Why do we have Trustees?
VCS is incorporated as a Charitable Company Limited By Guarantee
There are different ways that VCS as a charity could be set up. We have chosen to be constituted as a charitable company as it enables the trustees own personal liability to be limited to £1.
VCS as a charity falls within the regulation of the Charity Commission. However as a company we also have to operate within company law and we are under the jurisdiction of Companies House, the Government body with responsibility for supervising companies. VCS company registration number is 03319200.
As a charity VCS has to appoint trustees and these also act as company directors for the purpose of complying with company law. The directors/charity trustees fulfil the necessary monitoring role to ensure that the vision of VCS is fulfilled without making unreasonable financial demands on the congregation.
Who are we?
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| Mike Smith |
Dan Barnard |
Simon Skinner |
Matthew Gush |
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| Chris Aruliah |
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What are the roles of the Trustees?
Trustees function independently of (and less visibly than) the spiritual leadership structure of the church and do not exercise a collective pastoral function, i.e. they are not a Board of Elders.
Trustees are responsible for:
- Formulating administrative strategies and financial procedures that allow VCS to fulfil its mission statement
- Safeguard the ministry and reputation of the pastoral staff by limiting both their direct contact with church funds and their discretion over financial policies.
- Overseeing the financial management of VCS including the maintenance of accounting records, preparation of accounts and annual report, filing of returns, undertaking of proper investments, and compliance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) for charity accounting
- Ensure rigorous financial controls are in place to guard against fraud or maladministration
- Ensure compliance with the statutory requirements of Government bodies i.e. Charity Commissioners, Companies House, Inland Revenue, local Councils, etc
- Ensure that VCS, its trustees, pastoral leaders and church members are properly indemnified against claims arising from the activities and meetings of the church
- To properly deploy the financial, property and other assets of VCS e.g. by ensuring value for money in business contracts, investing surplus funds prudently and checking that all income due is received
- To set and regularly review the remuneration of pastoral staff (all paid pastoral staff are employees of the church)
Qualifications of Trustees
In view of the importance of the trustees and their centrality to effective administration by VCS, the following criteria are applied to their selection:
- Active support for the vision and values of VCS, and functional membership by regular sunday attendance, participation in small groups, and leading the church in the example of giving money
- Commitment to the practice of consensual decision-making and collective responsibility
- Experience and acumen in one or more relevant disciplines (e.g. legal, financial, business or administrative)
- Capacity to make a sustained contribution by attending meetings regularly and being accessible for informal interim discussions
The aim is for all trustees to be drawn from the active membership of VCS.
Contact the Trustees
If you would like to ask the Trustees any questions, or are interested in becoming a Trustee, then please feel free to
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