THE METHODIST CHURCH BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT
DISTRICT POLICY COMMITTEE

Minutes of District Policy Committee held on Wednesday 9th November 2005
at Maypole Methodist Church in the Birmingham Moseley Road and Sparkhill Circuit.

Present: Revd Bill Anderson (Chair) Mark Aldridge (Secretary), 14 members of the District Policy
Committee.

1 Opening Devotions were led by Revd Bill Anderson reading from Matthew Chapter 22
verses 1 to 14.
2 Apologies
2.1 Apologies were received from 2 members and 2 attendees.
2.2 Reported that Rev Ian Yates was due to go into hospital for a hernia operation. The
Secretary was asked to send a letter of good wishes. ACTION: Mark Aldridge
2.3 Reported that Jan Nendick was recovering at home from a road traffic accident and would
be off work until the New Year. The Secretary was asked to send a letter of good wishes
and encouragement. ACTION: Mark Aldridge
2.4 Reported that Rev John Hellyer had been designated as Chair of the South East England
District. The Secretary was asked to send a letter of congratulation and good wishes.
ACTION: Mark Aldridge
3 Minutes The minutes of the meeting held on 13th July 2005 were approved and signed.
4 Matters Arising
4.1 District Web Site
Reported that that District Web Site had gone live in September. It was not currently
planned to put access to District Directory on Web Site but the "About us" and "District
Life" pages would be expanded to include names of people with other jobs in the District.
A team of 6 people were required to keep the "News" and "Events" pages up to date from 1st
April 2006. ACTION: Mark Aldridge
4.2 Church in Rural Life Officer
Reported that the Chair was to have a conversation with Deacon Lynne Sylvester-Tonge
about her role and responsibilities on 14th November 2005. She was currently working
three days a week as a hospital chaplain. The number of hours she would spend on the
District role was to be agreed. ACTION: Chair
4.3 Mission partners in Chile
Reported that the newsletters produced by Alison Facey and Chris Esdaile are being placed
on the District Web site. Chris and Alison can be contacted on their email address:
eyes_chile@yahoo.co.uk
4.4 District World Church Links
Highlighting a need for the District to focus on the World Church, the Chair outlined a
number of World Church projects he had identified as potential for support within the
District, the daughter of a minister working in an impoverished village in Ghana, the
Bethlehem Malikite Church Youth Project, Berlin return visit to Birmingham in 2007.
4.4 Fresh Expressions
Reported that Jan Nendick had prepared a presentation but would prefer to make it in
person. Agreed that this item be deferred to the March meeting of the DPC. Arrangements
had been made for Andrew Roberts from the Wolverhampton District to keep the office
informed of Evangelism Enabling type events outside the District while Jan was off work.
5. Financial Matters
5.1 Budget 2006/7
5.1.1 Received the 2006/7 budget which included:-
District Expenses £64,250
Sabbatical/Safeguarding £5,000
Methodist Church Fund £475,000
The total of £544,250 was a 3.6% increase.
5.1.2 Noted that it was not proposed to increase or decrease the reserves in 2006/7.
5.1.3 Noted that the figure for the Methodist Church Fund was only an estimate based on a 3½%
increase on the 2005/6 figure.
5.1.4 Agreed to recommend to Synod the 2006/7 budget. ACTION: Peter Mills
5.2 Circuit Assessments
5.2.1 Reported that if the current formula was used for the Circuit Assessments there would be a
wide discrepancy in the increases and decreases of assessments across the Circuits.
5.2.2 Noted that the review of the formula for allocating the assessments across the Circuits had
not been completed, but that the Executive would immediately start a review of the basis for
the split of assessments by Circuit
5.2.3 Agreed to recommend to Synod that the formula should NOT be used and that each circuit's
assessment should be increased by the percentage required to balance the budget. The
actual percentage will depend on the Methodist Church Fund amount. ACTION:Peter Mills
6. Vacancies
6.1 Complaint's Officer Reported that the Chair was to approach **********.
ACTION: Chair
6.2 Lay Employment Secretary A detailed job description was in preparation and would be
circulated to Superintendents and Circuit stewards. ACTION: Mark Aldridge
6.3 Convenor of Grants Committee Reported that Chair was to approach **********
ACTION: Chair
6.4 District Property Secretary Reported that the Chair was to approach ********** to replace
Rev Ian Yates from July 2006. ACTION: Chair
6.5 District Safeguarding Officer Received a role description that would be considered at the
next meeting. ACTION: Mark Aldridge
7 Circuit Lay representatives to Synod
7.1 Recommended to Synod that, in addition to the one Circuit Steward elected by the Circuit
(SO 410 (1) (iv)), the formula for calculating the number of circuit lay representatives to
Synod, as required by SO 410 (1) (v), shall be "the number of ministers and deacons listed
on the October return of ministers and deacons receiving stipends, irrespective of the
percentage stipend they are receiving, plus 1".
7.2 Noted that the District office would be able to provide the number for circuits.
8 Higher Education Chaplaincy Review
8.1 Received a report written by Mark Aldridge on behalf of the Review Group.
