Governance - the nuts and bolts of Eldership

1. Introduction

In this module you will learn about the specific and legal responsibilities which fall to the Elders' meeting. 

You will learn a little about the support that is available to help you and your fellow Elders in dealing with these more technical aspects of eldership. 

     This module is somewhat different from the others you have completed since although the formal duties and responsibilities of Elders are the same across the United Reformed Church, the circumstances are different in different pastorates and some responsibilities will be more significant in one pastorate than another. Once an Elder you will be guided on your way by other Elders - as we have already seen - Elders are a team!

2. Before you start

   Spend a few moments thinking about the likely areas of responsibility that might fall under the heading of legal and technical for Elders. 

   For each area think:

3. What are Elders responsible for?

There are a number of formal and legal responsibilities which fall to the Elders' meeting, however, it is important to remember not every Elder has to undertake all the tasks and there are many resources available to assist. No one should be put off from becoming an Elder because of these responsibilities - you will not be alone in dealing with these responsibilities.

The next few pages explore the key areas Elders need to be aware of as well as talking about some of the assistance available. Ordained Elders will always be guided by their minister and their fellow Elders once they take up their role, the notes here are just to give a flavour of how these responsibilities work.

The first point to note is:

Trusteeship

 The Elders' Meeting (the Minister and the serving Elders) are normally the charity trustees of the local church funds and, under the terms of the Charities Act 2011, have specific and legal responsibilities, as 

3.1. Safeguarding

The serving Elders of United Reformed Churches are responsible for overseeing all aspects of safeguarding as they relate to all vulnerable people, children and adults. 

These duties include responding appropriately and quickly to any incidents of abuse/alleged abuse, ensuring appropriate and sufficient pastoral care and support is in place, overseeing children’s, youth and community work, assessing risks and implementing and following safer recruitment procedures – basically ensuring everyone who engages with the life of the local church is kept safe.

The URC's safeguarding guidance is enshrined in Good Practice 6 which offers full details of how to respond to safeguarding issues. 

The URC safeguarding team has produced foundation-level safeguarding training course that is available to everyone here on the URC Learning Hub. 

You are encouraged to look at these materials. The course can be accessed by clicking here or from the Safeguarding tab on your Hub dashboard. 

3.2. Finances and Buildings

Finances

As trustees of the charity the elders must ensure that all assets and funds are used according to the stated purposes of the charity.

Buildings

Elders are responsible for overseeing building maintenance. In conjunction with the Synod Trust Company they also have responsibility for oversight of lettings and leases for any parts of their buildings they let to, or from other parties.

On a day-to-day basis responsibilities in these areas will vary according to the circumstances of individual churches and pastorates. However, all churches, and Elders, can rely on expertise in synods and Church House when dealing with such matters and do not need, as individuals, to have any special expertise in these areas.

3.3. Employment and Risk Management

Employment

         If a church directly employs staff then the Elders are responsible for meeting all the Employment Law requirements of an employer that relate to the terms and conditions of that employment/those employees.

Risk management

         Elders are responsible for undertaking risk assessments for activities happening in their church. This includes looking carefully at all the potential consequences of any actions taken by that church.

4. Sources of help with Elders' responsibilities

1.   The Synod 

2.   The Basis of Union and The Manual

3.   Charity Commission Website – https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission

4.   Safeguarding  

5. Case studies

   Watch these videos to hear Elders speak about the 'nuts and bolts' of governance in the day-to-day practice of being a church Elder:

Click here to save this video as a file (opens in new window)

6. Review

   Remember those notes that you made at the beginning of this module? Now would be a good time to review them and ask yourself:

then have a look at the next page.

7. Where next?

This is the formal end of this course. We hope you have found it useful and informative. If you have comments about the material please feel free to send them to: learninghub@urc.org.uk

For those of you who are already Elders, we hope this has been a useful refresher and that maybe it has alerted you to one or two new points for reflection or action.

For those of you who are thinking about the call to Eldership, we hope this course has offered you some insights into the role and practice of being an Elder and that it will inspire you to take up that call.

Finally, remember that these materials are open to all users of the URC Learning Hub and you can return to them at any time - and, furthermore, you can refer others to them if they seem interested in the call of Eldership.