which brought us Hope 08 have developed a new Easter resource to help you reach and bless your village, town or community. It’s a study guide for small groups and contains plenty of supporting material and 15 great missional ideas for Easter. It also includes a youth group study guide from the Soul Action team. For more information and to order your copy go to: www.hopetogether.org.uk
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Easter Eggs with a Message Over 80 million Easter Eggs are sold each year but not one mentions Jesus on the box. Now one has been produced by the Meaningful Chocolate Company telling the story of Easter on the box! The chocolate is fairly-traded and
the price of ÂŁ3.99 includes a donation to Traidcraft and to the charity Baby Lifeline. It would be great if all supermarkets stocked The Real Easter Egg but, before they all come on board, the Company needs to prove there is demand. They are asking churches to help prove demand for the Easter message by ordering a direct supply in January 2011. For churches that order there will be magazine articles and sermon outlines available in time for Fairtrade fortnight and Easter Day. Delivery will be made by the middle of March. To place an order for The Real Easter Egg, go to www.realeasteregg.co.uk or phone 0845 122 2882. Why not also ask your local supermarket now if they will stock them? Church planting It is often said that planting new churches is in the DNA of Baptists. However during the 20th century, many more Baptist churches were closed than were started and this trend was only reversed in the 1990s when Baptists joined in the ecumenical drive to plant more churches during the Decade of Evangelism. A Baptist Union consultation was held in 2004 to learn lessons from that experience. Those present considered the theology of mission that should shape church planting and the changing nature of church planting in the new millennium. Whereas most church planting in the 1990s took place in suburban settings, often on the motherdaughter model, it was recognised that new church planting also needs to be in the inner city, deprived estates, rural areas, multicultural districts, and at the outset
of new build housing as well as amongst people groups that have been beyond the contact of the inherited churches.
Another outcome of the consultation was the creation of the Incarnate Network, an independent grass-roots network to support church planters who often feel isolated and who may well be struggling in some demanding situations. For the last few years, Incarnate and the BUGB have run an annual house party for church planters that has become highly valued. In 2010, church planting in its many forms was put firmly onto the Baptist agenda when the Baptist Union Council in March agreed the following resolution: The Mission Department is tasked to help build a culture within the Baptist Union whereby church planting is expected and encouraged, with Incarnate as its valued church planting network. The Department should promote the planting of healthy, contextualised churches and congregations. Church planting is embraced within the Baptist crossingplaces movement, encouraging intentional engagement with those who are not-yet Christians, thinking, acting and speaking as Jesus Christ would do in that context. Baptists have been part of the ecumenical church planting conferences, Mission 21, in 2006 and 2009, and now there will be another Baptist consultation for association Regional Ministers in February. In preparation for that, the Mission Department is conducting research about
the church planting that has been going on since 2005 and the training opportunities that exist for church planters. Further stories about church planting will continue to be added to the BUGB website where details of courses and resources can also be found. The 2011 Incarnate Network house party takes place 5 – 7 April when Glen Marshall will be the resident missiologist. For details, go to www.baptist.org.uk/training_events/ other.html#incarnate Big Welcome follow-up It was a simple concept that encouraged us to invite one person we know to something we love and on Sunday 26 September thousands responded to our invitation as over 480 Baptist churches took part in this year’s Big Welcome. As part of the national Back to Church Sunday initiative, our churches welcomed over 6000 additional people through their doors as a result of the Big Welcome. Back to Church Sunday started in Manchester in 2004 and has steadily grown to be the largest single localchurch invitational initiative in the world. This year some 4500 UK churches of all denominations took part within a global total of over 6500 which included churches in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Canada. We want to offer a big thank you to all those churches that took the time to complete our online survey and share their stories. A simple analysis of the responses reveals the average number of additional visitors to be just over 12 per church which is a slight reduction on last year’s figure. However, our measurement of success is
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Mission more than a cold numerical assessment. Every single additional person coming to church is a wonderful achievement and when we consider that almost half of all the churches that responded have fewer than 50 members, this is an excellent result. Toddler Groups Baptist churches are renowned for toddler groups – mums and tots, carers and toddlers, grandparents and grandchildren, dads and little ones, ‘special’ toddlers and even twins’ groups! Research carried out in 2006 indicated that 28,000 adults and 36,000 young children attend a Baptist church toddler group each week. Clearly these groups are doing well in serving their communities, providing a welcoming, enjoyable and safe environment. As part of the crossingplaces initiative, the Mission Department is helping churches to see toddler groups not only as missional in their own right but also as a key way of building up relationships with the adults in order to help them on a journey of faith. Working with the 1277 coalition of other denominations and agencies interested in toddler work, the course Building Blocks is produced for group leaders to help them explore this way of thinking. The Department has recently published Wellsprings as an eight-week low-key evangelistic course built on thinking about wellbeing and enjoying some pampering to which the women can be invited.
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The first Toddler Group Rocks! day was attended by about 120 ministers and toddler group leaders, looking at the ‘stepping stones’ that can be
added to toddler groups to make them crossingplaces. Two further TGR! days will be held in 2011, the first being on 13 April at Romford Baptist Church. For details, see www.baptist.org.uk/training_ events/other.html#toddler Baptist Union Churches in Google Maps Over the last couple of years we have endeavoured to map the location of every church that is a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. To look at the results follow the links to Church Mapping on the BUGB website at www.baptist.org.uk where you will find instructions on how to locate churches by area. If we’ve put your church in the wrong place (or missed it out altogether) please let us know by emailing mission@baptist. org.uk with details of the postcode or coordinates of your regular meeting place. If you meet in a place other than a traditional church building it would be helpful to know what kind of building you use, as this really helps when searching for your church.
Ministry Paul Goodliff Head of Department
Introduction There have been a number of legislative changes over the last few months which have now been, or are in the process of being implemented into various Ministry guidelines. Retirement It might seem a long way off for some but retirement is worth thinking about as early as possible. While ministers do not really ‘retire from ministry’, any more than we ‘retire from discipleship’, they do step back from stipendiary ministry, normally at the age when the state pension can be drawn together with whatever other pension provision has been made. Our long-standing ‘Pre-retirement course’ is available for any minister and their spouse at about four years before the planned retirement date and details are available from Ian Millgate in the Ministry Department. There have been changes proposed by the Government, however, about the retirement date for employees. From October 2011 the default retirement age of 65 will become illegal for many employees. In other words, an employer cannot simply rely upon the 65th birthday as a trigger to remove employment. There will be much more flexible arrangements, with employees being able to work beyond the date upon which a state pension is drawn (currently 65, but rising to 66, and then 67 in due course within the next five years.) Churches will need to note this for those who are employed by them (for instance, cleaners, youth workers or administrators.) For ministers, it is more complicated. Ministers are not employees but ‘office
holders’, and while the forthcoming changes do not apply to office holders, existing changes in legislation appear to have already made a default retirement age for office holders questionable. The impact will be the same - ministers will not be required to retire at 65 if they do not want to but will be able to continue in ministry should they and the church wish. We do envisage that this will be taken up by a few, and early consultation with church leaderships and church meeting will be advised if a minister is to continue to serve beyond the normal retirement age when a pension can first be drawn. It would be a tragedy if conflict characterised the closing years of a ministry, with the church wanting the ministry to come to a close and the minister insisting upon continuing. Much wisdom and grace will be required by all. I was impressed by one recently retired minister who explained that they remained fit, healthy and enthusiastic for ministry but had decided to retire at 65 out of concern for those coming into ministry, and who would find it more difficult to enter their first pastorate if older ministers continued to fill a post. That kind of godly and generous-hearted wisdom is really important and I thanked God for my brother who had taken that decision. Others might want to retire but feel that there is still a task to be completed, or the church is reluctant to see them go, so retirement at 65 is not the only wise option. God grant us all gracious wisdom to discern his will, and the humility to seek the advice of Regional Ministers and others who can help in that decision. 7
Ministry Another element of retirement concerns housing and the Retired Baptist Ministers Housing Society (RBMHS) continues to value the prayerful concern of the wider Baptist community as they seek to provide housing for all who require it. Do remember them in your prayers (and perhaps in your will!) The wonderful work that the RBMHS does continues to provide accommodation of a modest but adequate nature for many ministers, and their widows or widowers, but it is always a challenge to meet the demand. Stewart Green in particular, as the Manager of the scheme, bears the load of juggling the demand and the resources to meet it. He does a sterling work and we are grateful to him for the quiet and steady way he fulfils his responsibilities. Next year we hope to establish a working group to look at all the aspects of retirement and the close of stipendiary ministry: pensions, housing, retirement pastorates, pastoral care and fellowship with other retired ministers. Your prayers for the work of this group is much appreciated, that we might gain insight into the bigger picture, where currently the concerns are spread widely between a number of groups.
