Vision at the heart of PCC meetings

Author: The Ven Keith James

Published on: 14 December 2021

The Church of England spends a lot of time in PCC meetings – you may have noticed! One piece of research suggests that we spend 1,500,000 people-hours at them each year.

The health of PCC meetings ripples out into the wider church and the wider community. It’s important that they are fruitful, energising, and purposeful so that we can grow as people who are being Transformed by Christ to be prayerful, pastoral and prophetic.

The new diocesan vision provides us with a way to help shape our meeting in simple but effective ways.

There are some items which always need to be present – such as safeguarding and checking previous minutes. The content of agendas will also depend on what time of year and what ‘season’ the church is in. But the content and shape of agendas can also be clarified and refreshed by noting the focus of the items; is this issue something that is prayerful, pastoral or prophetic? Or a combination?

Framing an agenda in this way can also show us where the gaps are – and where our energy and focus needs to move in the future.

PCC meetings matter, because people matter and God matters, so it’s important to craft them with care and to use limited time well. Meetings tend to settle at the lowest point if we are not careful.

Using the 3Ps – prayerful, pastoral, and prophetic – to shape the agenda can help us focus on the important things and to keep the meetings varied and engaging.

In all of this, let us hold on to the fact that this is God’s task, andthat we are privileged to be part of God’s transforming work together.

Here is an example of what an agenda could look like.

Thought for the day – and then prayer – prayerful!
Apologies for absence – pastoral
Minutes of previous meeting – checking for accuracy
Safeguarding update (standing item) – pastoral
Finance & Parish Share update – (potentially!) prayerful, pastoral and prophetic
Messy Church – how to recruit new volunteers – pastoral
Lent groups – proposal to use the Connect! series – prayerful and prophetic
Eco-church – briefing and first steps – prophetic
Fabric update – prayerful and pastoral
Matters arising not already on the agenda
Closing prayers – giving thanks and praying for our churches – prayerful.

The author...

The Ven Keith James

Archdeacon of Norwich

01603 882339 nepuqrnpba.abejvpu@qvbprfrbsabejvpu.bet

This article is from...

Issue 23

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