Church Management

Like all Presbyterian Churches, Netherlee is run in a democratic way. We have two management bodies, the Kirk Session and the Congregational Board.

KIRK SESSION

Led by our minister, formed by Elders and managed by our Session Clerk, the Kirk Session is the group responsible for the spiritual welfare of the Church and the Parish. On behalf of all our members, the Kirk Session makes decisions about how the Church is run, how money is spent, and how we try to live out the actions of God in our community. Each year, the Church also holds a Stated Annual Meeting, where every one connected with the Church can get together and make their views known.

SESSION CLERK

Our Session Clerk is appointed by the Kirk Session, and is responsible for keeping Church records, organising meetings and directing Church business under the Minister’s guidance. The Kirk Session is also responsible for appointing our Church Treasurer, Organist and Church officer. It also decides where our money is best spent, and will authorise the Congregational Board to this.

ELDERS

Elders are simply Church members called to dedicate some of their time and talents to help further the work of the Church. They can be nominated by members or the Kirk Session. If willing, elders are then trained and approved by the whole Session, before being ordained at a special Church service. Most Elders have a district to look after, and it’s their duty to regularly visit Church members in that district, invite them to Communion, gather feedback, and be on hand to provide any spiritual advice or support the Elder or the Church can offer. Elders also welcome people to Church, serve the bread and wine at Communion, collect the offering and offer support to our Church organisations, as well as serving on one of the following five Groups:

• Community Matters
Promotes our Church Mission in the local parish, by supporting Christian faith and life and encouraging Church membership. The group builds bridges with the local community in a caring way, and encourages a wider understanding of the Church through publicity and the Church website.

• Wider Mission
Promotes our Church Mission beyond Netherlee, linking with the wider Church at home and abroad and working with other faiths and denominations. It also develops links with charities and other groups, like our friends in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

• Pastoral Care
Cares for the welfare of all people in Netherlee’s community by providing practical and spiritual support, such as bereavement training for Elders. It also helps develop and organise spiritual training courses like Alpha.

• Youth Ministry
Encourages young people to get involved with the Church. Supports and shapes youth activities and development and helps give young people a voice to express their needs and views.

• Worship Committee
Helps the minister plan our programme of Church services, and develops new forms of worship to meet our varied needs. Encourages people of all ages to get involved in worship.

CONGREGATIONAL BOARD

Our Congregational Board manages Church finances and cares for Church property. There are 30 people on this committee, including the Chairperson and the Clerk; 15 appointed by the Kirk Session (including the Congregational Treasurer) and 15 lay people (often church members).
There are two sub-committees:

• The Finance Committee looks after Church income and expenditure and pays salaries for our Minister and other Church employees. It keeps accounts of our members’ offerings and recovers tax for those who pay by Gift Aid or Deeds of Covenant. It is also responsible for the proper investment of money held in various Reserve and Trust Funds.

• The Property committee maintains our property at the Church and Kirk House. Committee members carry our repairs voluntarily, or organise tradesmen to carry out large scale or more complex works. They also organise capital projects to improve our buildings or to fulfil legal or health and safety requirements.

• We also have an elder who is our Premises Manager. The Manager monitors the buildings for cleanliness and repairs and can advise organisations about things like preparing and serving food within church premises

The use of Church premises is arranged through the Church Secretary, and we have a biannual meeting of organisation leaders, as a Church Council, to deal with complaints, queries or other matters relating to use of our buildings.

Of course, Netherlee Church is part of a wider Church family. Our Minister is responsible to the Presbytery of Glasgow, and our Kirk Session is represented there by a Presbytery Elder. For more information, click on the link below.