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Manse Guidance The Ministry Executive Committee has given its approval to fresh guidance for both churches and ministers who live in a manse provided by that congregation. There are mutual responsibilities for the provision and upkeep of manses, with churches acting as ‘landlord’, and bearing the burden of upkeep and annual electric and gas checks, for instance. Ministers have a responsibility to keep the manse in good order, both internally and in its ‘public face’. It does the witness of the
church and minister no favours at all if there is a broken fridge, TV and weatherbeaten sofa on the front garden! These guidelines are available to all those newly entering a pastorate where manse provision is the norm, and existing manse occupiers and providers would also benefit from adopting their guidance. The document is available from the Ministry Department and will become available to download from the Baptist Union website. I cannot give you the URL for this as the website continues to be developed approaching its re-launch, but with the new website being so much easier to navigate I am sure you will find this document easily enough. Do not forget to read carefully the tax guidance that Philip Cooke provides from time to time regarding manse occupancy, and the corresponding guidance where ministers themselves provide their home and rent it to the church for use as a manse. For those able to provide their own accommodation, or at least establish a foothold on the property ladder for use as a holiday home, or rented out until it is needed, this will assist the pressure upon the RBMHS. They also avoid some of the understandable anxiety that arises in the couple of years running up to the anticipated retirement date, when the provision and locality of housing in retirement remains uncertain. Here is where housing, manse occupancy and retirement interlock.
Terms of Appointment While the broad structure of the standard Terms of Appointment does not alter much, and applies to all ministers in local pastoral charge, be they full-time or part-time, there are small but significant changes from time to time to the details, bringing them into line with current Government legislation. For instance, from next year the default retirement age of 65 will be removed. Recent changes to the Terms of Appointment concern the details of the maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave arrangements for ministers, responding to the developments in current legislation. The length of time that
leave can be taken, alongside the relevant pay entitlements, are explained in the appendices attached to the Terms of Appointment. These kinds of changes should really be incorporated into all existing Terms of Appointment, as they represent best practice for both churches as organisations offering a post to an office holder, and the minister themselves. Again, the current version of these Terms is available on the website, and when maternity or paternity leave is to be considered, it is best to look at the latest version there, or seek advice from Regional Ministers or the Ministry Department.
More than Gold The Baptist Union is pleased to be a global sponsor of the More Than Gold initiative. The Mission Department is working with this initiative which is owned by the churches and is a way in which Christians can together respond to the opportunities of the Olympics.
The 2012 Games provide a unique opportunity for UK churches to be seen for what they really are.
Put simply, the reason More Than Gold exists is to enable the UK churches to engage with the 2012 Games. The vision is, when the dust has finally settled, to have fulfilled the dream for the 2012 Games, to have enabled thousands of churches to taste the excitement of reaching their community in fresh and ongoing ways in Jesus’ name by: • helping people catch the vision for the impact that can be made and the role they can play • making connections between the many agencies and thousands of churches that can make it happen • coordinating the production of the resources and action needed
More Than Gold also seeks to encourage mission through - Sports - Children’s programmes - Community festivals - Creative arts - Mission projects and service opportunities It is also seeking to provide Chaplaincy and social action, particularly in terms of homelessness, human trafficking, fair trade, environmental issues and 50 days of peace. We will seek to keep churches informed as we move towards the Olympics. This is a national project, not just resources for churches around London and other venues, but something every church can be involved in. For more details see 9 www.morethangold.org.uk
Serving our land All too often churches are seen negatively, as out of touch and only interested in themselves.
By playing their part in the programmes of outreach, hospitality and service every church can help tell a different story, and awaken fresh interest in who it is that makes us different and how they can know him for themselves.
Faith and Unity Graham Sparkes Head of Department
Introduction Part of the work of the Faith and Unity Department is to provide opportunities for all of us to meet together to deepen our thinking and broaden our experience. We believe God is present as we gather to listen, to pray, to share, and to reflect. Over recent weeks many have been part of the two significant events that you can read about – The Gathering and Towards Unity in Mission. Later in January there will be another occasion when we can meet, this time to think about how we as Christians engage with politics and public issues. The details of our conference ‘Poverty of Ambition? Churches and a Politics of Hope’ are below. Do join us! The Gathering ‘Reaching the Margins’, was the theme for The Gathering this year, with the aim of helping black and white Baptists reach some of the most marginalised communities, particularly the white working class. It may not have been so well attended as in the past – a difficult and challenging theme perhaps – but it certainly created more debate than most.
