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 …
On 26th June 2020, the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act came into force, making temporary changes to the governance and regulation of incorporated organisations, due to COVID-19 restrictions. This included relaxing the position on general meetings, allowing companies and CIOs more flexibility on when to hold them and how to hold them. The flexibilities on … 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 …
A charity’s reporting and accounting obligations to the Charity Commission will depend on a number of factors including whether the charity is exempt or excepted from registration, whether the charity is a company, the charity’s gross annual income, and the value of the charity’s assets. (Note that this Article only deals with a charity’s obligations … Read more …
In January 2013, the charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) was introduced as a new legal structure. Since then, many Christian charities and churches that were previously operating as unincorporated organisations, as well as new charities or churches that are setting up for the first time, have chosen to adopt a CIO structure. For charities that were … Read more …
One of the issues we are most often asked about is about the relationship between the “trustees” of the church and the people responsible for its spiritual oversight – i.e. its pastor, minister, elders or other spiritual leadership team. This is a tricky question, and there is no perfect answer to it. The article below helps you navigate the legal issues, as a … Read more …
