The final value we aspire to is Effectiveness.
We aim to be professional and timely in decision-making and action, continually developing and adapting the resources, systems and skills that lead to good governance.
Whilst we all have a part to play in living out this value, perhaps a greater responsibility lies with the Presbytery staff and committees, to ensure that the presbytery operates as efficiently and effectively as possible. I wonder how you feel we are doing on that front?
There have been challenges with this over the last 20 months - as has been the case with all the new presbyteries. It's impossible to step from 6 fully functioning presbyteries into one and expect it to be fully functional on day one. Every committee had to take time to digest their remit and to develop processes to handle the significant amounts of information coming their way. We had to think about our standing orders and how we make decisions as a presbytery. This included delegating authority where appropriate, so that decisions can be made in a timely fashion but also at the right level. And then there's the practicalities around each Presbytery meeting - gathering the reports, sharing information, managing the technology, ensuring people understand what is being asked of them, communicating decisions and acting upon them. And all this needs to be regularly reviewed as we settle into life as NENI.
Here are some of things which we are currently working on to help us become more effective.
- The Presbytery staff are now meeting on a fortnightly basis to support each other and to ensure that we know what each of us is working on at the time. This will help us develop as a team focused on serving the Presbytery.
- We are prioritising getting the roll of Presbytery and the Yearbook finalised - as that helps everyone in the Presbytery communicate more effectively and ensures that everyone who is entitled to be involved in decision making is getting the right information.
- We are developing the ways in which we share information with the Presbytery on a regular basis via our website and our mailings.
- We are working on finalising our first set of accounts as NENI and developing a monitoring system whereby we can better track the finances of the Presbytery. Our Treasurer is also making steps to improve our banking processes.
Looking ahead, next year's General Assembly will be presented with a Presbytery Review Act. As part of that, we will be subject to an annual inspection of our records and there will be a five yearly review of how we are functioning as a presbytery. Are we fulfilling our functions and responsibilities? Can we evidence good governance? Is our decision making transparent and timely? It is helpful to have this in mind when we think about what needs to be prioritised at the moment in the work of the Presbytery office and the Business Committee.
Finally, one of the other areas of work we are conscious of is in supporting the trustees of each congregation so that you are fulfilling your responsibilities, as governed by the likes of OSCR. It is our hope that through our Congregational Support Officer we will be able to promote good governance at a congregational level as well as at a Presbytery level.
There is much work going on behind the scenes, of which these are some highlights, and hopefully we will all feel the benefit of these efforts in the months to come. One of the ways in which you can help is ensuring that you have responded to any information request from the office e.g. an extract minute confirming you are a commissioned elder or your data consent form, or that you have let us know if your contact details have changed. If you notice that some of the information we have is wrong, please do get in touch. And if you have any suggestions on how things could be made more efficient or effective, let me know.
Rev Stella