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The white working class is one of our forgotten communities, and has some striking similarities with black and ethnic minority communities. For both, disadvantage is too often its starting point, and the question of how to contextualise the good news to a community on the margins was a recurring theme throughout The Gathering. Tade Agbesanwa and
Stuart Murray-Williams, the two main speakers, refused to provide naive answers for yesterday’s and today’s perennial concerns, each highlighting the communities’ increasing disenfranchisement, and both seeking to explore how best the Gospel message could be made relevant to the white working class. According to one of the workshop speakers, ‘listening allied with intent is where black and white Baptists must begin’. Yet again this year’s The Gathering was stimulating and challenging, punctuated by lively and creative worship and tasty food. However, the most important question is how this conversation can be converted into something tangible by all and for all. Each of the workshop speakers, particularly Di Blacker, believes that Baptists have evaded the vital issue of what ministry and mission might look like in white working class contexts and that this prophetic conference should signal a change in strategy and approach. It is a task for both black and white majority churches. Edinburgh 1910-2010: Towards Unity in Mission A hundred years ago a World Missionary Conference took place in Edinburgh, and it has been remembered as a key step in the development of the modern ecumenical movement. So to mark that centenary, those working today for church unity in each of five main denominations – Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Catholic and United Reformed – joined with others for a three day conference to explore history and future together. Over 100 people were present, and it was the first such gathering of its kind. There were a number of important contributions to the event, exploring what
we can learn from the history and development of both the search for Christian unity and the commitment to mission since 1910. Two significant bible studies from Steve Finamore (Bristol Baptist College) enabled us to glimpse the importance of place and the need to hear voices from the margins. And there was ongoing exploration of what it means to be ‘churches together’ in the society of today. Look on the Churches Together in England website for news of the conference and much else that aims to resource our ecumenical pilgrimage: www.churches-together.net Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January The theme for 2011, ‘All things in common’, is taken from Acts 2:42-47 and the worship resources were developed by an ecumenical group in Jerusalem. Thus we hear a powerful call to join Christians of Jerusalem in praying for the unity of the Church and for justice and peace in our world – especially in the troubled situation of Israel-Palestine. Resources include daily reflections, a choice of orders of service, a postcard, poster, sheet music and powerpoint presentations. These can be ordered or downloaded. Go to: www.ctbi.org.uk/511
‘Poverty of Ambition? Churches and a politics of hope’ - 22 January
This is a special one day conference at Carrs Lane in Birmingham, hosted by the Baptist Union of Great Britain, The Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church. It is for all Christians who want to engage with politics and public issues. Will Hutton – author of The State We’re In and well-known for his involvement in the Work Foundation – has been invited to give the keynote address. There will be workshops which will explore what churches could be doing to work for change, enabling those committed to public issues in their churches and communities to make contact with each other and with those involved in this work at national level. Topics will include: poverty, debt, climate change, peacemaking, the Big Society, and lobbying your MP. All are welcome! To book a place contact Rosemary Kidd: rkidd@baptist.org.uk. We hope to see you there! Churches and the Equality Act In the autumn, the new Equality Act came into force. It aims to simplify and harmonise various pieces of equality legislation. A briefing has been prepared that outlines what the law means for churches, and this is available on the BUGB website or by email request to Rosemary Kidd: rkidd@baptist.org.uk
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Council Richard Nicholls General Manager
Ministry The major item of discussion and agreement at Council concerned the proposal to implement a new structure to the Register of ministers. Currently we accredit ordained ministers as pastors, evangelists and youth specialists. The three categories comprise the Register of Covenanted Persons Accredited for Ministry (the ‘accredited list’ in common parlance).
Faith & Unity An area of increasing work for the Faith and Unity Department has been on issues of equality and diversity, and Council agreed a new way of structuring this work. In future there will be Justice Groups – initially three to cover the areas of race, gender and disability – and these groups will have greater freedom and responsibility to carry forward a programme of work with and on behalf of the BUGB.
The re-structured Register will see that largely unchanged, with Baptist ministers continuing to be recognised as pastors, evangelists and youth specialist ministers. However, the Council agreed to the establishment of a new, second Register. This will recognise Church Workers, such as children and families workers, parish nurses, community development workers and youth workers, who serve primarily within church-based contexts. So, for instance, a church employing a children and families worker will now be able to support that person through an accreditation process, adding to their personal qualities and professional background, training, formation, support and the ability to be recognised by wider civic society as having a standing beyond a local congregation. This might prove to be the most urgent reason for accrediting church workers as we respond to the opportunities of ‘The Big Society.’
Council heard of progress with ‘The Journey’ – our commitment to build an inclusive Union reflecting the presence of many black and minority ethnic groups amongst us. An audit of our life together has been completed, and Council began the process of discerning what actions now need to be taken.
Other items reported on included a new procedure to recognise mature ministers, a grievance process for ministers in local church ministry, an increase in the length of the normal period of disciplinary action from three to five years, and the approval of guidelines for churches and ministers engaging in the occupancy of a manse. 12
A resolution was passed by Council responding to the current Government spending cuts, expressing its concern for those likely to be hardest hit. A copy of this can be found on the BUGB website: www.baptist.org.uk/resources/social_ political.html. In addition, a session was given over to exploring the idea of ‘The Big Society’. This was led by Malcolm Duncan (formerly of Faithworks) and copies of his powerpoint slides are available from: gsparkes@baptist.org.uk Mission The Mission Executive reported to Council the outstanding success of The Big Welcome and how nearly 7000 new people came to church as a result of this initiative. Council also heard reports about the new opportunities that were emerging with the Baby Boomer initiatives, More than Gold, and the Church and schools initiatives.
Much of the discussion was around the way in which the mission department relates to the Council and associations. In March proposals will be made to Council to improve the structure to enhance missional thinking and how we do mission together. Finance Council approved the Home Mission budget for 2011. The appeal target continues to be expressed as ‘at least 5% of a church’s general fund income’, and this is anticipated to raise £4,400,000. Church Subscriptions would be increased to cover membership of the Association of Church Treasurers and Accountants, which would now be funded by the Union instead of the Baptist Insurance Company.
Communications The Communications Department gave a demonstration of the new BUGB website currently under construction. The overarching aim of this new website, due to be launched in early 2011, is to create a sense of a Baptist family and community online. Major practical changes will include more effective navigation, functionality and interactive ability. Each key function of the National Resource eg Ministry, will have its own micro-site (dedicated homepages) thus offering easier access to important information and resources.
Council was advised that because of continuing negotiation with regulatory bodies, the Pension Review Group had not yet been able to recommend the proposed shape of the new pension scheme due in January 2012. It was now hoped that this would be available to Council in March 2011, to be followed by consultation with pension scheme members and churches. Council also agreed to introduce the concept of Interim Minister Members into the Scheme rules, to enable churches to maintain membership of the Fund during periods when they did not have a minister in post.
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Around the Union Central Administrative contact: Stephen Copson 01462 442548
Union has an Indian pastor serving the international needs of the area. Our dream is of a much more diverse and energetic Baptist witness in our city centres.
stephen.c@centralba.org.uk
We are encouraged to hear of exciting missional and congregation-planting work going on in several places notably Corby, Upton, Great Ashby, Marston Vale, and Wixams. Two of our smaller rural churches have experienced recent growth and are taking the first steps towards part-time ministry. We are also seeing a good response to our new training grant scheme, which is helping church members from any CBA church to take short practical courses that will help the church to develop its Kingdom work.
East Midlands Administrative contact: Rebecca Nicholls 0115 981 8645
Eastern Administrative contact: Hayley Beckett 01263 826377 secretary@easternbaptist.org.uk
Following a consultation questionnaire to the churches, the Council held a helpful morning led by an outside facilitator to further our thinking about how best to support churches and ministers in the mission. We have entered a partnership with the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity to run a pilot project with a group of our churches on whole-life discipleship. ‘Times of Refreshing’, a supportive gathering for leaders, is being run three times a year. We hope to run a training course for core leaders in association with Spurgeon’s College.
administrator@embaptists.co.uk
Our listening focus is bringing many insights into what God is saying and doing in our churches. There is a lot happening in reaching out to seniors and to children and youth. Many are emphasizing prayer in the community, sharing Christ through prayer on the street and in the businesses. A particular encouragement is the changing patterns of Baptist communities in Leicester. Carey Hall celebrated 113 years of worship and are handing on the baton of Baptist Christian witness to a Tamil congregation which is thriving in this predominantly 14 Asian area of the city. Similarly Belgrave
Heart of England Administrative contact: Karen Martindale 0121 472 4986 mailbox@baptist-heartofengland.org
After several months of discussions we’re hopeful that 2011 will see us adopting a new governing document for HEBA, one that offers greater flexibility for working together as churches and an Association Team.
