Being a PCC Secretary

The role of PCC Secretary is a pivotal one for parish governance.

Appointment

The position of Secretary to the Parochial Church Council is an annual appointment, made by the PCC at its first meeting after the parish's Annual Meeting. A PCC must first look to one of its own membership to be its Secretary, but if no one is willing to take on this role then the PCC can appoint someone from outside of the PCC. Depending on the local situation, it is possible for the role of PCC Secretary to be undertaken by more than one person 'in tandem'.

When a person from outside the PCC is appointed PCC Secretary, this does not make them a member of the PCC.

Role

The main role and purpose of a PCC Secretary is to act as clerk for meetings of both the PCC and the Standing Committee.  Their main tasks are,

• to record the minutes of PCC and Standing Committee meetings
• to timely publish meeting agendas and previous minutes to the PCC members
• to send and receive correspondence on behalf of the PCC
• provide names and contact details of parish officers to the diocese
• notify the Deanery Synod Lay Secretary of any changes in the names of the parish's Deanery Synod Representatives

Additionally the PCC Secretary should,

• record and publish the minutes of the parish's Annual Meeting
  (Meeting of Parishioners & Annual Parochial Church Meeting)
• keep record of Churchwarden, Deanery Synod and PCC elections to ensure that,
  - Churchwardens do not serve more than six consecutive 1 year terms of office
  - Deanery Synod and PCC members know when their respective terms of office are coming to an end

Other Tasks

While the tasks listed in the Role section above are the main ones for any PCC Secretary, depending on the individual and the organisation of the local parish, PCC Secretaries may also take on further general parish administration duties.

Meeting Standing Orders

A set of Model Rules for Parish Governance are published as part of the Church Representation Rules and apply to all Church of England parishes. These rules are written by our General Synod, passed in to legislation by Royal Assent and form one of our parish's governing documents as a UK charity.

Useful Contacts

For all matters relating to parish governance contact,

Gordon Fath
Resources Officer
gordon.fath@liverpool.anglican.org