B11
Consolidated Trusts of the Board for Social Responsibility: Registered Charity no. 291355.
Diocesan Provision: The Board was established by resolution of the Diocesan Synod on 13th October 2001 and replaced the former Board for Social Responsibility and Board of Mission and Unity. Its constitution and terms of reference were approved by the Diocesan Synod on 9th March 2002.
Membership (maximum of 19 members)
The Board’s membership consists of:
Chairman: Appointed by the Bishop
Ex-Officio: One Archdeacon
(Leader of the team working in the area of the Board’s concern)
Members: Twelve members elected by the Diocesan Synod:
at least two of whom are from each Archdeaconry;
at least four of whom are clergy and four laity;
at least four of whom are members of Diocesan Synod
One member (who need not be a member of the Synod) nominated by the Bishop’s Council.
Up to four members (who need not be members of the Synod) coopted by the Board. In exercising its power of co-option, the Board is to have regard to the balance of its membership and to ensure that at least six members of the Board are members of the Diocesan Synod. The members will serve for a term of three years and be eligible for re-election. There is an executive officer to the Board who is a non-voting member. Secretarial services, including Minute-taking, are provided by a secretary working in the area of the Board’s concern.
Terms of Reference
Task
To promote the whole mission of the Church in wider society throughout the Diocese. In particular, the Board has special regard for social responsibility, evangelism, ecumenism, interfaith relations and international links.
Responsibility and reporting
Responsibility for policy lies ultimately with the Bishop and Diocesan Synod, generally mediated through the Bishop’s Council, which may assign specific tasks to the Board. It is the responsibility of the Board to initiate, shape and steer policy in the light of the overall strategy of the Diocese. It is incumbent upon the Chairman of the Board to communicate with and consult the Bishop on issues of significance and to report regularly to the Bishop’s Council.
Operation of the Board
The Board is to meet at least four times a year. Eight members, including at least four elected members, constitute a quorum. The Board may set up working groups in order to achieve particular tasks, at the same time deciding on a date when the group in question is to cease its work. The Board shall appoint five of its members to be Trustees of the consolidated trusts of the Board for Social Responsibility. The Board may authorise support/advisory groups for the officers working in the area of its concerns. The Board’s approval is to be sought for the membership of such groups and the membership is to be reviewed at the outset of each triennium.
Review of the Board’s work
The work and policy of the Board are reviewed by the Bishop’s Council every three years and the Board reports annually to the Diocesan Synod. The Board is to carry out an annual review of policy implementation in all areas of its own work.
BCS Related Groups and Committees
COMMITTEES AND GROUPS OF, OR RELATED TO, THE BOARD FOR CHURCH AND SOCIETY
Other bodies which relate closely to the BCS and report regularly to it include:
Workplace Ministry - see separate entry
Community Care
World Development Advisor
Rural Strategy Group
HIV/AIDS GroupCommittees of, or relating to, the Board for Church and Society
COUNCIL FOR PARTNERSHIP IN WORLD MISSION
Constitution and Terms of reference
Purpose
1. To increase awareness in the diocese of the essential missionary nature of the church and our responsibilities in mission.
2. To share with the diocese insights from the world church.
3. To bring the needs of the world church to the notice of the diocese.
4. To remind ourselves that the Church of England is part of the Anglican Communion and the world church.
5. To be a link between the diocese and the voluntary mission and development agencies.
6. To encourage support for mission by prayer, service and giving.
Responsibility
Council for Partnership in World Mission is responsible through the Board for Church and Society to the Bishop and Diocesan Synod.
Operation of Council for Partnership in World Mission (CPWM)
The CPWM shall meet three times in any calendar year but may meet as many times as is seen fit. Five members constitute a quorum. The CPWM may establish committees for specific purposes. In financial matters the CPWM will comply with the financial guidelines as set down from time to time by the Board for Church and Society.
