Resources for PCC members
The Parochial Church Council (or PCC) is the legal body that is responsible for each of our parishes. Each is a separate legal entity, and each PCC member acts as a trustee. Members such as clergy and Readers holding the bishop's licence, churchwardens, and members of deanery and diocesan synods are ex-officio. Other members are elected at Annual Parochial Church Meetings.
The PCC oversees the financial affairs of the parish and is responsible for the care of each church building. It must meet not less than four times a year. There is more information about the role of the PCC here. And here are some of the resources that the PCC may need:
Main resources for PCC members:
- National resources from the Church of England for PCCs
- Governance document for PCCs
- Resources for PCCs handling safeguarding issues
- Advice on handling conflicts of interest and complaints for PCC members
- A whistleblowing policy (from ACAS)
- Church Representation Rules for PCCs
- PCC's registration with the Charity Commission
- Guidance from the Charity Commission about managing a faith organisation as a trustee
- Advice about quinquennial inspections of church buildings
- Advice about buildings repair and maintenance
- Advice about security and crime prevention
- Advice about data protection and GDPR issues
- Advice about filming and photography in church
- Risk management for PCCs
When PCCs employ lay staff
Legally, it is the PCC that employs lay staff such as parish administrators, children's or youth workers, or community workers. This means the PCC has to oversee the process of safer recruitment of staff, creating formal contracts with them, endorsing disciplinary procedures and so on. Some helpful information is here (scroll down to the 'Human Resources for staff and volunteers' section).
The diocesan HR adviser has put together a helpful booklet that takes your PCC members through all the recent changes in HR legislation. You can download it here.
More information about employing lay staff is available here.
Resources to help those PCC members with specific roles:
| Secretaries | Treasurers | Churchwardens |
More documents and links:
- Keep or Bin - The Care of your Parish Records (external link)
- The role of the PCC (pdf)
- Information for clergy and office holders (external link)
- Guidance for PCCs on their Financial Procedures (pdf)
- Internal financial controls for charities (CC8) – Guidance and Checklist (external link)
- A list of useful contact details for PCC members (pdf)
- A list of useful publications for PCC members
- Working with Volunteers - Guidelines for Parishes (external link)
- Understanding image copyright (pdf)
- Data Protection and GDPR (external pdf)
- Parish Resources (external link)
- Charity Commission for England and Wales (external link)
- Charity Commission Blog (external link)
- Investment guidance for parishes
What happens when a parish goes into, or is in, vacancy?
It can be a daunting time when your incumbent announces their resignation or retirement. Your Archdeacon will help you through the process of finding a new minister, and we’ve also created a helpful guide the details the various agencies and stages that will be involved.
Guides
Support for Charity Trustees and PCC members
Every PCC is a charity, whether it is registered at the Charity Commission or not. Most PCCs do not have a large enough income (£100,000 per year) to require registration, so they are Excepted Charities (i.e. excepted from registration). But they remain required to follow charity law and Charity Commission guidance.
This means that EVERY elected PCC member and every ex officio PCC member is a charity trustee (unless they are PCC members as well, treasurers and secretaries are not trustees). Every PCC has the same governance document: parishresources.org.uk/the-pcc-as-a-charity/governing-documents-of-the-pcc/.
The Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956
legislation.gov.uk/ukcm/Eliz2/4-5/3/contents which gives the objects of the charity in section 2
The Church Representation Rules 2025
churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/legal-services/church-representation-rules/contents which set out the administrative rules for PCCs, Deanery and Diocesan synods, and eligibility requirements to stand.
What Charity Trustees must do
- Ensure your charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit (Carry out your objects i.e. S2 of the PCC Powers Measure 1956) most importantly:-co-operation with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical;
- Comply with your charity’s governing documents and the law (see above and Charities Act 2011);
- Act in your charity’s best interests (NB you must identify any conflicts of interest or loyalty and deal with them appropriately by removing conflicted person from decision making process);
- Manage your charity’s resources responsibly (don’t embark on works which aren’t properly funded or planned, or commit to employees which can’t be afforded);
- Act with reasonable care and skill (take professional advice if appropriate, ask sensible questions, use the right people to do work, get the right permissions and plan ahead, be responsible for your decisions, not just nodding them through, etc);
- Ensure your charity is accountable (publish accounts, take decisions in meetings not informally, keep records).
You should read gov.uk/guidance/charity-trustee-whats-involved
Whether you’re new to being on a PCC or have many years experience, these short video guides produced by the Charity Commission will help you be sure of your responsibilities and confident you’re doing the right thing. They give simple and clear advice, designed with real situations in mind. The guides all signpost to more detailed information and advice should you need it.
- gov.uk/guidance/charity-purposes-and-rules
- gov.uk/guidance/managing-charity-finances
- gov.uk/guidance/managing-conflicts-of-interest-in-a-charity
- gov.uk/guidance/making-decisions-at-a-charity
- gov.uk/guidance/what-to-send-to-the-charity-commission-and-how-to-get-help
- gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-for-charities-and-trustees
PCC trustees must take decisions as a corporate body, and this protects the individual members from personal liability unless they act without the support of the PCC, or the entire PCC acts in a way which is outside the normal reasonable behaviour of a charity trustee.
The PCC is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the church building, even though it is registered to the Incumbent for the time being of the parish. See PCC (Powers) Measure 1956 Section 6.
The PCC members must avoid conflict of loyalty as well as conflict of interest, arising typically where they are trustee of more than one charity (often PCC and also trustee of Friends of St X charity). They and their families cannot provide goods or services to the PCC for profit, or any other personal benefit.
The Church Representation Rules provide model rules of governance (section M) which set out eligibility rules, elections, membership, chairing meetings, conduct of meetings, voting, limits on terms of office etc.
A Church Near You achurchnearyou.com/ download certificate to prove the charitable status of an excepted charity PCC. It is also possible to use your HMRC number given for Gift Aid purposes.
Diocesan Registry: registry@battbroadbent.co.uk
Sue de Candole Joint Diocesan Registrar
To review changes made to Church governance in 2024, click here.