Annual Report, Resolutions and Papers General Assembly 2007 © The United Reformed Church, 2007 Published by The United Reformed Church 86 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9RT All rights reserved. This material may be used freely within the Churches. No part of this publication may be reproduced outside the Church in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the prior permission in writing of the publishers. The publishers make no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may take place. 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Contents Catch the Vision 7 A new Department of Mission 13 The Moderator of General Assembly 23 Synod Moderators’ Report 25 Synod Resolutions and Reports – South Western Resolution 29 – Yorkshire 31 – Eastern 35 – Thames North 37 General Assembly 2007 – East Midlands 171 Church Changes 39 Mission Council Report 45 Mission Council Resolutions 57 Document 6 – Grants and Loans Group 77 Governing Document 79 Changes to Basis and Structure 85 Changes to Rules of procedure 95 Nominations 99 New Committee Structures 111 Finance 113 Document 7 – Revised remit for the Finance Committee 115 Pastoral Reference 117 Church & Society 119 Separate documentation Address to the Throne 121 Document 1 – Heritage Lottery Fund Racial Justice & Multicultural Ministry 123 Multicultural flier 127 Document 2 – Moratorium on policy decisions bme skills audit 129 on homosexuality Ecumenical 131 Document 3 – Global Warming/Climate Change Doctrine, Prayer and Worship 135 Consultation on Eldership 137 Section O Papers: The Nature of the URC’s Document 4 – Section O: Ecumenical Engagement 141 Replacement of existing Part II Document 5 – Ministerial Incapacity Inter Faith Relations 145 Procedure Part II Life & Witness 147 Consensus Decision Making for the Covenant Membership and Mission 151 United Reformed Church Ministries Sub-Committees Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts 2006 – Accreditation 157 – Lay Preaching 159 Information Papers – Transfer age limit 161 – Plan for Partnership 161 – Assessment procedure 163 Commitment for Life 169 List of Resolutions Name No. Committee page ‘Think-tank’ on mission and spirituality 1 CTV 12 A new Department of Mission 2 CTV 21 A new Department of Mission 3 CTV 21 A new Department of Mission 4 CTV 21 Election of Moderators 5 CTV 23 Retired Ministers’ Housing Society Fund 6 RMHS 29 Retired Ministers’ Housing Guidelines 7 RMHS 29 Church Closures 8 39 Ministerial Disciplinary Process (Section O): 9 Mission Council 57 Ratification of Replacement of existing Part 1 Section O: Ratification of amendments to the 10 Mission Council 59 Structure Section O: Replacement of existing Part II 11 Mission Council 61 Ministerial Incapacity Procedure 12 Mission Council 61 Ministerial Incapacity Procedure Part II 13 Mission Council 63 Ministerial Incapacity Procedure: Changes to the 14 Mission Council 63 Structure Ministerial Incapacity Procedure: Church Related 15 Mission Council 64 Community Workers Changes to Section O Part 1 16 Mission Council 65 Changes to Section O Part 1 17 Mission Council 68 Changes to the Basis of Union to include CRCWs in the 18 Mission Council 70 ministerial disciplinary process Amendment of Structure to include CRCWs in the 19 Mission Council 72 ministerial disciplinary process Ratification of the Listed Buildings Appeals Procedure 20 Mission Council 75 Changes to the rules of procedure on Appeals 21 Mission Council 76 (Listed Buildings) Revised Arrangements for nominating directors of the 22 Mission Council 76 United Reformed Church Ministers’ Pension Fund Governing Body 23 83 Changes to the Basis and Structure 24 CTV 85 Changes to Rules of Procedure 25 CTV 95 Appointment of the Moderator for Yorkshire Synod 26 Nominations 109 Appointment of the Moderator for North Western 27 Nominations 109 Synod Nominations 28 Nominations 109 Trustee’s Report and Annual Accounts 29 Finance 114 Appointment of Auditors 30 Finance 114 The giving of the members of the Church to central 31 Finance 114 funds Revised remit of the Finance Committee – Document 7 32 Mission Council 116 Pastoral Reference Committee Pastoral 33 Reference 118 Representation at General Assembly 34 RJMM 124 Anniversary of the abolition of the British Slave Trade 35 RJMM 125 Ecumenical Engagement 36 Ecumenical 