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The purpose of the Mission Council is to enable the Church, in its General Assembly, to take a more comprehensive view of the activity and policy of the Church, to decide more carefully about priorities and to encourage the outreach of the Church to the community. Its service is directly towards the Assembly, but its concern is with the whole Church and all its members, so it will seek to be aware of the pains and joys, the adventures and hopes of the whole body. Members: The representatives of synods in March 2002 were: Northern North Western Mersey Yorkshire East Midlands West Midlands
Eastern South Western Wessex Thames North Southern Wales Scotland 1 Our meetings 1.1 During the year Mission Council has met residentially at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, and Ushaw College, Durham, and for a one-day meeting at the Arthur Rank Centre, Stoneleigh. The budget has demanded attention at all three meetings, but there have been significant discussions on issues of authority and on youth and children's work in addition to some thinking about the purpose and practice of Mission Council itself. 1.2 The Moderator has played an important role in guiding the meetings and her Bible Studies at both residential meetings particularly helped Mission Council in understanding the issues before it. She and her chaplain, the Revd Flora Winfield, made sure that the Council was fed with good quality worship. 1.3 Theological reflection at the October meeting was provided by the Revd Myra Blyth. Mr Philip Mawer had been due to be the reflector at the March meeting, but he had to withdraw owing to his new appointment as Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. The practice of discussing the written reflections at the following meeting has been continued. 1.4 Inevitably the October meeting was overshadowed by the September 11th terrorist attacks. Mission Council heard of the immediate responses made on behalf of the United Reformed Church by the Moderator and General Secretary, and itself agreed to send a letter to church leaders in Jerusalem. At the January meeting time was given to hearing a report on the first Scottish Ecumenical Assembly. In March it was agreed to send letters to ecumenical partners in India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, and to the Israeli Ambassador. In these and other ways Mission Council resisted the temptation to focus only on the internal business of the Church. 2 Responding to the Assembly 2.1 Human sexuality pastoral group. This group was set up by resolution 41 of the 1997 Assembly to give help and guidance to those in pastoral need because of the human sexuality debate. A small number of people did consult the group but no-one has done so recently. Mission Council therefore resolved to disband the group with thanks to those who had served on it: Elizabeth Caswell, Malcolm Hanson, Jim Hollyman, Glyn Jenkins, Lis Mullen and John Waller. 2.2 The Women's Union of the Scotland Synod and resolution 8.2 of the Unifying Assembly. The General Assembly, acknowledging the great service to the church of the Women's Union of the Congregational Union of Scotland, instructs the Mission Council to consider whether there are implications for the central organisation of the church in the context of current ecumenical thinking. This resolution was passed by the Unifying Assembly in Glasgow on 1 April 2000. Over the following eighteen months the implications of the resolution have been discussed by the Mission Council Advisory Group, the Life and Witness Committee and by the Mission Council itself. There has been consultation with the Scotland Synod. The Women's Union has had a long history in Scottish Congregationalism and it has been given an established place in the life of the Scotland Synod. Through its branches and its organisation it meets the spiritual and social needs of many women in our Scottish churches. At the same time it is clear that there are other women within the Scotland Synod who do not find the ethos of the Women's Union helpful. It is too simplistic to say that the Union appeals to older women whereas younger women look for a different style of community. However, the statement may stand as a generalisation. An informal enquiry was made as to the extent of women's organisations in England and Wales that might be similar to the Women's Union. It was known that there are many groups in local churches but it was felt that there was no particular value in seeking accurate statistics. The result of the enquiry made through the English and Welsh synods revealed the following: An informal summary of women's work in synods and districts other than the synod of Scotland Northern
North Western
Mersey
Yorkshire
East Midlands
West Midlands
Eastern
South Western
Wessex
Thames North
Southern
Wales
NB: Involvement in the Women's World Day of Prayer is not included in this summary. In recent years within the United Reformed Church and elsewhere a new pattern of relationships has grown up through the Community of Women and Men in the Church. This development has been (and is) the concern of the Life and Witness Committee and its predecessors. A sub-committee has been established to be the focus of support. It would be easy to characterise the present situation as one of competition, or even conflict, between two different ways of engaging in women's work or women's issues. Assembly is encouraged to see such a view as missing an opportunity. The opportunity is that of continuing a dual approach, encouraging people in all three nations to support one another in whatever ways they find helpful, and recognising that in the future there will be new ways to support both women and men in their spiritual and social life and growth. If the Assembly is minded to respond in that way, then the implication for the central organisation of the church is that the Life and Witness Committee should continue to support and encourage women's work and women's issues in all their variety throughout the United Reformed Church. 