Regulations for Local Covenant Partnership – Primacy

 

Executive Summary

 

1. The Regulations seek to provide for a single body of people to manage the finances and property at Primacy Bangor, and to ensure compliance with all requirements of both the Diocese of Down & Dromore and the Methodist Church.
    

2. This body of people will be known as the ‘Christ Church Primacy Covenant Council’
    

3. For charitable purposes this body will sit within the single charitable registration of the Methodist Church in Ireland (MCI) as a ‘Society in Covenant Partnership’. This is the simplest solution, mitigating against the need to insert regulations in the Church of Ireland Constitution or to create an entirely new ‘Governing Document’ that would essentially sit between the Constitution and the Manual of Laws.
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4. Notwithstanding the MCI registration and the roles for church officials and various representatives as set out in the in the MCI Manual of laws, the Local Covenant Partnership will ensure the following in line with Church of Ireland and Diocesan requirements:

   a] Officers will be appointed who will undertake the roles and responsibilities of church and glebe wardens, and these will be notified to the diocese within the timeframe for returns as required by the diocese. In so far as is practicable, appointments will be made so as individuals, irrespective of the descriptor agreed on, can fulfil the respective roles as required by both denominations.

   b] Diocesan synodspersons and parochial nominators will be nominated at each triennial as required by the diocese. (nb. The latter will be a body of people who, together with representatives from the Methodist Circuit, will engage with the bishop and district superintendent with regard to appointments, as Primacy will not be a ‘Board of Nomination’ appointment

   c] All financial and statistical returns as required by the diocese and to the MCI Connexion will be made

   d] All assessments as applied by the diocese and the MCI Connexion will be paid

   e] All property permissions will be applied for in compliance with the directions as stipulated by the Church of Ireland and/or MCI.

   f] An annual general meeting will be held within the timeframe for parish Easter General Vestries and arranged so as to comply with MCI requirements.
    

5. One permission required from the diocese is for the Register of Covenant Members (equivalent to the Register of VestryPersons) to be revised at the last meeting of the Covenant Council in each calendar year. This will allow this return to be made to the Methodist Church in the same timeframe as all other Methodist societies and circuits. This register will form the register for appointment to the Christ Church Primacy Covenant Council at the annual general meeting. (Nb. The church of Ireland does not require the revised registers to be returned, and so nothing is ‘lost’ in this. They key principle is that a register is maintained, is revised annually for communication to MCI, and forms the basis of the AGM in line with the timeframe required by CoI)