London Administrative contact: Paul Martin 020 7692 5592
South Eastern Administrative contact: Steph Tidy 01444 233431
paul@londonbaptist.org.uk
admin@seba-baptist.org.uk
North Western Administrative contact: Mandy Howarth 01942 221595 baptnw1@aol.com
Northern Administrative enquiries: 0191 273 7641
The hugely successful MAD (Make A Difference!) week of mission in Kent Thameside was held in October with young and not-so-young people from all over the south east taking part. Discussions about the various ways of advancing the whole Kent Thameside Church Project are progressing. The next SEBA News Baptist Times Supplement is due out in late January. Planning is advancing for a major SEBA-wide celebration on the afternoon of 9 October 2011 to which everyone from all our churches will be invited.
admin@thenba.org.uk
Mark Craig (BMS World Mission) and Andrew Rollinson (Baptist Union of Scotland) were the speakers at a very inspiring Autumn Assembly. We were also delighted to receive the first Independent Methodist Church (New Silksworth in Sunderland) to join the association. The autumn saw the association exchange visits with Tryon Evergreen Baptist Association in Texas, and also receive visitors from Lithuania to the NBA.
South Wales Administrative contact: Jackie Godding 02920 491366 office@swbabugb.org.uk
Our autumn road show focused on mission in the 21st Century. The evenings comprised input from the Regional Ministers, Andy Hughes and Nick Bradshaw, as well as video clips and live interviews with Christian leaders on demonstrating the love and presence of Jesus. Church leaders discussed the range of possibilities accessible to their members to meet people where they are and share authentically their own Christian experience. One elder described his ideas as to, ‘explore some of the ways of turning the church inside out’. 15
Around the Union South West Administrative contact: Chris Wooding 01392 433533
considering their replies to our 20:20 Vision survey, which we hope will help us look ahead to the shape of WEBA in 10 years’ time.
chris@swbaptists.org.uk
Yorkshire Administrative contact: Deborah Gamble 0113 278 4954 Southern Counties Administrative contact: Keith Hawton 023 8041 0691 k.hawton@scba.org.uk
At the AGM in November Revd Daniel Pulham was thanked for the gracious way in which he had filled the role of Association Moderator in an interim capacity. We now have a new Moderator, Mr Geoff Coop from Ashley Baptist Church, New Milton, and a Deputy Moderator, Revd Jenny Elliott of Shirley Warren Action Church, Southampton.
West of England Administrative contact: Geoff Starling 0117 965 8828 office@webassoc.org.uk
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WEBA has begun working with the South Wales Baptist Association to ‘stir the pot and fuel the ferment’ with regard to new models of church planting; Stuart Murray-Williams will be working with both associations in the areas of consultancy, networking, and developing new frameworks, for example in ministerial training. Our churches are currently
debbie.gamble@yba.org.uk
2011 is going to be a fruitful year for the YBA as, with the support of many volunteers, we roll out our CONFIDENCE strategy. From February to May YBA churches will be sharing a worship service with two visitors who will bring the CONFIDENCE strategy to that fellowship. We are blessed with gifted and enthusiastic volunteers who are getting involved and working alongside the YBA team on this exciting initiative.More information is available from Revd Jane Day.
Staff News National Yvonne Voyce It was with great sadness that we said farewell to Yvonne Voyce. Yvonne joined the staff of the Baptist Union on 6 December 1999 as Accreditation Administrator in the Ministry Department. She had also previously worked for BMS World Mission since 1989, so has been part of the Baptist family for over 20 years. Yvonne will be greatly missed, but we rejoice that she will now spend more time with her two young girls. Regional Heart of England Project Development Worker for North Birmingham Gale Richards and Researcher John Lowe have both settled in well and are making their presence felt. John has been busy collecting information on churches throughout the HEBA region and moved on to a detailed analysis of the communities in which they’re set. One of our hopes is that this work will enable us to look at opportunities for church planting in the future, in consultation with other church streams. Travelling around Birmingham and the Black Country, Gale’s main emphasis in her first few months has been to meet church leaders and gain a clearer understanding of the challenges they’re facing. A number of plans for future training are beginning to emerge. South Eastern From the start of January, we welcome
David Burr as our new treasurer and Sarah Prior as the new co-ordinator of our Ministerial Recognition Committee. Southern Counties We are pleased to announce that three new Regional Ministers will join us on 10 January 2011. We look forward to welcoming Revd Lynn Green, Revd Colin Norris and Revd Jacky Storey. Please pray for them as their pastorates conclude and as they take up for their new roles in the association. A service of induction will be held at Newbury Baptist Church on Saturday 8 January at 3pm led by Jonathan Edwards. Yorkshire We were pleased to welcome Julie Walker to the team as our part-time admin assistant in September 2010. Julie will be the voice you hear over the office telephone when you call, and she is working alongside Debbie Gamble to provide admin support to our Regional Ministers and churches. Our Hon Treasurer, Harold Jevons, has decided that he would like to step down from this role after many years of service. Harold is a highly valued member of the team and he will be missed greatly. The search for a new Treasurer is ongoing and the appointment will be brought to our AGM in June when we will also have the opportunity to say “farewell” to Harold. Our Hon Solicitor, Michael Bradley, retired from professional life in October 2010 and also stepped down from this role with the association. Michael has been a great source of legal advice and support to YBA churches over many years and we thank him for all 17 that he has done.
Communications Amanda Allchorn Head of Department
Introduction As I write this mini introduction the New Year seems a long way off! Life in the Communications Department is as busy as always. Apart from concentrating on the ’now’ I am continually looking ahead and talking to others to try and get a sense of what the needs of our churches in the area of communication will be in the next five years. This is not always easy to discern but one thing is for sure, the internet will play an even more important part in our lives together than it does now. As we develop communication channels, it is always with the local church and your needs in mind. Below is an update of where we are with the new BUGB website, more background regarding Webwatch, a short plug regarding the growing number of DVD’s available to you and the launch of the Communications Awards 2011! New BUGB Website - launch update
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In the last edition of Transform we said we hoped to launch the new BUGB website at the November 2010 Council. Those who develop websites will know that trying to be accurate in these matters is rather a tricky science! Part of the delay is because we want to make sure the resources and publications are of the website is totally what you need and are looking for. It now looks like we will launch in early 2011, but we will announce this across all of our
communication channels (including Webwatch) as soon as we have news. Our current site already receives over a 1,000,000 hits a year, we would love to double this number with the new website. Webwatch – monthly email For the first time, due to more effective technology, the monthly webwatch email has been sent to all ministers, church treasurers and church secretaries. The circulation is now 4,800 – an increase of 3,000 from our previous mailing list. For those of you who have received it for the first time, we hope it will be a blessing to you and your church. The aim of Webwatch is to give you a ‘one stop shop’ message that points you to new resources, events and important information tailored for your local church on the BUGB website - www.baptist.org.uk. If you do not get this monthly email and would like to please contact communications@baptist.org.uk – too good to miss out on!