2.3 Ethical Investment Policy. The Assembly of 2001 instructed Mission Council to review the ethical policies of the United Reformed Church with regard to the investments of the church, with particular reference to companies involved with the arms trade. This matter was referred to the Ethical Investment Advisory Group and Mission Council agreed to forward its report to Assembly as the response to the 2001 resolution. Mission Council in its discussion recognised that this subject is a complex and changing one and it therefore advises Assembly that the policy should be seen as a step forward but not as a final position. Preamble The Bible encourages us to use what is entrusted to us in constructive ways: in the Old Testament we learn that humankind was placed on the earth 'to till it', to use its resources productively (Gen. 2.15), and our Lord suggests that stewardship of another's money is to be undertaken in a positive and creative spirit (Matt. 25.14-30). So while in setting these guidelines we have been clear which activities we feel morally obliged to avoid, we have wanted to see that very avoidance as creating more potential for the church's resources to be used in ways that promote 'life in all its fulness'. The legal obligations of trustees The legal obligations of trustees are best described in the high court judgement in the often-quoted case of the Bishop of Oxford vs the Church Commissioners. This judgement stated that charity trustees' primary duty is to choose investments 'solely on the basis of established investment criteria', aimed at obtaining 'the maximum return consistent with commercial prudence'. It repeats this principle in negative terms by stating that 'trustees must not use property held for investment purposes as a means for making moral statements at the expense of the charity.' There is a major exception to this general rule. 'If trustees are satisfied that investing in a company engaged in a particular type of business would conflict with the very objects the charity is seeking to achieve, they should not so invest.' This applies 'even if [not investing] would be likely to result in significant financial detriment.' The most quoted example of this is cancer research charities not investing in tobacco companies. But, the judgement makes it clear that to qualify for the 'in conflict with the objects of the charity' exception the conflict must be very clear and not a matter of individual opinion. It states that exceptions of this sort will be extremely rare. It refers specifically to armaments where individual opinions will differ within the Church. Armaments are therefore excluded from this exception. However, the judgement goes on to state that trustees 'may accommodate the views of those who consider that on moral grounds an investment would conflict with the objects of the charity, so long as they are satisfied that course would not involve a risk of significant financial detriment'. This enables the trustees to reflect the fundamental values of the organisation. It is this approach that guides our existing ethical investment policy. Changes to the URC ethical investment guidelines The current URC ethical investment guidelines, reported to General Assembly in 1995, state that we should avoid investing in companies whose main business (defined as approximately 30% of turnover) is the manufacture of alcoholic drinks, tobacco products or armaments, or the provision of gambling facilities. In addition, following a decision of General Assembly in 1992, the trustees are not currently investing in NestlŽ. The EIAG has reviewed the above guidelines and proposes that they should be amended by the addition of a total exclusion of investment in (a) those companies whose business is the manufacture or supply of weapons of destruction and (b) any company that promotes pornography. The EIAG also proposes that the explicit measure of 30% to define 'main business' should be replaced by a statement authorising the EIAG to determine what constitutes 'significant part of a company's business' in particular cases. The EIAG anticipates that, whilst in normal circumstances it would continue to use approximately 30% as the primary determinant, the omission of a specific percentage would allow it to exercise judgement, for example in the case of very large international groups clearly involved in specific activities which nevertheless do not amount to 30% of total group turnover. The United Reformed Church does not have sufficient resources to undertake continuous research and monitoring. In exercising judgement the EIAG would therefore use its ecumenical links, in particular its membership of the Church Investors Group. The revised policy is as follows: It is the policy of the United Reformed Church to recommend that trustees and all those with investment responsibilities connected with the church should avoid any investment in > those companies whose business is the manufacture or supply of weapons of destruction; > those companies whose business is the promotion of pornography; > those companies a significant part of whose business is in the supply of alcoholic drinks, tobacco products or military equipment (other than weapons of destruction), or the provision of gambling facilities. The definition of these activities, or of what constitutes a significant part of a company's business, will require judgement. The Mission Council's Ethical Investment Advisory Group will offer advice on ethical issues from time to time. The above policy can only be advisory; the responsibility for specific investment decisions remains with each body of trustees. 2.4 Occupational Health Scheme 2.4.1 In July 2000 General Assembly accepted a resolution from the South Western Synod: 'to explore the setting up of an Occupational Health Service for the benefit and support of all serving ministers, Church Related Community Workers and others paid from central funds'. 2.4.2 The then General Secretary, the Revd Tony Burnham, carried out some work on the subject and before he retired prepared a paper for Mission Council. The paper reported that the only one of our sister churches having such a scheme was the Church of Scotland but that in Thames North Synod an Occupational Health Scheme was already in operation. It also recommended that a scheme should be set up, more modest than that described in the papers supporting the South Western Synod resolution but including those paid from synod funds. There was a suggestion that representatives of the synods should discuss the proposal. 2.4.3 Mission Council received the paper at its meeting in October 2001. It decided that the next stage should be a consultation with representatives of the synods. Invitations were sent to the synods in November, asking them to send one representative to a consultation on 13 February 2002 and in the intervening time to canvass option as appropriate. Eleven synods were represented at the consultation, another synod appointed a representative who sent detailed written comments on the paper but did not attend in person. 2.4.4 The consultation began from the assumption that the motivation behind the original proposal and its subsequent outworking was to ensure that proper care was given to those 'employed' in the service of the church. There was total agreement that the church needs to follow good employment practice. In order to give focus to the discussion, time was given to considering the arrangements already in place within Thames North Synod. 