Many Voices, One Church: An Invitation to the PCC
If you’ve been around for a short while, you may have heard the phrase “the PCC” spoken with a mixture of reverence, curiosity, and mild confusion.
Let’s try to explain it.
The PCC (Parochial Church Council) is essentially the church’s trustee body. It’s a group of people from across the congregation who meet together to pray, think, discuss, and decide how the life of the church is shaped and supported.
The PCC looks after things like the church’s vision and direction, finances, buildings, safeguarding, and how we best serve our local community. In short: it helps ensure that the church is faithful, responsible, and outward-looking.
At its best, it can be a place where different voices, experiences, and perspectives come together in service of God’s mission. Some PCC members might be quietly practical, some are big-picture thinkers, some ask wise questions, and some notice things others miss. Some remind us that we’ve started to use language and terms that are only useful to us. Some help us to think of people that we otherwise might overlook.
That’s why being part of the PCC can be such a meaningful way to serve. You get a real opportunity to help shape the future of the church, to support and encourage the clergy, and to play a role in decisions that affect worship, outreach, and the life of the parish. You don’t need to have all the answers - In fact, we’d rather fill a room with a group of people asking good questions than trying to answer them. Curiosity, generosity of spirit, and a willingness to listen go a very long way!
This year, we’re hoping (and planning!) to hold a PCC election. That’s good news! It means there’s space, and we need people to step forward.
We’d especially love to hear from people who have never been on the PCC before. Fresh perspectives are not just welcome; they’re genuinely valuable.
If you care about this church, if you wonder where it might be heading, or if you’d like to play a small but significant part in its shared life and witness, the PCC could be a good place for you. Sometimes the most important qualification is simply being willing to say, “Yes, I could help with that.”
Keep an eye out for more details about the election, and do have a quiet think (and a pray) about whether this might be your moment to step in. The church grows best when many hands, hearts, eyes and legs are involved.
If you’d like to know any more at all, reach out to a member of the current PCC, Su P is the secretary or talk to Dan.
Every member of our PCC helps to write and then agree to our code of conduct. Our current code of conduct, which we think encapsulates who we are and what we do, can be read here.