Reporting and Review
The CPWM shall prepare a short annual report to the Board for Church and Society following the end of each calendar year. The CPWM shall prepare an annual statement of its revenue and expenditure and any balance it holds for submission to the Chairman of the Board for Church and Society no later than the 31st March each year.
This Constitution and the Terms of Reference will be reviewed with the Board for Church and Society at least once in each triennium. The Chairman of CPWM shall consult with the Chairman of the Board for Church and Society on issues of major significance effecting the CPWM.
Membership of CPWM
The Group’s membership consists of:
Chairman: Appointed by the Bishop of St. Albans
Secretary: Appointed by CPWM
Treasurer: Appointed by CPWM
Mission and Development Agency representatives Representatives of such mission/development agencies recognized by the General Synod Board of Mission or shall be acceptable to the CPWM.
Diocesan Social Responsibility Advisor: Representing the Board for Church and Society.
Co-options: Up to six members.
BCS Diocesan Urban Forum
Committees of, or relating to, the Board for Church and Society
DIOCESAN URBAN FORUM
Terms of Reference
1. The Forum is a Diocesan Advisory Group appointed by the Board.
2. Chairman of the Forum will be appointed by the Board on behalf of the Bishop.
3. The Social Responsibility Officer (SRO) will act as Secretary to the Forum.
Membership
4. Membership will be open to representatives of the Board’s ecumenical and community partners.
5. The Board will have the right to nominate (2) representatives to the Forum.
6. The Chairman and SRO shall invite up to (10) people to form a core group of the Forum, which will meet three times a year.
Purposes
7. To advise on the development of policy for mission and ministry in the urban areas of the Diocese.
8. To advise the Bishop on applications to the Church Urban Fund.
9. To maintain Diocesan links to
● Churches’ Commission on Urban Life and Faith
● Community and Public Affairs section of the Division for Mission and Public Affairs
● Anglican Bishops’ Urban Panel and other ecumenical and voluntary sector organizations, as appropriate.
BCS Diocesan Urban Forum
10. To support local churches and partnerships in the work of mission and community development.
Budget
11. The Board will provide from within its budget for the administration of the Forum and its meetings.
12. The Forum will have the discretion to raise funds for any projects that it undertakes; such funds to be held by the St. Albans Diocesan Board of Finance.
13. The Secretary to the Forum will provide an annual financial statement to the Board.
Reporting and Review
14. The Forum will provide a written report to the Board each year.
15. The Board will invite the Forum to make a presentation of its work to a meeting at least once in each triennium submit reports or arrange presentations to the Board, Bishop’s Council, and the Diocesan Synod.
17. The Forum shall be reviewed by the Board after five years, and thereafter according to the Board’s review schedule.
BCS Europe Group
Committees of, or relating to, the Board for Church and Society
EUROPE GROUP
Constitution and Terms of Reference
Purposes
To consider and develop means by which members of the Church of England in this Diocese can arrive at a fuller understanding of the opportunities for, and benefits from, association with the churches in all parts of Europe, within the context of public debate on the importance of unity within Europe.
In particular the Group shall:
1. Gather relevant information and ensure it is disseminated to deaneries and parishes
2. Examine ways in which the Porvoo Communion and Meissen Agreement can be built on and promote action taken at diocesan level and within the Diocese.
3. Be available to parishes and deaneries as requested.
4. Reflect on the theological, historical and cultural questions which arise
5. Relate the Group’s thinking and activities both to the wider context of Europe and the international mission of the Board for Church and Society.
Responsibillity
The Group is responsible, through the Board for Church and Society, ultimately to the Bishop and Diocesan Synod in carrying out its purposes.
Operation of the Group
The Group shall meet at least three times in every calendar year. Six members constitute a quorum.
The Group may establish committee for specific purposes. These may be either
standing committee with no time limit or time-limited working committees.
If the group handles moneys it will comply with the financial guidelines as set down from time to time by the Board for Church and Society.
Reporting and Review
The Group shall present a short annual report to the Board for Church and Society following the end of each calendar year.
