Trustees

The trustees of the church have a special role to play in the operation of Stirling Baptist Church. They are appointed by the church, in accordance with the Articles of Association, from amongst the pastors and deacons.

Trustees are described by the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR) as being:

‘The people who have general control and management of the charity and are responsible for making sure that the charity works to achieve its charity’s purposes (the reasons the charity exists).’

This is a wide-ranging role, and one of the most important areas for the trustees to pay attention to is the ‘governance’ of the church. Governance is defined by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) as:

‘The systems and processes concerned with ensuring the overall direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of an organisation.’

Governance is a bit like the foundations of a house. If it is done well, it is largely invisible – everything works smoothly: everyone knows what they need to do and how to get things done. If it is not done well, cracks start to appear, leading at best to frustration and wasted time, but at worst to serious omissions and mistakes.

This section of the church handbook provides materials to explain how governance works at Stirling Baptist Church. The ‘Overview of Governance’ provides a high-level view and is supported by more detailed ‘terms of reference’ for key meetings, a code of conduct for leaders, and a schedule of matters reserved to the trustees.

Useful Links to various documents

1. ‘Overview of governance’ document

2. ‘Terms of reference’ for Trustee, Leadership and Support meetings

3. ‘Code of Conduct’ document for leadership

4. ‘Matters reserved for the Trustees’ document

If you are considering serving as a Deacon or Trustee we have a number of useful documents to support you as you consider the role and responsibility, and to guide you as you serve as a Deacon.  A good starting point is this handy booklet Being a deacon