The Church Office

In this podcast Gavin got the opportunity to interview Robin Vincent the CEO of Care for the Family. Robin has had a career in working with people. It was great to listen to his wisdom relating to organisational structure, communication and leadership. He talks about the tension between caring for staff while at the same time driving them to be the best that they can be. His thoughts about developing healthly cultures in organisations was excellent. At the end of the interview they briefly talk about staff capacity and burnout. Hopefully both helpful and practical!

The Church Office podcast took a road trip this week to Cardiff to hear more about a local church that is running a community cafe. It was lovely to meet Paul and Alyson to learn from there experience and hear all about what God has being doing through the cafe to grow the church.  Paul and Aly are Husband and wife duo, Paul serves as a Deacon for Ararat Baptist Church and Aly is the manager of the church cafe called The Ark. 

In this podcast Gavin got the opportunity to talk to Tim Wyatt about some of the financial challenges churches have faced during the pandemic. They also have a very interesting discussion around the important of charity governance and provide some practical examples and application points for UK churches. Gavin and Tim also discuss some of the implication for church budgets and some useful tips to consider over the next few years. A big thank you too Wyatt and Co for giving the time for Tim to share his experience and wisdom. 

In this podcast Gavin got the opportunity to interview and learn from David Norbury the chair of the Evangelical Movement of Wales. David had a very successful career in education and shares what he has learnt about Leadership and how it relates to the church. David identifies three models of leadership and explores their benefit in the church context.

In this podcast Gavin connects with Lewis Roderick, they are chatting about the up and coming Rebuild Conference. It captures their heart behind the conference and an opportunity to hear about what is planned. ‍Venue: Christchurch Centre, Newport, UK Date: 20th and 21st June 2022 To attend the conference please book here www.rebuldthechurch.co.uk

In this podcast Gavin is talking to Penny Clarke about the latest UCAN roundtable event on Church Finances with Tim Wyatt from Wyatt & Co Chartered Accountants. Their discussion covers the main points from the training session as well as encouragement to those serving behind the scenes overseeing church finances. A very interesting discussion about the tension between faith and stewardship or faith and operations. We hope you enjoy the video.

In this video Gavin talks to Verity Yeates a Parish administrator from St George and St Paul about the weird and wonderful world of church administration. They share stories, highlights and encouragement for those serving behind the scenes in their churches.

In this podcast Gavin had the wonderful opportunity to interview Nigel Ring who has served Terry Virgo and Newfrontiers leadership team behind the scenes for over 40 years. I loved hearing his heart and encouragement for church administrators. During the interview Nigel gives great examples of how to work with a senior church leader. I don't know if you can tell but I loved every minute of this interview with Nigel, grateful for him and his faithful service to the wider church.

Gavin connects with Anna Wood, the Operations Director for Cornerstone Collective in Liverpool. They are reflecting on how they are approaching the new year. Lots of encouragement for Church Administrator to look out and enjoy the grace of God around them. As well as an encouragement to be faithful in everything they are doing for the Glory of God.

In this podcast Gavin asks John Truscott some of the questions that listeners have sent in to The Church Office over the last few months.    1. How do you protect yourself from Burnout? 2. My senior leader is gracious with me but I find it hard to deal with my own mistakes and failures? Can you help? 3. How do you train the next generation for church administration? 4. Do you think there is a recommended length of time someone should stay in post? 5. Aren't church administrators really church deacons? Why do people use a different name? 6. I always feel like I am the person saying No to everything? It creates tension and I don’t know what to do different? 7. Is there a recognised pay scale for church administrators and operation jobs for churches? 8. I need help chairing meetings, what are your top three recommendations? 9. Help, I have challenges with my senior leader/ manager who interrupts governance and policy differently to me. We can’t agree! 10. We don’t have enough volunteers to run a church project, nobody wants to close it down but the burden is falling on me? I can’t keep going!