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We are not a business; we are a church! Don’t policies just sit on a shelf or stifle GOD's work?!
These are some of the comments that we come across when talking about policies and church governance.
If the policies are badly thought through or poorly explained, then they could indeed stifle the work of the church, but sensible policies, well communicated, can serve to free up church leaders and protect the church.
Good, well-thought-through policies help to provide a number of benefits for churches.
Policies:
- Provide a timeframe for ‘sober judgement’
- Protect staff and volunteers
- Provide transparency and accountability
- Allow for consistent and efficient
- decision-making
- Provide a framework for fairness
- Ensure compliance with the law
- Limit legal and financial risk
There are core policies that every church would be wise to consider. They include:
- Safeguarding, particularly when dealing with vulnerable people groups (BUT not now limited to children and vulnerable adults)
- Conflicts of interest (especially where trustees and senior staff have dual interests)
- Data protection
- Employment policies (including pay, expenses and leave)
- Finance
- Grant-making
- Health and safety
- Internal control (we see too many churches lose money because they are not thinking this through)
Other policies may be very useful depending upon the nature and activities of the church.
When devising policies, remember that they are there to provide a framework in which churches can flourish; they are not a straight-jacket designed to ‘clip the wings’ of leaders or hold churches back.
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