133 Covenant Membership and Mission 37 Life and Witness 156 continue overleaf... List of Resolutions ...continued Name No. Committee page Upper Age limit for transfer from non-stipendiary to Ministries 161 38 Sub-Committee stipendiary service Ministries 161 Amendments to the Plan for Partnership 39 Sub-Committee Ministries 163 The Assessment procedure from July 2007 40 Sub-Committee Heritage Lottery Funding Mission Council (Doc. 1) 41 – Document 1 8 Moratorium on policy decisions on homosexuality Mission Council (Doc. 2) 42 – Document 2 12 Moratorium on policy decisions on homosexuality Mission Council (Doc. 2) 43 – Document 2 12 Moratorium on policy decisions on homosexuality Mission Council (Doc. 2) 44 – Document 2 12 Moratorium on policy decisions on homosexuality Mission Council (Doc. 2) 45 – Document 2 12 Moratorium on policy decisions on homosexuality Mission Council (Doc. 2) 46 – Document 2 12 Moratorium on policy decisions on homosexuality Mission Council (Doc. 2) 47 – Document 2 12 Moratorium on policy decisions on homosexuality Mission Council (Doc. 2) 48 – Document 2 12 Climate Change Mission Council (Doc. 3) 49 – Document 3 2 extra Consensus Decision Making 50 Mission Council paper Assisted Dying 51 Church & Society 167 Catch the Vision the Catch ‘God’s people, transformed by the gospel, making a difference’ – that is how the church has heard the Catch the Vision strapline. Those of us who have had the privilege of steering the process would say that every part of that phrase is equally significant. God’s people… Thanks to the grace of God, and not because we are in any way special, God has called us into a new way of living in Jesus Christ. The One who fashioned the dance of sub-atomic particles out of the love of the Trinity, and flung galaxies across distances we can barely calculate, has called us by name. And the gentle tenderness of that calling tells us that we are at home, this perplexingly beautiful creation is ours, and that every human being is a brother or sister who reflects God’s wonder and glory. The God who is ‘immortal, invisible, in light inaccessible’ also broke bread one night when Judas slipped into the darkness, was left desolate and broken on Jerusalem’s rubbish heap the following afternoon when all but the women melted away, and on the Sunday rose with a power as great as creation itself. The world could never be the same, and that is why we are here, for we are part of that. Transformed by the gospel The church tells the story of that transforming gospel, year in year out, through the cycle of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. We sometimes think we convert people – we don’t, we tell the story. Conversion is God’s business. General Assembly 2007 We sometimes think we extend the kingdom – we don’t, only God does. We are there to create God shaped gaps in time and space, opportunities for God’s story to cut across the world’s stories. So we continue the work of the prophets and priests of old, as story tellers and repeaters of the history, and the miracle is the faithfulness of our God who comes through the Word and our words, through his broken bread and our broken lives. a) A process and a programme In line with Catch the Vision’s timetable, this year our minds have turned to spirituality and mission. We hope and pray for the renewal of the church by the grace of God. The church often suffers from a ‘pack’ mentality – five booklets and a DVD and we’ve ‘done’ spirituality, six Wednesday evenings in the church hall and we are evangelists. Resources can help, but what is needed is orientation towards God, prayerful waiting, and the gift of renewal for the next phase of the church’s life. We have done the preparation. We’ve adjusted our structures, marshalled our resources, made institutional alterations (like increasing the number of special category ministry posts so we can explore new ways of being church), and now we need to offer ourselves anew to the God of surprises. This is not about a quick fix but a continuous process. We have been deeply conscious of both the variety of spiritualities in the United Reformed Church, and of the fine work of many congregations. We will be offering a programme which congregations can use in their own contexts to begin the process of re-engaging with the Bible, prayer and evangelism.