Charities registered in England or Wales need to send an ‘annual return’ to the Charity Commission or report their income and spending every year (depending on the charity’s annual income). Find out more about what your annual return should include, and other reporting obligations to the Charity Commission in our article here. Filing extensions – … Read more …
Please note this article covers legislation changes relevant only to England and Wales. This does not affect marriage registration in either Scotland or Northern Ireland, where a schedule system is already in place for marriages and civil partnerships. Marriage registration moves online The way that marriages are registered in England and Wales has changed. Until … Read more …
An end to the provisions for members’ meetings We have all felt the impact of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions in our churches as we’ve been unable to meet together in person as church family to worship God or to take decisions about the life of our church. Often our church governance documents have not made … Read more …
Please note the flexibilities on how members’ meetings are held came to an end on 30th March 2021. While the flexibilities have now expired, you will still find useful information in our article below and our adjoining advice note if you are thinking about holding a virtual members meeting. Download advice note ‘Remote members’ meetings … Read more …
Many smaller churches which are affiliated to the FIEC or another umbrella body are currently excepted from the requirement to register with the Charity Commission. This excepted status for churches is due to come to an end in March 2031 and it is possible that the Commission will enable or invite registrations from excepted churches … Read more …
In December the government made public their intention to extend the Excepting Regulations for smaller charities by 10 years. The relevant legislation has now come into effect, so the deadline for registration is now 31 March 2031. The Excepting Regulations mean that many smaller churches which are affiliated to the FIEC or another umbrella body … Read more …
Many Christian charities (whether churches or other organisations) operate as either a charitable trust or a charitable unincorporated association (CUA). Historically, the only realistic alternative to these structures (other than incorporating the body of trustees, which is relatively uncommon) was for a charity to incorporate as a company limited by guarantee, but this brought with … Read more …
If you are a registered charity, details of your charity appear on the Charity Commission’s public register, available online. On 3 September, the Commission launched the latest version of the online register, which now contains more information than ever about each charity. In particular, the register now includes details taken from your charity’s annual … Read more …
What are the Biblical principles that will underpin your church or charity’s decision-making through this challenging time? In what ways might the challenges bring you closer to God and each other? In this article we think through some of these questions, as well as pointing you to substantial further guidance in the area of meeting … Read more …
The Charity Commission. Employment law. Property Regulations. Data Protection. Sometimes complying with the law can seem complicated and burdensome to churches. We’re here to help. We at Edward Connor Solicitors understand that churches want to be legally compliant as part of their service to Jesus and we want to help you to do this faithfully. … Read more …
