Assembly Trustees Update November 2023

The trustees met at 121 George Street on 9 November 2023 with an online option.

We heard from member of staff Kay Cathcart about progress towards a Framework for an Apprenticeship Route into Ministry. Work is ongoing to develop proposals and a further paper will be provided to the trustees quantifying what will be significant resource implications, we are told, both finance and people. The intention is that a report will be ready for GA 2024.

Kay is the People and Training Manager in the Faith Action staff team. Her presence at the Assembly Trustees to present this report illustrates the relationship that is developing between the Faith Action Programme Leadership Team (FAPLT) and the trustees. The People and Training Programme Group, which is part of the FAPLT set-up, attends to the detail about the Apprenticeship Route proposal. The trustees have an oversight role – and are also charged with ensuring that the Church's finances (those of the ‘Unincorporated Entities') are used wisely and effectively. A budget is allocated to FAPLT annually. The budget goes through the General Assembly. Most of the FAPLT budget is dedicated to payment of stipends, the rest is allocated to specific budget lines. The General Treasurer is responsible to the trustees for budgetary control and therefore the trustees are involved where significant, new, resource implications are in prospect.

The Apprenticeship Route proposal is encouraging in itself and in the context of the priority work areas that the General Assembly approved in May – national being there for the local with a particular emphasis on recruiting and equipping future leaders in ministries of the Church. Another relevant development from People and Training about equipping future leaders is Church of Scotland Learning, a resource for anyone in a congregation who desires to learn and grow (see Kay Cathcart's video recording on the Church website here).

The proposal is also relevant in terms of governance. The trustees' Governance Group, chaired by trustee Jean Couper, met in September and November. It is through this Group that the trustees take note of data on regulatory compliance, covering such headings as health and safety, data protection and safeguarding. The Group also reviews high-level management data and considers the corporate risk register. One example of a recent change to the corporate risk register is that the ‘risk score' concerning minister numbers has been increased. The retirement and demission figures are higher than predicted and recruitment figures remain low. The Church's Audit Committee, on which two of the trustees sit along with four other ‘non-executive' church members, has an interest in risk. It met at the very end of November. While the emphasis there is on controls, process, procedures and risk, the overall desire is to see a thriving, growing Church.

Earlier this year, there were fourteen trustees, two of them ex officio. Through a combination of circumstances, we now have a representative attending from the Assembly Business Committee, John Ferguson, and a corresponding member from the General Trustees, Scott Rennie. These connections are very important as collectively and collaboratively we seek to address current challenges.

The trustees will advertise for new appointed members. Please look out for the advert and consider applying or encouraging someone else to do so.

We next meet on 14 December, again in George Street with an online option.