These Constitution and Terms of Reference will be reviewed with the Board of Church and Society at least once in each triennium.
The Chair of the Group shall consult with the Chairman of the Board on issues of major significance affecting the Group.
Membership of the Europe Group
The Group’s membership consists of:
Chair: appointed by the Board
A Secretary: appointed by the Group
Ex-officio: The European Diocesan Contacts Network Representative (if not already a member)
Members: Appointed by the Chair. In the event that the Group handles any money, the Chair shall appoint one member to act as Treasurer.
The Chair or Secretary shall ensure that the Secretary to the Board for Church and Society is kept informed at all times of:
► The contact details for the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer of the Group
► The names of all members of the Group
Membership will be reviewed with the Board for Church and Society at the beginning of each triennium.
BCS Evangelism Group
Committees of, or relating to, the Board for Church and Society
EVANGELISM GROUP
Constitution and Terms of Reference
Origin of the Group
In 1989 the Bishop of Hertford, with the full support of the then Board of Mission and Unity, requested the Canon Missioner to set up a group to consider the diocesan response to the call from the 1988 Lambeth Conference for a ‘Decade of Evangelism’. He spoke of the desire of both himself and the Bishop of St. Albans that the diocese should be ‘encouraging church growth, creating evangelistic parishes, making new Christians and seeking to bring people into a personal faith in Christ’. This desire echoed the words of the Lambeth call, in which the Church was challenged to make a renewed and united emphasis on making Christ known to the people of His world. Lambeth defined evangelism as ‘making known by word and deed the love of the crucified and risen Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that people will repent, believe and receive Christ as their Saviour, and obediently serve Him as their Lord in the fellowship of His Church’. It went on to state that evangelism needed to become an integral part of the everyday life both of the local church and the ordinary Christian; that the need for the gospel was common to all people, whether of other faiths or none; that its proclamation should be carried out with due sensitivity to the context of that proclamation and that it should be undergirded by prayer. Finally, Lambeth recognized that evangelism should be seen as one of the essential components of the Church’s whole mission, summarized by the Anglican Consultative Council as:
1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human needs by loving service
4. To seek to transform the unjust structures of society
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Aims and Objectives
1. To reflect theologically on the nature and practice of evangelism.
2. To identify the needs and resources required for evangelism to become a natural aspect of the life of the Church at diocesan, deanery and parish level.
3. a) To promote appropriate education and training for the diocese.
b) Through the use of all communication systems to share good practice and to help people become more aware of developments in the practice of evangelism.
4. To be available for consultation when requested in matters concerning mission and evangelism.
5. To encourage, wherever possible, ecumenical co-operation in evangelistic training and activity.
Responsibility
The group is responsible, through the Board for Church and Society (the ‘Board’), ultimately to the Bishop and Diocesan Synod in carrying out its aims and objectives.
Membership
Appointment to the Group shall be by invitation and shall include both lay and clergy members drawn from the three archdeaconries in the diocese and representing a broad spectrum of Anglicanism. Members will serve for three year
terms to coincide with the Diocesan Synod trienniums and are eligible for reappointment. Total membership shall not exceed twelve regular members, but additional members may be co-opted as need arises.
The chair, secretary and treasurer shall be drawn from the membership and serve for three years to run concurrently with the Diocesan Synod. Officers are eligible for re-election.
The Secretary will keep the Board informed of the membership of the Group from time to time and of the contact details for the Officers. Membership will be reviewed with the Board at the beginning of each triennium.
Meetings and Operation
The Group will meet approximately six times a year and additional meetings will be held if required for the arrangement of an event. Funding will be provided from the Board’s budget to the extent possible for administration, travel, conferences, training and specific initiatives. The Group will notify the Board of its expected funding bids and will in turn be notified of the amount available to it under the budget before the start of each calendar year. Any non-budget funds held by the Group will be held in a separate bank account and may be used to pay expenses incurred in planning events that the Group organizes.