The Baptist Times Mark Woods Editor
How is a Baptist newspaper to be kept fresh, relevant and useful in today’s world? The Baptist Times has a long and honourable history in our denomination. It dates back to the mid-19th century, and it’s fascinating to see the way it’s developed since. At different periods it’s concentrated on heavyweight opinion pieces from the great and the good, news of the churches, international affairs, and the latest political developments. We’re in the process of preparing a book comprising extracts from the paper in the war years, to be published in the autumn, and The Baptist Times of that period has its own particular flavour. Today, we’re used to getting our news in bite-sized chunks from the internet or the TV, and we wouldn’t have the patience to wade through the sort of articles that were written 100 years ago. But because we’ve changed with the times, we’re still widely read – and we’d like to be read even more widely. So we’re going to be undertaking a reader review process which will see us contacting some churches and individuals for their input. We’ll be asking them to critique the paper as it is, and offer suggestions as to how to improve it. I’d like to remind you, though, that The Baptist Times is YOUR newspaper. It exists primarily to serve the Baptist denomination – though of course that means recognising that the life of Baptist churches is much wider than that. We
want to tell the stories that matter to you, whether they’re stories about your own church, or about the wider Church. So please notify us when you have a baptism, and we’ll print the names of those baptised for the encouragement of our readers - email Alex Baker, subeditor@baptisttimes.co.uk, and he’ll make sure they’re included. If you have news you’d like to share from your church, email or write to Paul Hobson, our news editor – news@baptisttimes. co.uk - and he’ll be glad to talk further to you. At the moment, we’re also encouraging individuals to subscribe with a new kind of incentive. Those of you who read the paper regularly will notice that we’re offering churches cash for readers! Sign up 10 new readers through our Church Agency scheme and we’ll send your church £250; or sign up five, and we’ll send you £100. Contact Bob Hilton on 01235 517738 for details about how to join the scheme, or email him: rhilton@baptist.org.uk Mark Woods Editor
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Publications Baptist Historical Society January Sale Now On! The Baptist Historical Society offers a range of volumes reflecting local, regional, national and international aspects of Baptist history and thought. Discover afresh the story of Baptists and our distinctive way of being church, and understand why we Baptists think and act as we do today. To order these titles, go to http://bit.ly/aHEkmU For more information on the Baptist Historical Society, go to www.baptisthistory.org.uk
Baptists At The Table 19th Century Baptist Eucharistic theology and practice, by Michael Walke. £2.50 £6.00 BHS108 Baptists in the 20th Century Includes material on Baptist Church Life, Baptists and Politics, J H Shakespeare and the Ecumenical Movement, Baptist Architects and Architecture. Edited by Keith Clements. £1.00 £4.95 BHS109 Crossing Boundaries The story of 50 years of the European Baptist Federation, by Bernard Green. £3.00 £12.00 BHS111
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English Baptist Records - Chesham The Chesham Church, Bucks. Transcribed by L G Champion, forward by A H Baines. £3.00 £8.00 BHS113 English Baptist Records - North East Association Life of the Particular Baptist of Northern England 1699- 1732 £3.00 £8.00 BHS115 English Baptist Records - St Andrews Church Book: St Andrews Street Cambridge 1720- 1832 £3.00 £12.00 BHS114 English Baptists of the 17th Century (HB) A new and enlarged edition. Hardback. By B R White. £3.00 £8.00 BHS122 English Baptists of the 18th Century (PB) Raymond Brown. Series edited by B R White and Roger Hayden. £2.50 £4.95 BHS123 English Baptists of the 19th Century (HB) Hardback. By J H Y Briggs. £7.50 £20.00 BHS125
English Baptists of the 19th Century (PB) Paperback. By J H Y Briggs. £7.50 £15.00 BHS124 English Baptists of the 20th Century (PB) By Ian Randall. £15.00 £30.00 BHS133 The Home Mission Story The story of Home Mission within the Baptist Union from its beginnings, by Douglas Sparkes. £1.00 £8.00 BHS130 Tomorrow’s Man (HB) A popular illustrated biography published for the 50th anniversary of Rushbrook’s death, by Bernard Green. £3.00 £16.00 BHS131 Tomorrow’s Man (PB) A popular illustrated biography published for the 50 anniversary of Rushbrook’s death, by Bernard Green. Limited edition. £3.00 £12.00 BHS132
Regent’s Study Guides Additional Title on Sale! We have now added another title to the Regent’s sale: Old Testament Pictures of God Rex Mason invites us to walk with him around the ‘portrait gallery’ of the Old Testament, to look at the many pictures of God. Images of God as Redeemer, Father, King, Judge and Shepherd. £3.00 Code:RSG102 To order this and other Regent’s titles, go to http://bit.ly/b2BpA1 New Online Store As we’ve been developing the new BUGB website, we’ve also been reviewing our online Publications to see what improvements can be made. With the growing popularity of online retailing, we’re creating a new online store that we hope will improve the service to our customers. Major changes are planned which will mean that all customer orders will be made and paid for online. You will be able to order and pay for your books and resources directly from the online store instead of having to email or phone us. The move to this system should help us improve on the current 10-day turnaround time for processing orders. So as we prepare to unveil the new BUGB website this year, be prepared for these up-and-coming changes. In the meantime, thank you for continuing to place your orders with us here at BUGB Publications.
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Home Mission Did you know that there are now 84 short BUGB films created for the local church to use on our dedicated BUGB You Tube Channel (www.youtube.com/user/ BUGBBMS?feature=mhum). These are mainly Mission and Home Mission related stories from around our churches in the UK - your church may be one of them! As they are short films they are ideal to use in your church services, church meetings, deacons meetings and home groups. In this visual age they bring to life the creativity of how God is working across our churches and how Home Mission funding is making a huge difference. There have been nearly 20,000 views of these films since May 2008.
Some of our recent films include: Grays Baptist Church, Essex
Wallsend Baptist Church, Newcastle
So why not put the kettle on, sit down with a cuppa and check out what is available. Then all you need to do is to arrange a slot to show one of these in the next few months.
h p wit ershi n s t e r a m i tT In p aptis The B
nominations go to www.baptist.org.uk/ commsawards2011. For church magazine and notice sheet nominations please email a pdf version of them to communications@baptist.org.uk or post a copy to BUGB Communications Awards, Baptist Union of Great Britain, Baptist House, PO Box 44 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8RT Judging
The BUGB Communications Awards return in 2011 with a new category. As well as the best church website and magazine we are now also looking for the best notice sheet. How to nominate You can nominate your church website, magazine or notice sheet from 4 January 2011 22 until 25 March 2011. For church website
The church magazine and notice sheet categories will be judged by a panel of expert judges. The website nominations will be shortlisted by the judging panel for an online vote from 4 to 21 April 2011. And the winner is... The winning entries will be announced at the Baptist Assembly and will be featured on the BUGB website and in The Baptist Times. Winners will receive the coveted glass computer mouse award.
Finance Philip Putman Head of Department
Introduction Like many treasurers and finance teams in local churches, the Finance Office staff at Baptist House are in the middle of preparing financial statements of the many charities and companies for which they administer the funds. At the time of writing, we do not know the results of the 2010 Home Mission Appeal, but the figures are so far looking encouraging! We remain grateful to all those in Baptist churches around the country for their continuing generosity to the Home Mission Fund. 2011 Stipend The Trustees have fixed the Home Mission Stipend for 2011 at £19,650, an increase of 1.55% on the 2010 Stipend. The Trustees took into account various factors including the current inflation factors such as RPI and CPI, together with average wage settlements in the UK and of course the economic climate. Treasurers should also note that the value of a Manse for Pension Fund purposes is £5,915 per annum as from 1 January 2011. This increases the amounts that churches and ministers pay as pension scheme contributions, and significantly increases the benefits which will be received in due course from the fund. Deposit rates The Baptist Union Corporation currently (from 1 November 2009) pays interest at 0.80% on money deposited by churches in the Baptist Union Loan Fund. The current rate is advertised each week in The Baptist Times. The deposits assist the provision of loans to churches, and are welcomed by the Corporation.