2.4.5 Thames North Synod has a voluntary occupational health scheme allied to a physical fitness programme which is offered to ministers and lay staff. They may take advantage of the facility every 2-3 years and at present the take-up is about 70%. The cost to the synod is about £5,000-£6,000 p.a. In addition the synod employs four part-time pastoral consultants to assist the Moderator and District Councils in their duty of pastoral care. No other synod has a similar pattern but most of the synods represented at the consultation had some (largely) voluntary procedures in place. None felt they had the resource available to replicate the Thames North pattern. Discussion revealed doubt as to whether it was necessary to redirect funds in order to do so, even where it was possible. 2.4.6 Some voices at the consultation expressed the view that, even if an overall Occupational Health Scheme was felt to be necessary, this was an inopportune time to introduce it. The cost of such a scheme had been estimated at £42,000 p.a. To add such a sum to the budget at the very moment when ways were being sought to cut a much larger sum from existing expenditure did not make sense. 2.4.7 The consultation, having come to a negative response to the original proposal, wanted to draw attention to the resources of care that are available to ministers and lay workers in all places. These are outlined in the following paragraphs. In some cases they may need to be advocated, in some places there may need to be some sharpening up. The relevant councils of the church should consider these things as part of their duty of care. 2.4.8 It was noted that current changes in the Health Service are intended to make the General Practitioner the primary focus of health care. Recently it has become a requirement that GP practices must give all new patients a basic health check. Many practices offer well-woman and well-man clinics. There are other circumstances that will make it legitimate for people to have further checks, as for example when unexplained physical symptoms appear. Therefore it may be that synod financial resources could best be focused on occasions of change in work pattern when a health check might be a wise preliminary and where a fee may be required to be paid. 2.4.9 Of course this means that usually the initiative has to be taken by the minister or church worker her/himself. The consultation was of the opinion that the responsibility of each individual for self-care should be emphasised. The commandment to love our neighbour is followed by the words, 'as ourselves'. The majority of church members in employment have to take responsibility for their own health using the medium of the Health Service. 2.4.10 In 1987 the Assembly received a report on 'Stress in the Ministry'. This remains an important document and it reminds us that ministry imposes stresses on people which in a minority of cases leads to a breakdown in health. (As a rough indication of scale, it was discovered that of over 700 people on the URC payroll, 30 had had sickness absences of more than a month in the last tax year. By no means all those absences are stress-related.) 2.4.11 Since that report was received a number of support structures have been put in place. All ministers and members of their households have access to free and confidential counselling through the Churches' Ministerial Counselling Service. All ministers are encouraged to engage in accompanied self-appraisal on a regular basis. (The Ministries Committee is asked to consider whether this programme needs more emphasis and whether a question about the possible need for a health check should be added to it.) There is further encouragement to refreshment and renewal through Continuing Ministerial Education and the sabbatical programme. These structures, if taken seriously, should normally enable an individual minister to get balance in life and so prevent much avoidable damage to health. 2.4.12 The consultation wished to affirm the pastoral work done by synod moderators and by district pastoral committees as the bedrock of the church's healing ministry with ministers and church workers. It noted that Assembly and synod welfare funds are used to help at moments of stress and the breakdown of health. There are occasions when the pastoral care system does not deliver what is needed - sometimes it cannot Ð but there are many occasions when it does. 2.4.13 Having heard the report of the consultation, and having had its own discussion, Mission Council came to the following conclusions: 2.4.13.1 That the health of ministers and Church Related Community Workers is a matter both of pastoral concern and of vital importance to the Church's mission. 2.4.13.2 That ministers and Church Related Community Workers should be encouraged to take advantage of the variety of means available both to support them in their ministry and to monitor their physical and mental well-being. 2.4.13.3 That those responsible for personnel matters in Church House and in the synods should consider creating support systems for lay staff similar to those available to ministers, where these are not in place. 2.4.13.4 That Mission Council should instigate a more careful study of lengthy (more than one month in twelve) absences due to ill-health of those on the URC payroll, and consider the significance of the results. 2.4.13.5 That an Occupational Health Service should not be set up at the present time but that Mission Council should keep this matter under review. 3 Actions on behalf of the General Assembly 3.1 Appointment of synod moderator. Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council appointed the Revd David Miller as Moderator of the South Western Synod for a period of seven years from 1 September 2002. 3.2 Appointments to staff posts. Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council appointed the Revd Roy Lowes as Secretary for Training for a period of five years from 1 January 2002; Mr Lawrence Moore as Director of the Windermere Centre for a period of five years from 1 April 2002; and the Revd Ray Adams as Deputy General Secretary for a period of seven years from 1 September 2002. 3.3 Other appointments. Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council appointed the following representatives to the Assembly of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (26 February Ð 1 March 2002): Wilma Frew, John Young, Lorraine Downer, Kathleen Ziffo, Jackie Yeomans, Nikki Andrews, Phil Ferdinand and Ray Adams. It also appointed the Revd Rachel Poolman and Professor Malcolm Johnson to the Ministerial and Educational Training Committee of Mansfield College, Oxford. 3.4 Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council appointed the Revd Adrian Bulley as a Trustee of the Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme. 3.5 Honorary Treasurer. Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council extended the appointment of Mr Graham Stacy to 31 December 2002. 3.6 Basic ministerial stipend. Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council set the basic ministerial stipend for 2002 at £17,508. 3.7 Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council agreed to the transfer of land now forming the site of Newtown Road Methodist Church Carlisle to trustees for the Methodist Church at a nominal consideration. This was to correct an anomaly which had existed for 50 years. 3.8 Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council agreed to establish a commission to advise on the handling of a difficult pastoral matter. 3.9 Indemnity of Charity Trustees. Acting on behalf of Assembly, Mission Council resolved that General Assembly having recognised the members of MCAG as trustees of the URC at its meeting in July 2001, now instructs the Church's legal advisers to draw up a Deed of Indemnity to indemnify the members of MCAG present and future, jointly and severally from and against all liability arising from the exercise of their powers and functions as trustees. The General Secretary and the Moderator of the General Assembly are duly authorised to execute the Deed on behalf of the church. Resolution 8 of the 2001 Assembly established that the members of the Mission Council Advisory Group for the time being are considered to be the Charity Trustees of the United Reformed Church. In the discussion of the resolution the General Secretary undertook that Mission Council would consider the provision of indemnity (Assembly Record p.36). 4 Other actions 4.1 Continuation of staff posts. Mission Council accepted the advice of its Staffing Advisory Group that the posts of Secretary for Training and Director of the Windermere Centre should both be continued for a further term. 4.2 Resolution from Thames North Synod. A resolution seeking more encouragement of vocations to the ministry of Word and Sacrament was passed to the Ministries Committee. 4.3 Task group on personal leadership and authority. An interim report from this task group was considered, particularly concentrating on those aspects where there could be an overlap with the work of the task group on authority (see report below). The leadership task group is expected to bring a more substantial report in October 2002. 4.4 Church House Reference Group. It was agreed to set up a group to oversee questions of management and staffing at Church House. The group would exist alongside the existing advisory groups and make its reports to Mission Council. 4.5 Churches Together for Health and Healing. With the establishment of this ecumenical group (see resolution 12 of Assembly 2001) it was agreed that in future representatives would be appointed by and report back to the Church and Society Committee. 4.6 Silveira House, Zimbabwe. On receipt of information from Commitment for Life, Mission Council in January passed the following resolution: Noting with concern the current situation in Zimbabwe and its impact on our Commitment for Life Partners at Silveira House, Mission Council instructs the Moderator to write to the Director of Silveira House assuring him and his staff of our prayerful solidarity with them at this time. 4.7 Payment of expenses for certain meetings. A letter from Eastern Synod was considered, complaining at the practice of calling meetings, and then asking the synods to send representatives and also to meet the cost of their attendance. Mission Council resolved in response that 'as a matter of principle, any Assembly committee or sub-committee calling a meeting of synod representatives should meet the cost of attending that meeting out of its own budget'. It was emphasised that this resolution did not apply, for example, to training meetings to which people could choose to come or not as they wished. It only applied to meetings of representatives. It was also noted that the resolution did not preclude committees from negotiating a different financial arrangement with synods. Mission Council hopes that this decision will set a precedent to be followed by other councils of the church. 4.8 Grants and Loans Group. This group continues to administer grants made to local mission projects and grants from the Church Buildings Fund. In October Mission Council agreed to revise its policy on grant making as follows: Revised policy for mission project grants: > Each applicant is required to demonstrate how the project links to the 'Five Marks of Mission' programme adopted by the United Reformed Church. > GLG continues to consider applications for Mission Projects where the financial need has been clearly identified and which cannot be met entirely from local funding and Synod funds. > GLG will request a report on the progress of a Mission Project twelve months after its launch so that stories of encouragement can be shared with the wider church. Revised policy for Church Building Fund grants: > That for the foreseeable future only the
interest of the capital available to the Church Buildings Fund (CBF)
will be used for grants. > The moratorium on loans will be extended until a review of the financial situation takes place in 2002. > Synods will forward applications to GLG only for churches where the financial need has been clearly identified and which cannot be met entirely from local church and Synod funds. > Applications for funds from the Church Buildings Fund will be considered at the May and December meetings in order to ensure a proper sharing of the resources available each year. > Churches should be encouraged to apply to local authorities and charities for financial help with disabled facilities. Each synod has a representative on the Grants and Loans Group. Local churches should address enquiries and applications through their synod representative. 4.9 Changes in personnel. During the year Mission Council received the resignations of two Assembly Committee conveners, Ms Gabrielle Cox (Church and Society) and the Revd Derek Lindfield (Youth and Children's Work). In each case they were replaced by those already appointed conveners-elect, the Revd Martin Camroux and the Revd Kathryn Price. Mission Council also received the resignations of the Revd Peter McIntosh as Director of the Windermere Centre and the Revd Jean Black as Secretary for Continuing Ministerial Education. All were thanked for their distinctive service to the General Assembly. 