Reporting and Review
The Group shall present a short annual report to the Board for Church and Society following the end of each calendar year. The Group shall prepare an annual statement of its revenue and expenditure, and any balances it holds, for submission to the Chairman of the Board for Church and Society no later than 31st March each year. These Constitution and Terms of Reference will be reviewed with the Board of Church and Society at least once in each triennium. The Chair of the Group shall consult with the Chairman of the Board on issues of major significance affecting the Group.
BCS Group for the Ministry of Healing
Committees of, or relating to, the Board of Church and Society
GROUP FOR THE MINISTRY OF HEALING
Preamble
In the widest sense of the words, healing, wholeness, holiness and salvation are ways of describing the work of Jesus Christ. Within the work of Christ’s salvation the healing of the sick holds a significant place, because by it he both demonstrated the love of God and the proclaimed that the Kingdom had come in his person. Jesus did not intend the Good News to be proclaimed by word alone, but also by mighty Word of God. Jesus commanded his disciples to heal the sick and cast out demons, as well as to preach the Kingdom of God. This they continued to do after his Ascension, as Acts and various references in the Epistles is evidence. This ministry did not cease with the Apostles, but throughout the history of the Church, God has not left himself without witness in any generation to his power to heal. In most parts of the
Anglican Communion today the healing ministry is pursued, along with the preaching of the Gospel, in obedience to Christ’s command, and is seen as a normal part of the ministry of the Church to its members, and as a sign of the power and truth of the Gospel in evangelism.
This ministry is part of a total ministry, which includes:
a) medical research, the prevention of disease and the promotion of healthy lifestyles
b) the work of the medical and caring professions
c) ministries of prayer and sacrament
d) the counseling and support of the troubled, the sick and the dying. All the baptized and not only the clergy can be involved in the Church’s ministry of healing, but there are those to whom the Holy Spirit gives special gifts of healings.
Both in his early life and now through his Body the Church, Jesus’ healing work is concerned with the wholeness of the person in body, mind and spirit. In obedience to his command and with the guidance of and strength of the Spirit, we offer the prayer of faith for the sick with humility and love, but we leave to his wisdom the way in which he acts. There remains a mystery why one person recovers and one does not when there has been equally faithful prayer for both, but acknowledge God’s sovereignty in all things we continue to offer the ministry. Even physical impairment can be used to God’s glory and, for the Christian, death itself is swallowed up in victory.
Taken from Lambeth 1988 Constitution
Membership
This is a working group accountable to the St. Albans Diocesan Board for Church and Society. The Bishop or one of his suffragans will be invited to act as Patron of the Group. The chairman shall be appointed by the Diocesan Board for Church and Society on the recommendation of the group. The group will work together with the Board on matters relevant to its interests and will report to the Board on its activities. Membership should aim at including people from both counties who share a common commitment to furthering the aims of the group, and who represent a range of experiences, both lay and ordained, medical and psychiatric. Ecumenical representation will be welcome.
Aims
1. To act as a resource for the Diocese by keeping informed of relevant literature and developments in this field, including the relationship between medical, psychiatric and spiritual healing; promoting occasional conferences,
seminars and other events; responding to requests for information and advice from parishes; and providing teaching and training for those involved in this ministry.
2. To promote the ministry of healing as a) a normal part of the ministry of the Church to its members and b) as a sign of the power and truth of the Gospel in Evangelism.
3. To declare that the ministry of healing should be a regular part of the ministry in every congregation.
4. To support the blessing and provision of oil for anointing of the sick and to encourage priests to make this regular part of their ministry.
5. To further the recognition that ‘All the baptised, both lay and ordained, can be involved in this ministry’.
► In this context, to encourage intercessory prayer by members of every congregation, and the development of intercessory prayer groups, remembering our Lord’s promise about agreeing together in prayer.
► To foster the use of laying on of hands with prayer by the clergy and members of the congregation, and the creation of ‘Healing Teams’.
► Since ‘there are those to whom the Holy Spirit give special gifts of healings’, to encourage the development and exercise of such charismata within the discipline of the body of Christ.