Loan rates The Baptist Union Corporation is willing to lend at 3.50% (from 1 November 2009) to churches buying, extending or renovating buildings or manses, subject to suitable repayment arrangements being in place. This rate is also subject to change in line with national interest rates. The current rate is advertised each week in The Baptist Times. Mileage rates The recommended mileage rates continue at 40p per mile for the first 10,000 miles within each tax year, and 25p for each mile thereafter. Charity Numbers Many churches assume that as they are in membership of the Baptist Union they are able to use the registered charity numbers for the Baptist Union Corporation and the Baptist Union of Great Britain. This is not the case. Churches that are regarded as ‘excepted charities’ under section 3(5) of the Charities Act 1993, as amended by the Charities Act 2006 do not have a charity number at all, and should quote the Charities Act reference above. Those churches that have registered due to their level of income should quote the number issued to them by the Charity Commission.
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Finance on the BUGB website.
Compiled by Philip Cooke FCA., Honorary Taxation Adviser to the Baptist Union
The usual Q & A format has given way on this occasion to matters of a more general interest. Form P11D dispensation: I would judge that most churches have a P11D dispensation in place but based on enquiries that I receive there are probably many that haven’t. The dispensation, when granted, relieves the employer from having to include in form P11D details of expenses and benefits covered by the dispensation and, in turn, will also relieve the employee from having to include such items in his or her tax return. A dispensation is likely to cover almost all of the expenses that are provided to a minister except reimbursed lighting and heating expenses, where a taxable benefit will always arise. A further exception might be the manse telephone/ broadband line where the church requires the minister to reimburse the cost of any personal calls, thus rendering the statutory exemption for a ‘work-place’ phone line and broadband service inapplicable. Further information about dispensations is contained in the Taxation Guidance Notes 24 for Churches & Ministers - document F5
Filing dates for PAYE returns etc: There are two key final filing dates as far as PAYE schemes are concerned, namely, 19 May for the church’s annual PAYE return form P35 and 6 July for forms P11D. They are dates which should not be missed for failure to comply will result in significant penalties, as some churches have found to their cost! Now that ‘online’ filing is compulsory it ought not to be too great a burden to ensure that the filing dates are not missed but I would suggest that the dates become impressed on the hearts of all treasurers! Churches should also not overlook the new requirement that quarterly remittances of PAYE and NICs should reach the Revenue Accounts Office not later than the 19th day of April, July, October and January. Failure to comply will result in a charge to interest. Telephone/broadband packages:
All kinds of packages are offered in relation to telephone and broadband services and some are even bundled with satellite TV packages. Churches and ministers are reminded that in order that the provision of a manse phone and broadband facility does not result in a taxable benefit to the minister it is essential that the agreements/contracts be in the name of
the church (possibly care of the minister’s address if the phone company insists) and that accounts also be paid directly by the church. If this is done, and any personal use is incidental or cannot be ascertained because of the nature of the package, then the facility will qualify as a ‘work-place’ line which is statutorily exempt (under S.316 ITEPA 2003) from any taxable benefit and will not therefore have to be shown on form P11D. However, if the package includes the provision of any other kind of service, such as a TV subscription, the exemption will not apply and the whole cost of the package will give rise to a taxable benefit which will need to be shown on form P11D. A minister would then only be able to claim a deduction in his or her tax return for church-business calls, and because of the composite nature of many packages this might not be possible. Further information is again available in the Taxation Guidelines (document F5) where it is suggested that if a minister wishes to account for any personal use this is perhaps best done by way of a voluntary additional donation to church funds. Ministers’ tax returns: Whilst most ministers complete a tax return (including the special Minister of Religion pages) there are probably quite a few who do not and simply assume that the tax which is deducted from their stipend will account for their total liability. Most ministers, however, receive occasional fees for other preaching engagements or for conducting weddings or funerals etc, though some arrange for such fees to be handed over directly to their church. Some may also feel content that any figure for fees taken into account in determining their PAYE code will cover their potential liability. Others may have taxed or even untaxed
investment income which should be shown on a tax return and may not necessarily be taken into account in determining the PAYE code. Many employees who do not make tax returns have been rudely awakened in recent months by the receipt of a nasty brown envelope containing what is known as a form P800, which is in the nature of a statement of tax which the Revenue believes is payable compared with what has actually been paid and in some cases these statements go back several years. The best way of avoiding any such nasty shocks is to ensure that an annual tax return is duly filed, and one is able to request a return form at any time. Where a tax return form is received it is then a matter of choice whether one files the paper return or whether one files online, and I would again remind ministers that there is now a very attractive facility for filing online through the service offered by Keytime Software. Details were given in the previous issue of Transform but the log-on address is: www.keytime.co.uk/ ministers and the cost is less than £5. Don’t be put off by the screen which states the normal price of around £20 - simply click to register and all will be revealed. Retired ministers are not normally asked to complete the Minister of Religion pages and will therefore receive only the standard, though possibly short, tax return. They will need to include details of any casual fees which they receive (net of any deductible travelling and other expenses such as books and study expenses) which, in the short return, will be shown at box 7.1.
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Finance Relocation expenses: A reminder that relief in respect of relocation expenses reimbursed by a church to a minister on a change of pastorate does not take the form of a standard deduction of £8,000. Relief is limited to specific ‘qualifying expenses’ not exceeding £8,000 in total, including (where a property is owned by a minister) any legal/sales expenses and associated stamp duty, replacement carpets or soft furnishings occasioned by the move as well as the actual costs of removal. Expenses up to the £8,000 limit do not have to be included on form P11D but if the amount reimbursed exceeds this figure the excess must be shown. Ministers in training: Churches are reminded that for tax purposes ministers in training are first and foremost minister of the church to which they have been called and inducted. Their terms of appointment should, therefore, be properly recorded in much the same format (adapted as necessary) as those used for any other minister of the church. One of the main reasons why this is so important is that the Revenue have agreed that such ministers may be provided with taxfree manse accommodation for the better performance of their duties. A further reason is that ministers in training are eligible to join the Ministers’ Pension Scheme. Whilst the place of the relevant theological college and the arrangements for release for study are also extremely important, the document prepared by the college in this particular regard should not be seen as taking the place of the usual Terms of Appointment.
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These notes are issued for general guidance only. The author or publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of material contained herein. If you are in any doubt about the correct treatment of any matter you should seek further professional advice. I am prepared to respond to questions of a general nature and my email address is: philipjcooke@aol.com. In order to avoid any such emails being treated as ’spam’ please state under ‘Subject’ the name of your church plus the words ‘Church tax enquiry’.
Baptist Ministers Pension Fund The article in Transform 26 indicated that subject to delays involved in the correspondence with various statutory bodies, principally the Pensions Regulator, proposals about the future of the Fund would be put to November 2010 Council to be followed by a formal Consultation period during November and December 2010 and January 2011, with the new scheme coming into effect on 1 January 2012.
Pension Roadshows 1 April 2011 – Broadmead Baptist Church, Bristol 4 April 2011 – Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, London 13 April 2011 – Blackley Baptist Church, nr Huddersfield 14 April 2011 – Sutton Coldfield Baptist Church
Unfortunately, the correspondence with the Pensions Regulator is not yet concluded, and it has been necessary to delay the decisions on the future of the Scheme, its approval by Council, and the formal consultation period. It is now intended that the details of the revised Scheme will be put to Council in March 2011, with formal consultation taking place during March, April and May 2011. Despite the delay, it is still hoped to commence the new Scheme in January 2012.
