What is the P.C.C.?
The Parochial Church Council (P.C.C.) is the governing body of a parish church. It is:
- A charity and as such must comply with all charity laws.
- A legal body, recognised in law and governed by the Church Representation Rules (CRR)
- A team of clergy and lay members of a local church.
What does the P.C.C. do?
The P.C.C. team are first and foremost there to support the Vicar and to work cooperatively with him/her in supporting the participation of the local church in the whole mission of God – pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
This support is expressed in a range of practical ways including a commitment to pray regularly for the life and work of the church.
Who can be a P.C.C. member?
The CRR set strict rules as to who may be a member of the P.C.C. and are listed below:
- You must be over 16 years old
- You will have been on the electoral roll of the parish for more than 6 months
- You must be a communicant (having received communion at least three times in the last year)
- Must have signified their willingness to serve through following correct nomination procedure
- P.C.C. members may not be employed by the parish
What does being on the P.C.C. entail?
The principal responsibility of the P.C.C. is to co-operate with the Incumbent in, “promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical”
P.C.C. Members are expected to:
- Usually serve for periods of three years
- Seek to nurture a living faith in Jesus Christ.
- Play a full and enthusiastic part in the life of the church.
- Pray regularly for the people and the mission of the parish and benefice.
- Support the mission of the parish and benefice through active support and involvement.
- Support the clergy in prayer, and by honesty in any exchange of views with him/her.
- Commit to attend P.C.C. and any other meetings which you are asked to attend, and be on time.
- Read the papers before the meeting, and be prepared to play an active part in P.C.C. business.
- Be willing to participate in occasional P.C.C. development events.
- Uphold the decisions of the P.C.C. – share collective responsibility and treat confidential information appropriately.
- Keep yourself well informed of the issues in the parish and benefice, as well as of the wider issues in the deanery, diocese and the Church of England.
There are legal requirements as trustees of a charity so P.C.C. members should ensure that the P.C.C. is compliant to both national and Church Law.
Members of the P.C.C. must also safeguard the financial viability of the P.C.C.
The P.C.C. needs thinkers, doers, questioners and listeners.
If you think God is calling you to serve on the P.C.C., and you wish to discuss this further then please speak to the Vicar who will be happy to explore this with you.
I am interested in playing a part on the P.C.C.
If you decide that you want to put yourself forward to serve then you will need to do the following:
- When the notice of the A.P.C.M. has been given, forms will be available in church for nominations to the P.C.C.
- Read the regulations on the form to satisfy yourself that you are eligible to stand.
- You will need to ask two members of the parish who are on the Electoral Roll to nominate you, and complete their parts of the form
- You will then need to complete your part of the form
- Hand the form to the Vicar as soon as possible
- If you are elected to serve, you must be willing to comply with all Safeguarding procedures, which include completing any necessary courses, submitting to an annual self-declaration, and a DBS Check.