From the General Secretary and Secretary of Conference:

The Conference in 2024 will have responsibility for

(i)                      Appointing a new Chair of the Governance Board

(ii)                    Electing 1 new lay and 1 new ministerial member from a list of nominees brought by the Nominations Committee.

I am writing to ask you to think and pray about submitting an Expression of Interest form (which is attached) to serve on the Governance Board, either as Chair or a member.

Please note it is one form on which you are asked to indicate whether you are offering to serve as a member, or as Chair or whether you are willing to be considered for both roles.

That form, along with a written summary (500 words) setting out why you believe you would be suited to the position, should be submitted to me at secretary@irishmethodist.org by noon on Friday 15th March 2024.

 

The Chair

Tony O’Connor has served in this role for 3 years. His professional expertise along with his deep love for God and this Church have made him an excellent Chair. As the first person in the role he has guided and developed the work of the Board in a way which has enabled the members to be rigorous about the fulfilment of their responsibilities both with regard to charity trusteeship and the mission of the Church.

Tony is now stepping down from this role and the Conference has responsibility for appointing a new Chair.  9.03(b) in the Manual of Laws states that ‘The Chairperson of the Governance Board shall be appointed by Conference upon nomination by the Governance Nominations Working Group’ (membership of the Nominations Committee is listed on page 14 of the Conference Agenda 2023).

The Nominations Committee is therefore sending this email to all on the Irish Methodist email system asking for ‘Expressions of Interest’.

Having received those Expressions of Interest, the Nominations Committee will short-list and interview possible nominees and on the basis of that interview and the information submitted by the individual will bring one name to Conference.

 Interviews will ideally be in person on Monday 25th March. All who submit an Expression of Interest will be notified on Tuesday 19th March as to whether they are invited for interview.

New members

The Nominations Committee is also seeking nominations for one lay and one ordained member of the Governance Board.

As noted last year the Governance Board is committed to staggering turnover of membership to facilitate continuity. This year therefore Rev Nigel Mackey has agreed to step aside, and the fact that Mr John Clark is due to become Chair of the Statutory Trustees means that we are also seeking a new lay member of the Board.

We are very grateful to Nigel for the significant role which he has played on the Board and as Charity Trustees.

Members are appointed to serve for a period of 3 years with the possibility of extension for a further 3 years, by agreement of the other members of the Governance Board and the Conference (MoL 9.04). Four members have served for 3 years and their names will come to the Conference for approval of extension. They are Harold Agnew, David Best, Paul Cummings and Gillian Kingston.

Those who are interested in serving as a member of the Governance Board are asked to submit the Expression of Interest form (attached).

Submission of an Expression of Interest does not guarantee that any individual will be on the list of Nominees presented to the Conference. The Nominations Committee is responsible for ensuring a mix of gender, background, geography and age, and for ensuring that the members of the Governance Board hold between them the necessary skills to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities.

This email is being sent to everyone who has an @irishmethodist email address, and there will be reference to it on the website. We want everyone who is eligible to know about the possibility of serving God and the church in this way, so please make this process as widely known as possible.

While you might want to encourage someone else to submit an Expression of Interest you cannot submit one on another person’s behalf. These Expressions of Interest must be submitted by the individual themselves.

The deadline for Expressions of Interest to be submitted to the Secretary of Conference is noon on Friday 15th March.

The rest of this email sets out details about who is eligible to serve on the Governance Board, their significant duties and responsibilities and terms of office.

It is vitally important that all who consider submitting an Expression of Interest understand that members of the Governance Board are the Charity Trustees of the Methodist Church in Ireland and as such have significant spiritual, corporate and personal responsibilities and liabilities.

 
Who is eligible?

Lay people who have been members of the Methodist Church in Ireland for five years or more and ordained ministers who have travelled for at least five years. We expect that wholehearted membership of the Methodist Church to be evidenced by commitment to their local Societyand/or other bodies within the church.

 

Term of Office

Members and Chair of the Governance Board will be appointed for a period of three years with one possible extension of three years. After this period no person may serve on the Governance Board for a further three years. 

 

 Duties

 The role and responsibilities of the Governance Board are set out at 9.05- 9.11 in the Manual of Laws.

• Each person serving on the Governance Board must be prepared to undertake the governance duties inherent in the role of the Governing Board as set out in the Manual of Laws of the MCI (Chapter 9) and in the Policy document attached to this email.

• Accept the legal obligations that accompany the role of a charitable trustee of the MCI

• Undertake to attend a minimum of 80% of the scheduled meetings of the Committee over the course of her/his three-year appointment.

• Attend appropriate training events where necessary.

• Serve on a sub-committee of the board if requested.

 

Personal Attributes

• A member of the MCI for at least five years/ordained for 5 years.

• Understanding and an appreciation of the history and ethos of the MCI.

• Understanding and appreciation of the organisation and activities of the MCI.

• Appreciation of the central role of the MCI in the pursuit of its mission to bring the word of Jesus Christ to the Irish people.

• Understanding of the responsibilities incumbent on a director and charitable trustee and a willingness to undertake these responsibilities.

• Commitment to devoting the necessary time and energy to the role of Governing Board member for a period of three years.

• Active participation – possess the ability and desire to actively prepare for each meeting and to contribute to the business and discussions of the Committee.

 

Relevant Skill Sets

Board members are expected to have knowledge and expertise in at least some of the following skill sets

• Strategic Expertise – The ability to understand and review the strategy of MCI.

• Legal expertise – possess an understanding of the laws governing organisations in general and the MCI in particular.

• Risk Management – have experience in understanding and managing risk.

• Change management – have experience in managing or guiding organisations through a period of change and development.

• Human Resource Management – an understanding of the laws and issues around the management and care of all those working within MCI.

• Financial management – possess an understanding of the financial aspects of good governance in general and financial reports in particular.

• Active Discernment – possess an ability and appreciation of the need to actively seek to discern the will of God for the MCI and to apply that in contributing to the work of the Governing Board.

• The ability and willingness to hold others to account; listening, probing, challenging and supporting as required.

• Decision making – The ability to examine and understand complex matters and to make difficult decisions when required.

 

 Experience

• Church development and organisation – have experience and knowledge of the work of the MCI on the ground.

• Prior participation on a senior board of an organisation.

• Teamwork – have experience in working as part of a senior team.

 

In addition, the Chair of the Board will be expected to have

• Experience of Chairing a significant Board.

• Experience of leadership in their Society or Circuit.

• Detailed understanding and experience of governance, ideally in a charity context.

  

I invite you to think and pray as to whether God is prompting you to submit an Expression of Interest. You can ask to be considered for both roles by ticking that box on the Form.

Please do feel free to email me if you have any questions or if a conversation would be helpful.

 

Warm regards,

Heather

 Rev Dr Heather Morris
General Secretary and Secretary of Conference
The Methodist Church in Ireland