There will be a presentation by members of the Pension Review Group for church treasurers, ministers and other representatives from Baptist churches, to enable them to find out more about the review and have their questions answered by the team.
All starting at 13.30 and finishing by 16:00
If you wish to attend, please register your interest with Helen Pratt on 01235 517735 or hpratt@baptist.org.uk. There is no charge to attend the roadshow.
To try to assist the Consultation process, the Union is arranging four meetings about the Pension Fund which will be open to Baptist Ministers and Deacons. It is likely that there will also be a pension session at the Baptist Assembly in Blackpool in early May 2011.
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Legal and Property Issues Linda Holder Manager of the Baptist Union Corporation Introduction Our pages are full of practical information, and you may wonder what kind of sad people write this stuff? We hope that our pages give hints and pointers to the legal and practical issues that might be relevant to your church. Our guideline leaflets on the website are a regular resource that will also help you find information, and remember these are prepared specifically for local Baptist churches. It is easy to become worried about legislation, rules, and regulations, but it is also possible not to worry enough! There are important practical aspects of church life to be managed, so we want to encourage you to find a balance so that the essentials are covered. The spiritual aspects of the church and the development of its mission will always be vitally important. So, alongside the reading of these pages about legal and financial and property matters perhaps also remember Psalm 119:33- 36. ‘Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees... Give me understanding and I will keep your law ... Direct me in the path of your commands ... Turn my heart towards your statutes and not towards selfish gain’. Compensation for Redundant Wireless Microphones Churches who use wireless microphones may find that they own equipment which will no longer work when radio channel 69 is phased 28
out in 2012. Churches will have to use channel 38 instead but older systems may not be compatible with this channel. Some churches will have to buy new microphones and Ofcom has set up a compensation scheme to contribute towards the expense of replacing redundant equipment. To qualify for this assistance affected churches must register with the compensation scheme before the end of December 2010 by contacting the scheme administrators Equiniti on 0800 011 3617 or at www.pmsefunding.co.uk where more information about eligibility is available. Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme provides a refund of the VAT element of works carried out on listed church buildings when eligible repair and maintenance works are done. We are pleased to say that after a high profile campaign by a number of denominations the Government announced in the comprehensive spending review that the scheme would be retained after March 2011. Clocks, bells, organs, pews and professional fees will continue to be excluded. Since the VAT rate will rise to 20% in January any church that is thinking of submitting a claim should do so at the earliest opportunity. C9 Legacies to local Baptist Churches There is always immense gratitude when somebody makes provision for the Baptist family in their Will. If they choose to benefit a local church it is essential that the church is identified clearly by reference to a full address for the
property and by confirming the name of the church in full. Considerable distress and legal expense can occur if there is any doubt about which church is the intended beneficiary. A new BUC guideline leaflet C9 Legacies to local Baptist Churches has been written to highlight this issue. It contains suggested Will clauses which have been written by the BUGB solicitors. We would commend this wording to local solicitors, many of whom are unfamiliar with Baptist structures and organisations. Management of Burial Grounds
English Heritage and Natural England have published helpful guidance called Paradise Preserved which provides an introduction to conserving the history and wildlife within burial grounds through active management. The publication can be downloaded for free from www.english-heritage.org.uk. A copy can also be obtained from 0870 3331181 or by emailing customer@englishhertiage.org.uk. Baptist Insurance guide ‘Keeping the Pathways Clear’ With winter weather fast approaching churches may be interested in the guidance which Baptist Insurance have issued about reducing the risk of an accident on your premises during wintry conditions: http://bit.ly/c5dkTM
There is a link in the article to their leaflet Keeping the Pathways Clear which contains tips on reducing the risk of accidents when there is snow or ice. Hiring Out Church Premises Several churches have experienced difficulties lately because they have not had robust hiring agreements in place when other organisations are using their premises. It is important that a written agreement is drawn up in order to avoid future difficulties. Further guidance can be found in BUC guidelines B5 Hiring of Church Premises and B11 Churches and Leases. Public Entertainment Licences Churches that are planning to organise events away from their premises are reminded that they should check with their local council whether or not a Temporary Event Notice is required. The BUC guideline leaflet C10 Licensing for Entertainment and Copyright can be found here: www.baptist.org.uk/resources/resource_ downloads/193.pdf National Minimum Wage
From 1 October 2010 the national minimum wage rates changed. There are different levels of NMW, depending on your age and whether you are an apprentice.
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Legal and Property Issues The rates are now : £5.93 - the main rate for workers aged 21 and over £4.92 - the 18-20 rate £3.64 - the 16-17 rate for workers above school leaving age but under 18 There is a new apprentice rate which has recently been introduced and the age at which people become entitled to the main rate was reduced from 22 to 21 years. For further details see http://bit.ly/ aQxNzY Working with Local Authorities and Building Better Neighbourhoods The Urban Forum, a secular organisation has prepared a new booklet called Local Action - The handy guide for communities working with councillors. It has a jargon busting section on page 44. Although this has a focus on community projects generally the information would be helpful to local churches. We often hear of the difficulties in finding the route through the system! It is downloadable from http://bit.ly/cSPrkD If you are having difficulties persuading
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your local council of the benefits of working with your church, you may want to refer them to the recently completed research project Building Better Neighbourhoods. It is based on research in Oxfordshire undertaken by Coventry University. The outcomes are clear. Faith communities are ‘making a very significant contribution to the life and ‘social capital’ of their wider society.’ For more information see http://bit.ly/bv6LnM
The Baptist Union Corporation Ever thought how to turn your church buildings into a place to meet your community and mission aspirations for today and beyond? This is exactly what the members of Colchester Road Baptist Church, Ipswich, decided to try to undertake. The photographs show what they have achieved as a fellowship.
before
after
After receiving initial approval from the Baptist Union Corporation for their plans, with the aid of a loan of £386,000 from the Baptist Union Loan Fund, the project costs of £1.3m for a new main church building was raised by the church membership. This has enabled them to transform their buildings completely to meet the needs for their existing activities and expand and grow in their community. With the support of the Regional Association, the Directors of the Baptist Union Corporation who administer the loan fund scheme and other partners, the church membership have committed themselves to provide a place of Baptist witness in their community for the future.
The Baptist Union Loan Fund can lend up to £800,000 to churches for church building projects. To find out more please contact Rob Bruce, the Baptist Union Loan Fund Officer, at Baptist House on 01235 517746 (Monday - Wednesday) or visit the BUGB website for more information: www.baptist.org.uk/resources/resource_ downloads/170.pdf
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Safeguarding Alan Elson Safeguarding Administrator
The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), Vetting and Barring (VBS) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The Government has not released any news on the registration of people working with children or vulnerable adults. This was to have been part of the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) to be administered by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). Soon after the election, the Government announced a review of this part of the safeguarding system that was being introduced under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act. The provisions related to the CRB Disclosure system have not been affected and churches should continue to ensure that all relevant workers hold up to date Disclosures. The only part of the new legislation that has come into force that impacts directly on churches is the duty to refer those whose behaviour has placed vulnerable people at serious risk of harm. Where people have been disciplined, left or been moved to other jobs for these practices this must be reported to the ISA. When filling in the new style forms, please refer to the guidance notes that are available through the BUGB website in the resources section. These will answer all of the common questions. The CRB also publish on their website a Top Tips sheet; this is updated every week and deals with common problems that applicants encounter. Please go to http://bit.ly/dhDMjQ 32
The CRB have developed a continuation sheet for use with applications where additional addresses or names cannot be fitted on to the original application form. This document is available through the BUGB website or the CRB website. You are advised to download and print as and when you need these because the sheet is kept under constant review. Ineligible applications We have been reminded to ensure that only those people who are to be working in ‘exempted’ positions submit applications. This means for example that those who visit on an occasional basis or who have no direct responsibility for care, training or supervision of vulnerable people are not eligible for Disclosures. We have told the CRB that sometimes there are difficulties with Ofsted over pre-school groups and schools where churches use their premises. The advice is that you ask those demanding ineligible applications be done to write with their request and state the legislation on which they believe it to be based. If the problem persists we will raise the matter with CRB. Work on the production of the new version of Safe To Grow was stopped just before publication as a result of the Government review of ISA. This delay has caused other difficulties and consideration is now being given to publication without the information of registration. A new Task Group has been set up to review and design the recommended training that can be given to workers with children. The results of this work will become available in the early part of 2011.
