WIXLIB

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP IN ACONGREGATION OF THE LCIGBVOTING MEMBER1. A voting member in a congregation of the LCiGB is a baptised person aged 18years or over who has publicly confessed the Christian faith after a period ofinstruction in the teachings of the Lutheran Church, based upon Luther’s SmallCatechism, and who has been duly received into membership of the congregationby its council.2. The council of the congregation will maintain a list of voting members andreview it before every Annual General Meeting, removing the names of thosewho have died and, at its discretion, those who have not supported the life andworship of the congregation over a significant period of time or in a mannerbefitting a faithful follower of Christ. The council will terminate votingmembership immediately if a person has resigned or formally transferredmembership to another congregation.3. Membership may be held in only one congregation of the LCiGB. Holding votingmembership in another non-LCiGB congregation, however, will not in itselfpreclude voting membership of a congregation of the LCiGB, provided that theteachings of the other congregation are compatible with those of the LutheranChurch.BAPTISED MEMBER1. A baptised member is a person who has been duly baptised in the name of theFather and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The council will maintain a list ofbaptised members of the congregation and review it before every AnnualGeneral Meeting, removing the names of those who have died and, at isdiscretion, those who have not supported the life and worship of thecongregation over a significant period of time or in a manner befitting a faithfulfollower of Christ.8Rules & Regulations of the LCiGB

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ACONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL MEMBER(TRUSTEE)The Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCiGB) relies on members who volunteer theirtime, talents and energies to serve the church in various ways. Without the involvementof willing and capable people, the church would struggle to fulfil its mission. A veryimportant role in the church belongs to members of Congregational Councils, whoparticipate in the leadership of the LCiGB’ congregations and who bear considerableresponsibility.Persons elected or appointed to a Congregation’s Council in the LCiGB aretrustees of the charity whether it is registered officially or not (as well as directorsof the company if the congregation is so registered).Some people are disqualified by law from acting as trustees. All trustees will beexpected to sign and return to the Congregation and to the LCiGB the ‘Declaration ofeligibility for newly appointed trustees’, which is produced by the Charity Commissionand is attached to this document. Please read it carefully. If you have any questionsabout the meaning of the declaration, please raise these with your pastor and with theBishop or Dean.You are also asked to read carefully this document, Understanding the role of a memberof a Congregational Council (trustee) in the LCiGB. To confirm that you agree to serve asa trustee, please return two signed copies, one to the Chair of your CongregationalCouncil and one to the LCiGB office. Also keep a copy on your own file, as a record andreminder.1. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TRUSTEETrustees of charities have specific legal responsibilities. The following list is taken from‘The essential trustee: What you need to know’, a publication of the Charity Commission(CC3):Charity trustees are the people who serve on the governing body of a charity. They may beknown as trustees, directors, board members, governors or committee members. Theprinciples and main duties are the same in all cases.(1) Trustees have and must accept ultimate responsibility for directing the affairsof a charity, and ensuring that it is solvent, well-run, and delivering the charitableoutcomes for the benefit of the public for which it has been set up.Compliance – Trustees must:(2) Ensure that the charity complies with charity law, and with the requirements ofthe Charity Commission as regulator; in particular ensure that the charity prepares9Rules & Regulations of the LCiGB

reports on what it has achieved and Annual Returns and accounts as required bylaw.(3) Ensure that the charity does not breach any of the requirements or rules set outin its governing document and that it remains true to the charitable purpose andobjects set out there.(4) Comply with the requirements of other legislation and other regulators (if any)which govern the activities of the charity.(5) Act with integrity, and avoid any personal conflicts of interest or misuse ofcharity funds or assets.Duty of prudence – Trustees must:(6) Ensure that the charity is and will remain solvent.(7) Use charitable funds and assets reasonably, and only in furtherance of thecharity’s objects.(8) Avoid undertaking activities that might place the charity’s endowment, funds,assets or reputation at undue risk.(9) Take special care when investing the funds of the charity, or borrowing fundsfor the charity to use.Duty of care – Trustees must:(10) Use reasonable care and skill in their work as trustees, using their personalskills and experience as needed to ensure that the charity is well-run and efficient.(11) Consider getting external professional advice on all matters where there maybe material risk to the charity, or where the trustees may be in breach of theirduties.2. FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS AND PREPARATIONFrom ‘The essential trustee: What you need to know’ (Section H, Duty of Care):[Trustees] must meet as often as needed to do justice to the affairs of the charity, and makewell-informed decisions. Trustees who do not meet often enough risk breaching their dutyof care .Giving adequate time and energy: Being a trustee will involve preparation forand attendance at trustee meetings, and often also at other meetings and functions. It isessential that trustees are able to devote enough time to these essential duties of being atrustee. This means they should be aware of their responsibilities and duties and howmuch time they will need to give .Running a charity can be complex and trustees need tobe up to date on the operating environment for their charity. This may involve widernetworking, taking up training opportunities, or reading the relevant newsletters orspecialist trade papers.3. CONFLICT OF LOYALTIES10Rules & Regulations of the LCiGB