6. To develop ministries concerned with inner healing and the healing of relationships, and encourage provision for the ministry of absolution and the assurance of forgiveness.
7. To give appropriate assistance in relation to the ‘provision and oversight of ministries of deliverance from demonic oppression’.
8. The group endorses the code of practice in both ‘A time to Heal’ – produced by the House of Bishops and ‘Forward in Healing’ – Grove booklet. As revised by 13th August 2003.
BCS Interfaith Advisory Group
Committees of, or relating to, the Board for Church and Society
INTER-FAITH ADVISORY GROUP
Constitution and Terms of Reference
Purposes
The Interfaith Advisory Group was established by the St. Albans Diocesan Board for Church and Society (the ‘Board’) on [25th March 2004] to provide support to the Interfaith Adviser to the Bishop and Diocese (the ‘Adviser’) with the ultimate aims of promoting engagement with other faith communities and the positive development of interfaith relations in the diocese.
In pursuing those aims, the Group will:
● act as a source of consultation and reference for the Adviser;
● support the Adviser in his activities;
● assist in spreading relevant information and activities around the diocese; and
● seek to maintain an ecumenical perspective in its work
Time Horizon
The Board establishes the Group for an initial period of 5 years, ending on 31st March 2009 (the ‘Review Date’). The Group’s mandate may be extended beyond that time after a full review of these terms of reference.
Responsibility
The group is responsible, through the Board, ultimately to the Bishop and Diocesan Synod in carrying out its purposes.
Operation of the Group
The Group shall meet at least three times in every calendar year, but may meet as many further times as it sees fit. Four members constitute a quorum. The Group may establish sub-committees for specific purposes, but no subcommittee
shall continue in existence beyond the life of the Group itself. If the Group handles moneys it will comply with the financial guidelines as set down from time to time by the Board.
Reporting and Review
The Group shall present a short annual report to the Board following the end of each calendar year. The Convenor of the Group shall consult with the Chairman of the Board on issues of major significance affecting the Group.
Constitution of the Group
The Group’s membership consists of:
Convenor: Selected from the Group’s membership by agreement between the Adviser, the Church and Society Officer and the Chairman of the Board.
Appointed Members: No less than five and no more than ten members, of whom;
● one may be nominated by the Board for Christian Development;
● one may be nominated by the Diocesan Board of Education;
● one may be nominated by the Diocesan Secretary;
● up to two may be drawn from other faith communities in the diocese by invitation of the Convenor in consultation with the Adviser; and
● a minimum of three and a maximum of five will be nominated by the Board after consultation with
the Adviser. The Group may appoint one of its members as Secretary.
Co-opted Members: The Group may co-opt up to two additional
members to achieve a breadth of expertise.
Ex-officio: The Adviser
Members’ terms will run to the end of the then current Board triennium or the Review Date if earlier; members are eligible for reappointment. The Convenor or Secretary should ensure that the Secretary to the Board is kept informed at all times of:
● The contact details for the Convenor and Secretary of the Group
● The names of all members
BCS Workplace Ministry
WORKPLACE MINISTRY IN HERTFORDSHIRE AND BEDFORDSHIRE
Registered Charity no: 273553
Terms of reference
To be responsible for the general oversight and development of Workplace Ministry according to the policy approved by the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Ecumenical Consultative Committee.
Constitution
Ex Officio All full-time and half-time chaplains serving with Workplace Ministry
Elected: Two part-time chaplains elected annually by the part-time chaplains
Appointed: Two members (of whom at least one shall be lay) appointed by each denomination appointing full-time or
half-time chaplains to work with the Ministry
One member by each other denomination represented on the Ecumenical Consultative Committee
Co-options: Not more than ten lay people after consultation with the chaplains so as to secure as far as possible a balanced representation of Industries, Trade Unions and Towns.
The Council shall elect a lay chairman from amongst its members who shall hold office for not more than two years.
The Council shall appoint a Secretary and Treasurer from amongst its members.