4.10 Ministers' consultation. Mission Council set up a small group under the convenership of the former Moderator, the Revd Bill Mahood, to consider the suggestion made previously by the Revd Peter McIntosh that there should be a consultation for all URC ministers. The intention would be one of refreshment and inspiration for leaders in the church. The group reported on how it might be arranged but did not recommend that a consultation be held. Mission Council agreed that cost (at least as much as that of a General Assembly) ruled out the idea at the present time. There was a fairly strong body of opinion that a consultation only for ministers would not be appropriate at any time. Others felt that consultation in synod areas would be more effective. 4.11 Mission Strategy. The General Secretary reminded Mission Council of its primary function, and he received warm support for his suggestion that during the coming Assembly year it should concentrate on developing a mission strategy which could be commended to the Assembly and to the other councils of the church. 4.12 Youth and Children's Work Review. At the request of the Youth and Children's Work Committee Mission Council spent considerable time discussing the review report. It also took into account resolutions that had been passed by the Northamptonshire District Council and the East Midlands Synod regarding the future of the Youth Resource Centre at Yardley Hastings. Mission Council encouraged the Youth and Children's Work Committee to proceed with all its then proposed resolutions except that relating to the Youth and Children's Work Training programme. It was felt that more work was needed before some decisions on the future direction of the programme could be made. The resolution relating to the cessation of use of the Centre at Yardley Hastings was supported on a show of hands by 37 votes to 16. 4.13 Review of the Windermere Centre. The Life and Witness Committee asked Mission Council to instigate a review of the Centre, in the light of the fact that there had been no such review since the Centre opened in 1985. The following terms of reference were agreed by Mission Council in March and a review group has been set up: > to review in general terms the operation of the Centre since its opening in 1984/5; > to evaluate its findings against the original (and any later) statements of the Centre's purpose; > to assess the needs for a URC training centre: > to consider the proposals for a closer relationship between the Centre and Carver Church, Winderemere; and > to make proposals for the future of the Centre. The review will be carried out by a group of four people, including a convener, with a report to be made to the meeting of Mission Council in March 2003. The cost of the review will be carried on the Mission Council budget. The group should consult previous Directors with regard to the first part of its remit, and representatives of the Life and Witness Committee and Carver church with regard to the fourth. There should also be consultation with representatives of the Training Committee. Otherwise it should be free to operate as it wishes within budget constraints agreed with the Deputy General Secretary. Resolution 10 Task Group on Authority General Assembly reaffirms that: i) Decisions about candidates' suitability for ministry remain within the councils of the church. (3.1.2) ii) Decisions on academic and formational matters fall within the remit of colleges and courses. (3.1.3/4) Resolution 11 Task Group on Authority General Assembly encourages the Training and Ministries Committees to continue their consideration of the procedures for the selection, training, call and ordination of ministers. (3.2.1) Resolution 12 Task Group on Authority General Assembly affirms that task groups, regardless of their purpose, should be given very clear remits and there should be equal clarity about to which council or committee of the church the group will report. (3.3) Resolution 13 Task Group on Authority General Assembly affirms the present practice (function 2(5)(A)(ix)), namely that, where it deems right, the General Assembly remits questions, with clear guidelines as to the process, to other councils of the church and, having considered the responses, makes decisions following debate. (3.4.6) Resolution 14 Task Group on Authority i) In order to promote clearer communication and share good practice between the councils of the church, and to ensure a greater sense of relevance between the councils of the church, the General Assembly urges local churches, district/area councils and synods to consider the suggestions in 3.5A of the report and take appropriate action. (3.5A) ii) General Assembly asks Mission Council to issue guidelines: a) to advise district/area councils on ways of appointing representatives to General Assembly which both offer continuity and respect the church's policy on equal opportunities; and b) on the more effective sharing of reports and decisions with district/area councils and church meetings. (3.5A) iii) General Assembly agrees that the proposals for a radical review of the church's structure should be remitted to Mission Council, though consideration should not be given to this until after the Task Group on Personal and Conciliar Leadership has completed its work, so that such consideration may be given in the light of the theological work on episcope which will be conatined in its report. Resolution 15 Task Group on Authority General Assembly asks the Training Committee to evaluate training materials already available within the church, and to review them with a view to producing materials that could be more widely used to assist representatives to understand their roles within the various councils of the church. (3.6) Resolution 16 Task Group on Authority General Assembly reaffirms the use of existing function 2(5)(A)(ix) to cover contentious issues rather than the procedure suggested by the Working Group on the Authority of General Assembly and Other Councils in the Human Sexuality Report 1999. (3.8) Resolution 17 Task Group on Authority General Assembly agrees to make the following changes to the Standing Orders of the Assembly: Alter the title of Standing Orders section 5 to read: 'Motions on Status or Closure of Debate' and add a new paragraph 5a: 'A member of Assembly may deliver to the General Secretary not less than 21 days before the date of the meeting of the Assembly a notice in writing of a motion that the General Assembly, for the better consideration of a specified resolution and its related documents, goes into a committee of the whole Assembly. For such a motion to be carried, two thirds of the votes cast must be given in its favour. Committee procedure enables members to speak more than once and exploratory votes to be taken on particular points or suggested changes. The number and length of speeches shall be at the discretion of the Moderator. After discussion in committee and decision on any proposed changes the Moderator shall declare the committee