About the PCC
What is the PCC and what is it for?
PCC is the Parochial Church Council.
he PCC is the executive committee of St. Peter and St. Paul Church, Nutfield (Nutfield Parish Church) and consists of the Priest-in-Church and Churchwardens of the parish, together with representatives of the Laity. The PCC looks after both religious and secular matters in the ecclesiastical parish. It is a corporate charitable body.
Legally, the PCC is responsible for the financial affairs of the ecclesiastical parish and the maintenance of its assets, such as the church. It also assists the clergy in managing church affairs in the ecclesiastical parish and promotes the church's mission.
It assists in the Rectors responsibility for promoting the mission of the Church in the ecclesiastical Parish. It has a voice on the forms of service we use and can represent the views of the Parish to the Bishop. The PCC also has the right to be consulted about the appointment of a new incumbent. A good PCC should always try to be aware of the views of other members of the congregation.
What are PCC meetings like and how often?
The PCC meetings take place every three months an a weekday evening at 7:30 pm. An agenda and minutes from the last meeting and any sub-committee meetings are sent out in advance to give time for them to be read before the meeting and enabling any queries to be discussed at the meeting. The items on the agenda are discussed in turn. This can cover a wide range of topics, from agreeing to replace a vacuum cleaner, on how to raise enough funds to pay for repairs to the organ or how to carry out the mission of the church.
Given its wide responsibilities (pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical), the PCC on its own clearly cannot do everything that is needed in the parish. It therefore has a number of sub-committees, each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. Each committee includes PCC members & members of the congregation.
How do I get on it?
By nomination and election at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, usually in March, April or May of each year. If you are interested in joining, please ask the Secretary, the Rector, or any member of the current PCC (see notice board for the names and photos of everyone).
The term of membership is 3 years and new faces are always encouraged to join and become involved in the decision making.
The Legal Bit
The PCC is what is called in law a body corporate. This means that the PCC is a separate body from the people who serve on it and so no one on the PCC can be made liable for its debts.
Please think very carefully about whether this is something that you are being called to do.