Trustees of a congregation in the LCiGB have a duty to promote and protect theinterests of the congregation and those of the LCiGB. Any relationship that they mighthave with another group or another individual must not interfere with theirresponsibilities as a trustee of a congregation in the LCiGB.From ‘A guide to conflicts of interest for charity trustees’, published by the CharityCommission:Trustees should bear in mind that when they are dealing with the business of thecharity, their overriding duty is to act in the best interests of the charity. There maybe situations in which a trustees’ loyalty to the charity conflicts with their loyalty to thebody which appointed them, to another charity of which they are a trustee or to a memberof their family. Such conflicts of loyalty will not stop anyone from being a trustee, but theycan occasionally cause conflicts of interest.Any trustee who has a conflict of loyalties should declare this and it should be included inthe register of interests. They should also declare the interest at the beginning of anymeeting at which an issue is to be discussed that is subject to the conflict and should takeno further part in the discussions on the issue. This will help to ensure transparency andavoid any accusations of impropriety.4. COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITYFrom ‘The essential trustee: What you need to know’ (Section E, Trustees and theirresponsibilities):All decisions by the trustees concerning a charity are taken by all the trustees, actingcollectively and as a team. However, the decisions need not be unanimous; a majoritydecision is sufficient unless the charity’s governing document states otherwise . Subject toany power of delegation there is a general rule that trustees must take personalresponsibility for their decisions, and that all decisions concerning the charity must betaken by the trustees acting together .Trustees can always invite some of their number tolook into particular matters and make recommendations. The decision whether or not toact on the recommendations is for the trustees to take together.5. LIABILITIES OF TRUSTEESFrom ‘The essential trustee: What you need to know’ (Section I, What are the liabilities ofcharity trustees?):A conscientious and committed trustee need have few worries about personal liability. Butit is important for all trustees to understand their position .If trustees act prudently,lawfully and in accordance with the governing document, then any liabilities (ie debtsor financial obligations) that they incur as trustees can normally be met out of thecharity’s resources. However, if trustees incur liabilities or debts that amount in total tomore than the value of the charity’s assets they may not be able to cover themselves in fullout of the charity’s property, even if the liabilities have been properly incurred .If thetrustees act imprudently, or are otherwise in breach of the law or the governingdocument, the position is different. Here, trustees may be personally responsible forliabilities incurred by the charity, or for making good any loss to the charity. Since11Rules & Regulations of the LCiGB

trustees act collectively in running a charity, they will usually be collectivelyresponsible to meet any such liability .We can take proceedings in court for therecovery, from trustees personally, of funds lost to charity as a result of a breach of trust bythe trustees. However, there is only a small likelihood that trustees will have to pay out oftheir own pocket towards a financial loss suffered by the charity, or towards compensatinga third party who has suffered a financial loss as a result of their dealings with the charity.In cases where a breach of trust causes a loss to the charity, we can relieve trustees of theirliability to pay, provided they have acted honestly and reasonably .Different rules applyto the directors of charitable companies, as company law also applies; this confers limitedliability on trustee company directors. The general principles of prudence are, however,the same.Name of trustee:(print name)I confirm that I have read the information on these sheets and agree to act as a trusteeof the Congregation of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, making my best efforts toserve in accordance with the expectations and principles outlined above.Signature:Date:Adopted as a rule at a meeting of the LCiGB Council held on 17.12.11Please note: the Charity Commission form “Declaration of eligibility for newlyappointed trustees” (form CSD 13-82) also forms part of this Rule. A Jpeg version of theform appears on the following page.12Rules & Regulations of the LCiGB