Annual Returns Rachel Tole Grants and Database Manager Introduction Last year I took on the responsibility of overseeing and managing the Baptist Union’s database and, therefore, the responsibility for the Annual Returns. These are the forms which we send out to church secretaries every August.
Please be patient with us however as it can take some time for all changes to be entered into our database. We have over 2000 churches on the database and Denise, our database clerk, does a fantastic job in keeping this updated – but it is a mammoth task and we only have one person doing it.
Thank you A big ‘thankyou’ to the 1264 church secretaries who managed to complete and return their form by the date requested. However that represents only 61% of our churches. As I write this article (three weeks after that date) we are still waiting for another 550 forms to arrive. By the time you read this I hope we will have received most of them although, if this year reflects previous years, there will probably be around 300 forms that don’t arrive at all!
My Church This year we were able to introduce a way for churches to complete their forms online. This was thanks to the help of Matthew Tole who spent time with us in the summer writing a special program called ‘My Church’. Virtually all of those who used ‘My Church’ found it really easy to use as these comments indicate - “Found the system very straight forward and easy to access and complete” - “Very easy to complete and congratulations on making it easier.” We were a bit disappointed with the take-up of this offer – just 6.5% – and hope that more will take the plunge next year.
Please help us to help you The main reason we send out these forms each year is to ensure that our database has the most up-to-date details about our churches in terms of the information we need. This information is needed to enable us to contact the appropriate people in your church and also to produce our annual directory. One of the reasons for forms not being returned is that they are never received by the right person. If we haven’t been told that the church has a new church secretary then the form will go to the previous secretary who may not pass it onto their successor. Please help us by ensuring that all changes of minister, church secretary, church treasurer and home mission reps are notified to dmoore@baptist.org.uk – this includes changes of address, phone numbers and email addresses. You don’t need to wait for the next Annual Return Form to do this.
UPDATES
Please help us by ges of ensuring that chan cretary, minister, church se d home church treasurer an tified to mission reps are no g.uk dmoore@baptist.or
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Events National
Mission Woman to Woman 23 February: Baptist House, Didcot A day for women leaders in churches (eg toddler lroup leaders, evangelism deacons) with a heart to see other women come to Christ. It will include a training session with evangelist and author Leesa Barton on using the Wellsprings course. Crossingplaces Day 9 April: Colchester Baptist Church This day will inspire your church group to make a difference for God in their local communities and workplaces. Toddler Group Rocks! 13 April: Romford Baptist Church A BUGB and Care for the Family Day to help and encourage those leading and working in church toddler groups. For more information about any of the events being run by the Mission Department, and to book, see www.baptist.org.uk/training_events/ other.html or contact the Mission Department on mission@baptist.org.uk or 01235 517713
Regional
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Central 18 January: Chesham 26 January: Luton 7 February: Northampton 10 February: Milton Keynes 16 or 17 February: Kings Langley Our annual Roadshow takes place in January/February and this year will be entitled; ‘Big Society; Big Mission; how can we serve our communities and make disciples?’ Led by Geoff Colmer and Helen Wordsworth, it’s for all church members 19:00 for 19:30 start.
East Midlands 18 January: Welcome to New EMBA Ministers 24 January : Two Counties Service - Final Service of Celebration to thank God for all he has done between the churches of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire over the years and to say farewell to Revd Philip Webb (County Ecumenical Development Officer). 26 January: Lay Pastors Training & Support Day, Mountsorrel BC, Leicestershire, 10:00-16:00 12 March: Association Day & AGM where we will be joined by Revd Dr Pat Took (incoming BUGB President 2011-12). Eastern Baptist 21-23 February: Annual ministers’ conference, High Leigh The speakers will be Revd Glen Marshall (Northern Baptist Learning Community) and Revd Bob Payne (a former Warden of Lee Abbey). 12 March: Safeguarding training Sudbury Baptist Church. Heart of England Our Learning at the Centre training programme continues in the Spring with modules on pastoral care and mission. A partnership between HEBA, BMS World Mission, Bristol Baptist College, NBLC and Regent’s Park College, the three-year programme aims to provide all 12 BUGB-recognised training modules. The Regional Ministers continue their pattern of Celebration events for each area with a service in Worcester on Palm Sunday.
Northern 16-18 February: Ministers’ Conference, Cober Hil. With Karl Martin of Morningside Baptist Church, Edinburgh 10 March: ‘Leading Together’ (training evening for elders and deacons) 26 March: Racial Justice Training Day 4 April: Preach The Word (Preacher Training evening) South Eastern 25 January: n:vision leaders gathering, Dalesdown 1-3 February: Ministers and Church Leaders Conference, Ashburnham Place. Main speakers: Nigel Wright and David Kerrigan. 8-9 March: Team Retreat, St Andrews, Edenbridge 20 March: Youth Adore event, Cuckfield 6 April: Network Day, Worth Abbey. For key people in each of SEBA’s geographical networks. South Wales 7-9 February: The All Wales Baptist Ministers Conference Merlewood Hotel in Saundersfoot. Our speaker is Revd Dr Pat Took.
Southern Counties 28 February - 2 March: Ministers’ conference in Bournemouth. Our guest speaker will be Revd Dr David Coffey, formerly BUGB General Secretary and until recently President of the Baptist World Alliance. David will be leading us on the subject of preaching, with special reference to the Biblical character of Joseph. West of England 14-15 January: Emerging Church 101 Patchway Baptist Church, Bristol 7-9 February: Ministers’ Conference Sidholme, Sidmouth There will be four ‘3 in 1’ Events around the association between March and June: Dates and venues to be confirmed. Yorkshire Coming from our CONFIDENCE strategy, we have a number of events being organised for 2011. In the early part of the year, these include: Confident Spirituality January - An introduction to spirituality Confident Evangelism January, April - Evangelism Roadshow Confident Discipleship March - Engaging with scripture March - Caring as God’s people April - Caring for the created world Confident Leadership Growing Women Leaders – programme continues February - YBMF Ministers Retreat March - Building Healthy Relationships Further information is available through the YBA office.
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Call us today on 0845 070 2223 and quote BUGB1 or for more details visit www.baptist-insurance.co.uk The Baptist Insurance Company PLC. Registered in England No. 83597. Registered Office: Beaufort House, Brunswick Road, Gloucester GL1 1JZ. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. FSA registration number 202032. A member of the Association of British Insurers and the Financial Ombudsman Service.