Looking back over the past months, two constant themes emerge from the subjects included.

We are all too aware that the continuing global conflicts are playing havoc with our church finances. But how conscious are we of the constant stresses and challenges our church members face?

Focusing as we do on church finance and administrative issues, the personal well-being, health and poverty of our members can be overlooked.

Vulnerabilities become hidden, and the need for pastoral support is overlooked.

So please take to heart the importance of being aware of those in our churches and in the wider community who need practical, spiritual care and support in these difficult times.

Alongside these pastoral concerns, this month’s newsletter also covers important practical matters – from cyber security threats and trustee conflicts of interest, to the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund and ethical banking options – all of which are vital to the effective stewardship of our churches.

As always, we welcome your feedback on any of the issues raised in the Newsletter.

Table of Contents:

1. What’s new
   • New Places of Worship Renewal Fund launched
   • Trustees & AI ethics, cyber security – Threats to beware of
   • Charity Commission reminder – Trustee conflicts of interest
   • APPG launches inquiry into safeguarding in faith communities
   • Creating ethical faith-consistent investing strategies
   • What extra help would make a difference to your church or charity?
   • Annual ACAT Conference – Come and join us
   • Enjoying this month’s highlights?
2. Points to Ponder
   • Growth of the Rural Church
   • Domestic abuse within our churches – An overlooked safeguarding challenge
   • Continued growth in Church of England congregations
3. Partners in Ministry
   • ACAT Members Can Now Join Churches Mutual Credit Union
   • Mind the Gap Conference
   • Choosing a Greener, more ethical bank account for your church
   • Risk assessment & management – A reminder
   • Fundraising – Updated grant funders list
   • Charities Aid Foundation: Local Giving Report 2026
   • Almost £100k in donations
4. ACAT Training Programme
5. Charities Engagement Team – Upcoming webinars
6. Final Thought

God bless,

Ashley Ellis
ACAT Executive Officer

P.S. To make sure you don’t miss important updates, please add @acat.uk.com to your safe sender’s list. Some members have found our emails ending up in spam folders. We’ve put together a simple guide for Outlook, Gmail and other email providers at: https://www.acat.uk.com/make-sure-you-get-acat-emails/

New Places of Worship Renewal Fund launched

#Finance & Fundraising, #News, #Encouraged Action

Members will be all too aware that the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme closed on 31st March. Consequently, churches will now have to meet the VAT charged on repairs, which previously would have been covered by the scheme.

There is concern within the sector that church buildings could fall into disrepair as a result.

However, a new government initiative has replaced the former scheme with its Places of Worship Renewal Fund, which provides £92 million over the next four years, setting aside £23 million per year.

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund (PWRF) aims to provide grants for urgent repairs and essential improvements to listed places of worship in England.

Grants ranging from £10,000 to £1,000,000 will be awarded for capital works relating to building safety when open and in public use. Priority will be given to projects in areas of England with the highest levels of deprivation, need for investment, and those that offer the most community benefit. 

The fund is divided into three groupings:

• £10,000 – £50,000 (small grants)
• £50,001 – £350,000 (medium grants) 
• £350,001 – £1,000,000 (large grants)

There is no guarantee that applications will be successful. Further details of the fund requirements are available on the Historic England website via the links below. 

The new fund will only support projects on listed places of worship, even though the previous reference to “listed places of worship” was dropped from the title. The criteria, in brief, are as follows:

• the building must be an active listed place of worship in England; and
• the project must involve capital works, minor repairs, improvements and alterations, project development, adaptive reuse, and/or heritage interpretation.

Historic England emphasises that standalone project development cannot be funded.

Applicants must complete an expression of interest (EOI). If the EOI is successful, the applicant will be invited to make a full application. Historic England provides guidance on how to complete an EOI. 

The deadline for submitting EOIs for the first round of grants is Sunday, 14 June 2026. A second round will follow in September 2026.

Trustees & AI ethics, cyber security – Threats to beware of

#Charity Governance & Regulation, #News, #Encouraged Action

The Government has published an open letter to businesses on AI cyber threats. It urges businesses to take cyber security seriously and suggests signing up to the government-backed certification scheme, Cyber Essentials, that protects against the most common attacks. This in addition to following the advice of the National Cyber Security Centre and its Early Warning Service.

Cyber security is critically important for churches and voluntary organisations, and therefore, this advice should be taken extremely seriously.

The increasing use of AI arguably adds to cyber risks in the following areas:

• Data Security – use only trusted software tools
• Be aware of data bias in articles and web-based information 
• Misinformation perpetuated by AI

In 2024, 66% of charities with an income over £500,000 reported a cyber threat of some sort. The main threats are:

• Phishing attacks: Cybercriminals impersonate legitimate entities to deceive charity staff into revealing sensitive information or transferring funds.
• Ransomware: Malicious software encrypts charity data, demanding payment for its release.
• Data breaches: Unauthorised access to confidential information, such as donor details, can lead to reputational damage and legal repercussions.
• Website attacks: Hackers exploit vulnerabilities in charity websites to inject malware or deface pages.
• Social engineering: Manipulating individuals to disclose confidential information or perform actions detrimental to the charity’s interests.