13Rules & Regulations of the LCiGB

THE ANNUAL SYNOD1. The Annual Synod of the LCiGB is a meeting of congregations or persons thathave been duly approved, elected or appointed and are entitled to vote at themeeting. The members of the Synod are:a. Congregations of the LCiGBb. All ordained pastors who have been approved by the LCiGBc. The board of trustees of the LCiGBd. Other individuals who have been nominated by synod and approved bythe board2. Congregations of the LCiGB must choose an Appointed Representative to voteand act on their behalf at synods and general meetings. Normally AppointedRepresentatives should serve in that capacity for three years but congregationsmay replace them sooner if necessary. The full name and current address of eachcongregation’s Appointed Representative must notified to the LCiGB. Only thosepersons whose names and addresses have been notified to the LCiGB at least 30working days before a Synod or other general meeting will be entitled to attendand vote at the meeting.The Annual Synod consists of two parts:1. THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING1. An annual general meeting (AGM) must be held each year, at a time and placeapproved by the board of trustees. Annual general meetings are a constitutionalrequirement for the LCiGB.2. At the annual general meeting, members of the Synod (including AppointedRepresentatives of congregations) will:a. Elect trusteesb. Receive the trustees’ annual report and the audited or examined accountsc. Appoint an auditor or examiner or authorise the board to do sod. Authorise the trustees to fix the remuneration of the auditore. Approve amendments to the Memorandum or Articles of Associationf. Vote on duly submitted resolutionsg. Advise the trustees14Rules & Regulations of the LCiGB

3. Resolutions from members may be considered at any annual general meeting,provided that they have been duly requested (as required by the Companies Act).Members representing 5% of the voting rights may request that a writtenresolution be circulated to members and be put to the AGM; they may circulate astatement of up to 1000 words about any resolution. The signed resolution andstatement must be delivered to the registered address of the LCiGB at least sixweeks before the AGM at which it is to be proposed. The resolution andstatement must then be circulated with the notice of the meeting.2. THE CHURCH SESSION1. The Church Session will consider the spiritual programme and leadership of theLCiGB, which is the constitutional responsibility of the bishop, the dean and thesynod.2. Its regular agenda will include:a. Worshipb. Theological issuesc. Outreach, missions & serviced. Training of pastors and other ministerse. Congregational developmentsf. Communicationsg. Relationships with other Lutheran churchesh. Ecumenical relationshipsi.Other matters pertaining to the spiritual growth of the LCiGBSPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS1. Special general meetings may be called by the board of trustees at any time or bythe written request to the trustees of at least 10 members of the Synod or 10 %of the membership of Synod, whichever is the greater. The request must statethe nature of the business to be discussed. If the trustees fail to hold the meetingwithin 28 days of the request, the members may call a special general meeting.In so doing, they must comply with the provisions of the Articles of Association(Articles 22-66 on General Meetings).15Rules & Regulations of the LCiGB

THE ROLE OF THE BISHOPELECTION1. The Bishop shall be elected by a majority of the Members of Synod. All Ministers ofthis Church who have been ordained for five years or more and are eligible to becalled as the senior pastor of a congregation shall be eligible to stand for election.The term of office for the Bishop shall be six years. After being elected, the Bishopshall be given documents of Call and shall be episcopally consecrated and installedat a Service of Worship. In the event of successive re-election the Bishop shall notbe re-installed.ROLE2. Within the one Ministry of Word and Sacrament, the Bishop shall have the specialfunction of providing care, counsel and oversight to the ordained Ministers andcongregations of the Church in matters spiritual and temporal.3. As a trustee and director of the Church, with legal responsibilities under charity andcompany law, the Bishop will ensure that all of his o

RULES AND REGULATIONS of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain THESE RULES WERE APPROVED AND ACCEPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE LCIGB AT THEIR MEETINGS ON: 18 SEPTEMBER 2010, 11 & 12 FEBRUARY 2011, 4 JUNE 2011, 3 SEPTEMBER 2011, 22 OCTOBER 2011, 17 DECEMBER 2011, 3 MARCH 2012 This version updated 7 September 2012