Parochial Church Council
The majority of the members of the St Andrew’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) are elected at the Annual Meeting each year for three years and our practice is for one third to retire each year. The PCC also has authority to add a limited number of further members to assist in their work. The PCC typically meets six times a year, and at least a third of the members must be present for business to be conducted. Minutes of all meetings are kept.
The role of the PCC
The PCC shares legal responsibility with the Vicar and Church Wardens for the administration and finances of the parish. You can read more about their responsibilities from the Church of England website. The PCC is a corporate body (i.e. responsibility is shared), a separate legal entity and a charity. This means that PCCs must comply with all aspects of charity law.
Primarily the PCC is called to cooperate with the minister in the mission of the Church within the parish – pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. They are consulted about any major changes to forms of worship, or when a new incumbent is to be appointed.
The PCC has responsibility for a whole range of things including the buildings, the finances, any appointments and the public services of the church. To assist with this the PCC appoints a treasurer who oversees the finances and ensures thorough accounting records are kept. They report to the PCC. The accounts in turn are examined by either an independent examiner or auditor on an annual basis. The PCC is formally the employer of any paid workers. Further roles within the PCC are the Chairperson, Secretary and Electoral Roll Officer, all elected annually.
Each year an Annual Parochial Church Meeting is held to hear about the business transacted during the previous year. All church members on the electoral roll are eligible to raise issues and vote at this meeting.
Members of the Deanery Synod (a similar body which operates across a group of parishes linked geographically – in our case within the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham) are members of the PCC so a wider perspective can be shared.
Electoral roll
Every Church of England maintains a list of members. This list is completely renewed every seven years. To apply for membership an individual must be baptised and over 16. If they do not live within the parish they must additionally have been attending St Andrew's regularly for a period of 6 months. Having an idea of who is on the Electoral Roll is very helpful to the clergy. It enables us to pray for you and (subject to completion of a GDPR form) to keep in contact with news and information. It is not the only measure of the growth of the church, but it is a useful indicator of who considers St Andrew's to be their spiritual home. Please download and complete an electoral roll form