DCH 247a Free Churches Group
From the Secretary of the Free Churches
Group
The Free Churches Group is the umbrella body
for 21 Christian denominations active in England and Wales with
about a million people of all ages in our churches.
Consultation: advancement of religion a
charitable purpose
We are grateful to have been involved in previous
stages of the consultations leading to this Charities Bill and
particularly welcome the thrust of Private Action, Public Benefit.
The overall purposes of the Draft Charities Bill are therefore
to be welcomed. We are glad that the advancement of religion is
included as a charitable purpose. Our churches and church members
engage in many other activities which fall under various headings
within the other eleven proposed charitable purposes for which
motivation begins in our faith. It is important, nonetheless,
that providing people with opportunities for worship and religious
fellowship continues to be recognised as charitable and that activities
which spread the faith are also included in the charitable sector.
Gratitude for a consultative approach
Those who have stewardship responsibilities
within our Churches have been particularly concerned with the
proposed changes for Excepted Charities. We have been consulted
over recent years by officials of the Charity Commission and the
Home Office, who have given us time and opportunity to ask questions,
but we have not always come to a common mind with them.
Excepting Regulations: inadequate cover
In particular, the 1996 Excepting Regulations
(subsequently renewed in 2001 and 2002) were made without adequate
consultation regarding the extent of the Free Churches. Many of
our congregations were omitted from the coverage of the 1996 regulations.
Correspondence with the Charity Commission led to assurances being
given to some of those omitted. Others, including the Church of
the Nazarene, British South District, were specifically informed
that they were not required to register as charities. The Bill,
as presently worded, would require all of these churches to be
registered on the appointed day relating to section 3A (pages
16-19). Among our constituency, the 1996 Excepting Regulations
cover the Methodist Church, United Reformed Church, Presbyterian
Church of Wales and most Baptist and Congregational churches.
It appears the 100 congregations of the Wesleyan Reform Union,
52 congregations of the Church of the Nazarene, most of the 27
congregations of the Free Church of England, about 90 congregations
in the Independent Methodist Churches and 35 congregations in
the Fellowship of Churches of Christ (all of which have understood
themselves to be excepted or excused from registration as charities)
will be obliged to be registered by the day the Act, as drafted,
takes effect in this respect. These totals exclude those congregations
with annual gross income exceeding £100,000 which we agree
should reasonably be expected to make their return to the Charity
Commission.
Independent churches
Beyond the denominations included in the Free
Churches Group, we believe there are numerous independent chapels
and churches which are at present not registered charities, being
under the impression that if they have registered places of worship
they are excused from charity registration.
Burden on lay officers
Over the years many churches have been accustomed
to preparing a simple balance sheet of their financial assets
and a straightforward income and expenditure account. These annual
accounts have been submitted to a meeting of members of the church
and congregation. Local lay officers count collections and verify
receipts and payments. If faced with excessive demands for accounting
in terms with which they are not familiar, even when offered the
opportunity to make their returns on-line, many local churches
and chapels would have difficulty finding lay volunteers willing
to take on the responsibility. We urge the Joint Committee to
ensure that the churches that would be swept into the registration
procedure on the first day of the draft Bill's application are
instead excepted until it is clear that the new Standard of Recommended
Accounting Practice (SORP for Charities) will permit them to submit
a simplified account to the Charity Commissioners.
Revd Geoffrey H Roper
Secretary
The Free Churches Group
27 Tavistock Square
London WC1H 9HH
freechurch@cte.org.uk
020 7529 8141
| 