stage to be ended, and the Assembly shall proceed to hear a closing speech from the mover of the motion under discussion and proceed to a vote on the motion, subject to any further motion under Standing Order 5.' Re-number the existing paragraphs 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d as 5b, 5c, 5d and 5e respectively, and in the new 5e, amend '5a, 5b 5c' to read: '5a, 5b, 5c and 5d'. (3.9.2a) Resolution 18 Task Group on Authority General Assembly agrees to make the following changes to the Standing Orders of the Assembly: Add the following to Standing Order 3f: Add new Standing Order 3k: 'Alternative (but not directly negative) motions may be moved and seconded in competition with a motion before the Assembly. After any amendments duly moved under Standing Orders 3f, 3g and 3h have been dealt with and debate on the alternative motions has ended, the movers shall reply to the debate in reverse order to that in which they spoke initially. The first vote shall be a vote in favour of each of the motions, put in the order in which they were proposed, the result not being announced for one until it is announced for all. If any of them obtains a majority of those voting, it becomes the sole motion before the Assembly. If none of them does so, the motion having the fewest votes is discarded. Should the lowest two be equal, the Moderator gives a casting vote. The voting process is repeated until one motion achieves a majority of those voting. Once a sole motion remains, votes for and against that motion shall be taken in the normal way and in accordance with Standing Order 6. (3.9.2b) 1.1 One of the working groups established during the human sexuality debate considered issues around the authority of the Assembly and other Councils of the Church. It identified certain issues which, in its view, merited further consideration. In 1999 Assembly asked Mission Council to arrange for that consideration to be given. The response to that request is to be found in Appendix 2 to this Book of Reports and in the nine resolutions above. The numerical references in the resolutions relate to the appropriate paragraphs in Appendix 2. Resolution 19 Changes to the Structure: Grouping General Assembly agrees to ratify its decision of July 2001 to make the following changes to the Structure of the United Reformed Church; Paragraph 1(1) 1(1)(b) Where two or more local churches together, and in consultation with the district council, decide that their mission will be more effective if they share resources and ordained ministry, they may, on the recommendation of the district council and the decision of the synod, form an association known as a group of churches with a structured relationship and a constitution governing the way in which they relate to one another as to the sharing of both resources and the ordained ministry. Each church within the group shall retain its own identity, and its church meeting and elders' meeting shall continue to exercise all their functions in relation to that church, save that, so long as the constitution shall so declare, decisions relating to the calling of a minister (see paragraph 2(1)(vii)) may be taken by a single group church meeting at which all the members of each of the constituent churches in the group shall be eligible to attend and vote. 1(1)(c) Where two or more local churches together, and in consultation with the district council, decide that their mission will be more effective if they share ordained ministry (but not other resources), they may, on the recommendation of the district council and the decision of the synod, form an association known as a joint pastorate, with a structured relationship with respect to the provision of ordained ministry only and a statement of intent governing the way in which they relate to one another in relation to the sharing of ordained ministry. Each church within the joint pastorate shall retain its own identity, and its church meeting and elders' meeting shall continue to exercise all their functions in relation to that church, save that, so long as the statement of intent shall so declare, decisions relating to the calling of a minister (see paragraph 2(1)(vii)) may be taken by a single joint pastorate church meeting at which all the members of each of the constituent churches in the joint pastorate shall be eligible to attend and vote. Paragraph 2(1)(vii) (Where two or more churches have formed a group or joint pastorate in accordance with paragraph 1(1)(b) or (c) above on the decision of synod under its function 2(4)(A)(iv), the church meetings of each church may, with the agreement of the synod on the advice of the district council and so long as the group constitution or the statement of intent as appropriate shall so provide, join together as a group or joint pastorate church meeting for the purpose of calling a minister, in which case this function shall be exercised by the group or joint pastorate church meeting.) Paragraph 2(3)(c) Paragraph 2(3)(A)(ii) Paragraph 2(3)(A)(iv) Paragraph 2(4)(c) 1.1 No objections have been raised to this decision. It brings the creation of groups of churches and joint pastorates within the structure of the Church and allows the option of ministers being called by a single meeting rather than by separate Church Meetings. Resolution 20 Visit to the Northern Synod Assembly notes that the visit to the Northern Synod, agreed in 1998, has been completed; thanks the visitors for their work; commends the report to the continuing attention of the Synod; but resolves not to initiate further synod visits at the present time. 1.1 Origin of visit. In 1998, General Assembly
passed the following resolution: 'Assembly agrees that in 2001 a
visit to the Northern Province (Synod) will be made on its behalf by a
team of three people.' The three people subsequently appointed by
