By Hayley Beckett on 9th April 2025
EBA Council Summary 29 March 2025
EBA Trustees – with three apologies and Gale Richards and Gillian Jones as invited guests – met for the EBA Council meeting on 29 March.
Lou Webber (EBA Moderator) welcomed everyone. In opening the meeting Lou read from Matthew 8:23-27 (Jesus calms the storm) Do we feel like we are working hard to keep things going, at what point do we see the need to wake Jesus up. Jesus is already there – what is it that we feel we need to be waking Jesus up for?
David Mayne (RMTL) presented the team report, this included feedback from the trustee information evenings, minister’s conference. The report covered all the churches and ministers that the team has met with over the last few weeks and a list of those who had been inducted or ordained recently. The council were encouraged that a small number of our churches in pastoral vacancy had recently settled with new ministers arriving over the next few months.
Gillian Jones (EBA Safeguarding lead) presented the safeguarding report commenting on the positive DPS training days and how she feels we are getting to a place where we are being more proactive in offering support to churches than reactive.
A written report on the progress of working through the recommendations coming out of Project Violet was received by the council. This included mention of the launch of the next Magnify You in which EBA has identified 3 individuals who we felt would benefit from being involved.
The meeting then took some time to discuss the national Financial Model Review (FMR), the conversation wasn’t quite as anticipated as following various meetings that had recently been held and discussions with team leaders and the association treasurers, last week Baptist Union Council were presented with an updated timeline as it had become apparent that the transition timeline originally agreed was not long enough. The new timeline will include time for association trustee boards to consider any proposals that will affect them before final decisions are made.
An updated graphic with more details should be available on the BU website in due course. For EBA council this means that we need to keep ourselves up to date with information and be willing to have robust conversations so that we can constructively add into discussions and decisions. The council would encourage EBA ministers and churches to keep up to date with the review by reading BU communications.
Over the last few meetings, the council has been discussing an Environmental Sustainability Policy, at this meeting the final wording was agreed and adopted, and the policy will be available on the EBA website for anyone wishing to read it.
According to the BU constitution EBA has 2 votes in the BU President elections for the year 2026-7. Each candidate had produced a short profile and video to introduce themselves. Council made a unanimous decision on our preferences, this decision was based upon the contents of the video, the emphasis that each candidate would bring to their term and our consideration over what we felt the union would benefit most from at this time.
Richard (EBA Treasurer) presented the financial summary up to February 2025, we have received a recalculated income payment from BU which slightly improves our figures for 2025.
Hayley Beckett (EBA Company Secretary) brought the Administration Report which included notice that 3 trustees would be standing down at the end of their term at the AGM, an email asking for nominations from our members will be sent out shortly. Wording to amend our byelaws which will be circulated to members ahead of the AGM for voting and notice that we have received an application for membership from a church in Cambridgeshire, the application was accepted in principle, and we hope the church will be able to be welcomed into membership at the AGM.
Other items discussed at the meeting included the potential co-option of a trustee, association listening days for 2026, the best way we can cover the gap following the EBA team news shared with ministers and churches last week. A proposal for ways in which the EBA would use any money received after a church closes and the need that the council have to appoint a deputy moderator of council to support the moderator and provide cover if the moderator is unavailable at any time.
The meeting closed in prayer.
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