Building a Church That Lasts: A Practical Guide to Setting Up a UK Church as a Registered Charity

About this book

Faith starts the church. Structure keeps it alive.

Starting a church is about calling, vision and people. Keeping one healthy also requires charity registration, trustees, banking, financial controls, Gift Aid, safeguarding and good governance.

Building a Church That Lasts is a practical UK guide for pastors, church planters, trustees and treasurers who need to turn vision into a properly structured, sustainable ministry.

Drawing on thirty years of experience in finance, governance and organisational leadership across corporate, charity and community organisations, Daniel J. Ashworth explains the practical realities of establishing and running a church charity in plain English, while never losing sight of the calling behind it.

What's inside

• Choosing the right legal structure: CIO, association, company or none
• Registering with the Charity Commission
• Drafting charitable objects
• Trustees, conflicts of interest and founding meetings
• Opening and managing a church charity bank account
• Financial controls before and after the bank account opens
• Gift Aid, PAYE and annual reporting
• CCLI, PPL PRS and church music licensing
• Safeguarding, DBS and essential policies
• International ministry and enhanced due diligence
• Dealing with a dissolved predecessor organisation
• Planning future projects including community centres and nurseries

Who is this book for?

Pastors and church planters preparing to formalise a ministry. Trustees taking responsibility for a new or existing church charity. Treasurers and administrators inheriting systems they did not create. And anyone with a calling who now needs to build the structure capable of supporting it.

Based on real experience

The book grew from the author's experience of being asked to help a ministry facing serious administrative and structural difficulties. What began as practical governance support developed into hands-on work involving charity registration, financial controls, banking, payroll, compliance and long-term development.

The result is the practical guide he wishes that ministry had been given at the beginning.

Real-world experience. Biblical wisdom. Practical tools.