Assembly to carry out the visit were: 1.2 Objective of visit. The objective of the visit, as described in the 1998 Assembly papers, was 'encouraging the Northern Synod to consider its life and work, goals and methods; to enable affirmation and critique of the Synod's structures and patterns of work; and to promote reflection on the continuous operation of the Synod in relation to other councils of the Church, ecumenical partners, and community organisations'. The original proposal from Northern Synod had been that each Synod should be visited in this way at regular intervals. The decision of Assembly, however, was that this initial visit should serve as a pilot, which would make it possible to decide whether such visits should become part of the life of Assembly. 1.3 Process of the visit. The visit began in the autumn of 2000 and was completed in the summer of 2001. In that time many meetings were held with individuals and committees and the visitors attended two meetings of the Synod itself. The visit coincided with the synod's adoption of a new Strategy for Mission, contained in a document entitled 'On Being a Faithful Church in a Demanding Age'. The visitors therefore found themselves involved in a rapidly changing scene and much of their report was commenting on work the synod was doing itself or suggesting how that work might be taken further. 1.4 Of wider interest. The visitors commended the Northern Synod's Strategy for Mission to other synods, especially to any not already engaged in forward planning for mission. The visitors suggested that other synods might consider the Northern Synod practice of holding one meeting each year over two days. However, the visitors also suggested that Northern Synod should come into line with general practice and transfer funds currently held by District Councils to the Synod. This was not said in the interests of conformity but as a means to a more equitable sharing of financial resources across the Synod. The visitors were concerned that the Synod had withdrawn from the Assembly's Youth and Children's Work Training programme and urged it to give high priority to this aspect of the church's mission. Finally the visitors asked the Northern and North Western Synods to consider a change of boundaries so that Cumbria was no longer split between two synods. The present arrangement makes ecumenical and other developments in the county very difficult. 1.5 Conclusions. Mission Council learned that the visit had been particularly appreciated by the officers and leaders of the Northern Synod and had been enjoyed by the visitors themselves. However it had been expensive in terms of the visitors' time and to some extent financially. Mission Council plans to look in October at the proposed restructuring for mission being worked on in the Mersey and Yorkshire Synods. It believes that for the present time at least such discussion is a more effective way of sharing good practice and stimulating wider thought. Resolution 21 Ratification of Section O changes General Assembly agrees to ratify its decision of July 2001 to make the changes to Part I of the Section O Process for Ministerial Discipline which are contained in Part I of Appendix 3 to these Reports. Resolution 22 Changes to Part II of Section O General Assembly agrees to make the changes to Part II of the Section O Process which are contained in Part II of Appendix 3 to these Reports. 1.1 During the past three years, the Section O Advisory Group has carried out a detailed review of the whole of the Section O Process. The first part of this review was completed last year when General Assembly approved a number of amendments to Part I of Section O. No objections have been raised from Synods. Resolution 21 now seeks Assembly's ratification of those changes. 1.2 To conclude the review, the Advisory Group is putting forward a series of amendments to the Rules of Procedure at Part II, and these are all set out in the Appendix referred to in Resolution 22. Amendments to Part II do not need to be ratified by a subsequent Assembly, so if these two resolutions are passed the changes to both Parts I and II will take effect immediately. As part of its ongoing task the Advisory Group continues to monitor Section O and will advise Mission Council on any future changes to the Process. 1.3 In its original form Section O included an Introduction which gave some guidance on the operative parts of the Process. Last year's Assembly was advised that this Introduction was being withdrawn as it was out of date. The first part of the Introduction, however, had nothing to do with the fine print of the Process itself, but it provided a valuable statement on the significance of Christian discipline in the life of the Church. This initial part of the Introduction will therefore be restored when the Manual is reprinted. 1.4 The Advisory Group is also currently working on a series of Guidelines for the assistance of those involved in the Section O Process and these will shortly be ready for circulation. Resolution 23 Section O oversight Assembly agrees that responsibility for the continued oversight of the Section O process shall be given to Mission Council, working through a Section O oversight group. 1.1 The Assembly in 1998 authorised the General Secretary, the Clerk of Assembly and the Convener of the Ministries Committee to oversee the Section O process on its behalf. This was seen as a temporary arrangement and by this resolution Mission Council hopes to establish something more permanent. 1.2 The remit would be to oversee the Section O process, monitoring how it works and being responsible for presenting to Mission Council any changes that the group believes should be taken to Assembly for decision. The group would have the status of an Advisory Group to Mission Council. It would not consider any specific cases in the Section O process. 1.3 Mission Council has agreed that the Section O oversight group if set up, would have a membership of a convener, a secretary, the General Secretary and the Clerk for the time being. The Secretary for Ministries, the Secretary of the Assembly Commission and the Legal Adviser would attend to give advice and support. Mission Council has in mind that the first Convener of the Section O oversight group would be the Revd Tony Burnham and the first Secretary Mr Hartley Oldham. 1.4 Making the oversight of Section O a Mission Council responsibility would mean that it rested with a body that is annually accountable to General Assembly and which is widely representative of the experience of the church. Resolution 24 Ending of full-time stipendiary service Assembly agrees that full-time stipendiary service for ministers and CRCWs will cease at the end of the month in which a person reaches her/his 65th birthday unless a) a commitment to extend had been agreed through current procedures before 4 July 2002; or b) a case has been accepted by the Accreditation Sub-Committee that there are exceptional reasons why the particular piece of stipendiary service should be extended for a limited time. 1.1 At the present time a minister is able to continue in full-time stipendiary service for up to six months following her/his 65th birthday (1997 Assembly resolution 33(a)); to the 31st August following her/his 65th birthday in the case of ministers serving in joint URC/Methodist pastorates (1994 resolution 30); or for a maximum of three years beyond the age of 65 in exceptional circumstances which are supported by the pastorate, have the concurrence of the District Council, and the agreement of the Accreditation Sub-Committee (1997 resolution 33 (b)). The Accreditation Sub-Committee already has certain categories which are used to determine what is 'exceptional' in the last case. 1.2 This resolution is brought as one of the measures proposed to reduce the projected budget deficit in 2003 to an acceptable level. It is expected to reduce expenditure in that year by about £100,000. 