8.2 Agreed that Higher Education Chaplaincy should be a District responsibility, working with
the Circuits in which the institutions were located.
8.3 Agreed that a single District application for Connexional funding, covering all Higher
Education Chaplaincy work in the District that showed a Circuit and District commitment to
part of the funding, be made via the Grants Committee. ACTION: Mark Aldridge/Ray Lunt
8.4 Agreed that a proportion of the projected annual income of the District Advance Fund
should be allocated to Higher Education Chaplaincy in the District. The Grants Committee
were asked to recommend a percentage. ACTION: Ray Lunt
8.5 Noted that conversations were required with ecumenical partners and the institutions over
funding of Chaplaincy.
8.6 Noted that the District would need to set up a group to co-ordinate Higher Education
Chaplaincy work in the District and it's funding.
9. Ecumenical Committee
9.1 Harborne Methodist Church
9.1.1 Received a Schedule 3 relating to a shared premises agreement with the Anglican Church of
St Peter's, Harborne that was supported by the Ecumenical Committee.
9.1.2 Agreed that the schedule be approved on behalf of the District.
9.2 Christ Church, Woodloes Park, Warwick
9.2.1 Agreed to support the approval recommended by the Ecumenical Committee
10. Circuit Matters
10.1 Birmingham Moseley Road and Sparkhill Circuit
Noted that the District Policy Committee Executive, acting on behalf of the District Policy
Committee, had approved a proposal relating to an extension for Rev Roy Boffey (part time
appointment).
10.2 Worcester Circuit
Recommended to Synod the application to discontinue the holding of public services under
Standing Order 943 at Sale Green Chapel, Worcester Circuit. ACTION: Mark Aldridge
10.3 Use of Circuit Advance Funds
10.3.1 Noted that if money from a Circuit Advance Fund is to be used for the support of personnel
(ministry projects) then a Schedule 16 must be completed and District approval is required
even if the amount is below £10,000.
10.3.2 Noted that the Grants Committee had approved the following at the meeting in September:-
Cwm and Kingstone Circuit – Support of Ministry - £10,000
Tamworth and Lichfield Circuit – Support of Ministry - £8,500
Birmingham Moseley Road and Sparkhill – Maintenance of Ministry - £9,000
10.3.3 Approved an application from Birmingham Sutton Park Circuit for £15,583 from its Circuit
Advance Fund for the appointment of a Lay Worker at Nechells and Witton in the Circuit.
10.3.4 Approved an application from Nuneaton and Atherstone Circuit for £10,000 from its Circuit
Advance Fund for the appointment of a lay worker and evangelist.
10.3.5 Agreed that the District authority for the approval of Schedule 16 should be the District
Grants Committee. The District Grants Committee to report all such approvals to the
District Policy Committee. ACTION: Ray Lunt
11 Grants Committee
11.1 Received a report from the District Grants Committee of the meeting held on 21st September
2005.
11.2 Noted that Charity law would not allow charity's to commit over and above the funds they
already have in the bank (i.e. against anticipated future income). This was being taken up
by the Connexion with the Charity Commission.
11.3 Reported that in 2004/5, the District Advance Fund had received:-
£26,600 from the levy on Circuit Advance Funds
£41,000 from Connexional Advance Priority Fund
£9,600 in interest
£20,000 from Birmingham City Centre Committee
and that £42,500 had been paid out, comprising
£38,000 for ministry projects
£4,500 for property projects
12. Inner city – Lozelles
Anthony Reddie and Hilary Cooke gave an overview of the current situation in Lozelles and
the involvement of the Methodist and other Churches in the area.
13. Superintendent's Meeting
Reported that the Superintendents meeting have appointed the following representatives to
the District Policy Committee:-
Rev John Ingyon
Rev Paul Donnison
Rev Brain Hunt
14 District Review – Role of the District Policy Committee
14.1 The Chair led a discussion based on the general responsibilities of the District Policy
Committee including:-
(i) to formulate and promote policies which will advance the mission of the Church in
the Circuits and Local Churches, and in particular to supervise the use of resources
of personnel, property and finance and to assist Local Churches and Circuits having
exceptional problems;
(ii) to encourage inter-circuit and ecumenical co-operation;
(iii) to act in an executive capacity in matters remitted to the committee by the Synod;
(iv) to keep within its purview all district concerns not dealt with elsewhere;
(v) to contribute and respond, as the case may be, to the development of connexional
policies as reflected in the work of the Conference and the Methodist Council, and to
carry out its other responsibilities with any such development in mind.
It was generally agreed that the mission of the church required processes and procedures to
back it up and that the detailed work behind these responsibilities was essential.
14.2 A number of suggestions were made for future meetings:-
a pause on the agenda for reflection
a good news story from one circuit at each meeting ACTION: Mark Aldridge
15 Next Meeting Thursday 19th January 2006 at 7pm (with a cup of tea/coffee from 6:30pm)
at Bromsgrove Methodist Church.

Please note:

********* - The names have been removed as the people have still to be approached by the Chair