1.3 Experience has shown that very few ministers avail themselves of the extensions allowed in 1994 resolution 30 and 1997 resolution 33(b). A number, however, do avail themselves of the six-month maximum extension provided in 1997 resolution 33(a). On average this works out at an extra three months per minister who applies, not a large contribution to the ministry of a local pastorate but a significant cost to the Ministry and Mission Fund. That is the rationale for bringing this particular resolution which, if passed, will supersede the other resolutions referred to above. Resolution 25 Budget for the year 2003 General Assembly accepts the budget for the year 2003 set out in Appendix 1 to the Book of Reports 1.1 The proposed budget for 2003 is set out in Appendix 1 to the Book of Reports which also shows, for comparison, the budgets for 2002 and 2001 and the actual accounts figures for 2001 and 2000. 1.2 The preparation of the 2003 budget has been unusually difficult. When the process started in September 2001 there were three significant issues apparent from the accounts for the six months ended 30th June 2001 which had a potential impact on later years: (i) the number of stipendiary ministers being paid was higher than the number implied by our policy that minister numbers should change (in practice decline) at half the rate of change in the number of members; (ii) due to falling interest rates and reduced amounts invested, interest income was substantially lower than the amount included in the budget for 2001; (iii) there was a shortfall in Ministry & Mission contributions compared with budget. 1.3 A preliminary draft budget for 2003 taking account of these items showed a potential deficit in excess of £650,000. In the months that followed there was much anxious discussion about ways of reducing the deficit to an acceptable level. All budget holders responded positively to the requirement to exercise very tight control over expenditure but the outcome is a budget that has involved some hard decisions. 2 Level of budget deficit 2.1 In recent years we have been prepared to adopt budgets showing a deficit in the expectation that the outturn will be better as a result of legacies and budget savings. Generally the expectation has been realised. The view taken for 2003 is that £250,000 is the maximum acceptable budget deficit in current circumstances. As explained in paragraph 5.1 below, this has been increased by a further £100,000 to cover possible non-recurring expenditure at Yardley Hastings. 2.2 It must be pointed out that the tighter budgeting adopted this year may result in smaller budget savings overall. In particular, the Training Committee has accepted an additional £25,000 reduction in its budget but have warned that it may not be possible to achieve the whole of this saving. 3 Number of stipendiary ministers 3.1 The initial projections of stipendiary minister numbers for 2003 were some 20 higher than the number implied by our policy. The 2003 budget assumes that this excess of 20 in minister numbers will be more than halved. This will involve (a) restricting the number of transfers from overseas and other denominations and (b) withdrawing the provision which allows ministers to stay on full stipend after reaching 65. (See resolution 24 above) 4 Stipend increase 4.1 The allowance for the 2003 stipend increase has been set at 2.5%. This is about 1% lower than the amount that might have been included if there had been no budget constraints. The decision as to the level of stipend increase which could be afforded was based on the view taken as to the realistic increase in the target for Ministry & Mission contributions which is referred to below. 5 National Youth Resource Centre, Yardley Hastings 5.1 The Youth and Children's Work Review Report recommends that the URC should cease to use the buildings at Yardley Hastings as a Resource Centre for youth work. The 2003 budget has been prepared on the assumption that this recommendation will be accepted. There will still be costs in 2003 but the budget deficit has been increased by £100,000 to allow for this on the basis that there would be no further costs in later years and this amount could therefore be met from reserves. 6 Ministry & Mission contributions 6.1 The draft 2003 budget was discussed at a District and Synod Treasurers consultation held at Swanwick in February. It was recognised that any variation in the M&M target would have to be matched by a corresponding variation in the stipend. The general view was that an increase of 5% or more was unrealistic and that we should aim for a minimum increase in M&M contributions of 4.5% over the pledges for 2002. That view has been supported by the Mission Council Meeting in March. 6.2 Since the February consultation the pledges for 2002 have improved slightly so that the amount for Ministry & Mission contributions included in this budget is 3.9% higher than the total pledges for 2002. However, to allow for the possibility that not every Synod will be able to achieve the target figure, the overall target for all Synods is being set at 4.5%. This will be a major challenge for all our churches. 6.3 Questions were raised at the 2001 Assembly concerning the allocation of the M&M total among Synods. A working group set up by the District and Synod Treasurers Consultation reported to the meeting in February 2002 that a variety of formulae resulted in an allocation broadly similar to the present distribution. The working group's conclusion, which was accepted by the Treasurers, was that the present sharing among Synods is reasonable and that no formula would achieve a fairer result. Resolution 26 Secession General Assembly does not agree to the secession of the local church at Ruiton (West Midlands Synod) and requests the congregation, district council and synod patiently to seek ways of restoring fellowship. 1.1 The request to secede has been dealt with according to the procedures agreed by the Assembly in 1987. Both the Staffordshire District Council and the West Midlands Synod have, in turn, attempted to resolve the grievances of the church at Ruiton. Those attempts having failed, Mission Council set up a commission to investigate the request and meet with all parties. The commission reported to Mission Council in October and the above resolution was framed in the light of that report. All the papers relevant to the consideration of the request are contained in Appendix 4 to the Book of Reports. |
Mission Council resolutions
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