The message here for all church trustees and administrators is to be vigilant and not to take cyber security for granted. Cyber criminals will exploit vulnerabilities with serious financial consequences.

On top of other resources, ACAT is running its Introduction to Computer Security for churches course, giving you an overview of computer security and the simple steps you can take to increase your knowledge and resilience. Book today if you think this is for you.

Charity Commission reminder – Trustee conflicts of interest

#Charity Governance & Regulation, #News, #Encouraged Action

How aware is your church governing body of potential conflicts of interest? Is the declaration of possible conflicts of interest requested at the commencement of your business and trustee meetings?

Recent Charity Commission inquiries into charity governance failures have frequently identified conflicts of interest at the heart of the problems and have therefore issued a reminder to all trustees of the importance of the issue.

Conflicts of interest usually fall into two categories:

1. Financial – where a trustee, or a person or organisation connected with the charity, could obtain a financial benefit, including the provision of a service, from a decision that the trustees may make. The following situations may cause a conflict of interest where a trustee:
   • provides the charity with goods or services
   • is employed by the charity
   • lends money to the charity
   • sells or leases land or other assets (such as equipment) to the charity
   • buys or rents land or other assets from the charity
   • has a separate paid role at an organisation owned and controlled by the charity. For example, as a director of the charity’s trading company
2. Loyalty conflicts – when the charity’s decision affects a person or organisation connected to a trustee. The following trustee relationships may cause this conflict of interest, where the decision involved relates to:
   • a trustee’s spouse or civil partner
   • a trustee’s immediate family and wider relatives
   • a trustee’s employer
   • another charity for which they are a trustee 
   • the organisation that appointed them as a trustee
   • a trustee’s friends

Conflicts of interest, particularly in the church, are easily overlooked, usually because of a misguided sense of wishing to prioritise support for fellow Christians.

In this context, it is important that charity law, not to mention biblically-based principles of stewardship, require us to be:

• transparent
• accountable
• business-like

in all our dealings.

APPG launches inquiry into safeguarding in faith communities

#Church Life & Community, #News, #Information Only

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Safeguarding in Faith Communities has launched an inquiry to assess safeguarding in faith communities. 

The inquiry will attempt to assess how well the existing definition of “regulated activity” — work that a barred person must not do — is understood and applied, in aspects of work with children and young people. Of particular concern are some volunteer-led worship practices, with no regular children’s worker present.

In relation to churches, problems can exist in relation to Sunday schools, community-led toddler groups and playgroups, where volunteers are not classed as needing an enhanced DBS check.

Concerns have also been expressed regarding:

• caretakers for places of worship and community centres, who often work unsupervised;
• roles at residential holiday camps; 
• visiting preachers and faith leaders, who are perceived as safe by the congregation owing to their position in the faith community.

Without the necessary checks and safeguards in place, children and young people are, in the view of the APPG, at risk. 

The APPG’s inquiry aims to clarify and expand the current definition of such groups and individuals to ensure comprehensive safeguarding in all appropriate situations, in addition to educating faith groups about their responsibilities.

The relevance and importance of this for churches is self-evident.

It is vital that all who have leadership responsibilities or who are in regular unsupervised contact with children and young people have the required DBS checks and are aware of all policies and procedures.

The suggested advice for members is that church governing bodies carry out the necessary reviews to determine who, if any, might also need to be DBS checked.

It is also worth remembering that ultimately, responsibility for safeguarding rests with the trustees/church governing body.

Creating ethical faith-consistent investing strategies

#Social Justice & Policy, #News, #Information Only

The first Faith in the Common Good forum held in Paris on 19 April has created “a centre of excellence in faith-consistent investing”.

FaithInvest, a not-for-profit organisation, brought together 33 faith traditions from four major religions to agree on a future strategy and criteria for ethical finance investment.

The stated underlying objective is to “create an ecosystem for faith investment which allows faith-based organisations to align their investment decisions to the faith that they proclaim and in so doing influence for good global capital markets.”

Global financial investment from Christian sources alone is estimated at between $1 trillion and $1.75 trillion.

UK-based CCLA (Churches, Charities and Local Authorities) is the UK’s largest manager of charity, faith-based, and public sector investments, managing over £15 billion in assets and the forum’s launch patron.

CCLA was established in 1958 through the Church of England Investment Fund and manages funds on behalf of some 11,000 PCCs, diocesan boards of finance, cathedral Chapters, and other C of E charities.

CCLA is also one of ACAT’s Partners in Ministry and a regular contributor and sponsor of the annual conference.

This ethical faith-based investment initiative serves to emphasise:

• The financial strength of Christian investment organisations
• The potential to use that strength to influence investment based on ethical values
• The need for churches to take seriously where they invest surplus funds, however small they might be.

The question, also raised in previous blog posts, is worth asking again. How seriously do we take the ethical basis of our banking and investment relationships?

What extra help would make a difference to your church or charity?

#Church Life & Community, #News, #Encouraged Action

Churches and Christian charities are under growing pressure to manage money, governance and legal responsibilities well, often alongside many other demands. Stewardship wants to understand what’s working, what feels difficult, and where extra support would make a real difference. They have created a short survey, which in turn will help shape future Stewardship services.

Answering surveys is a great way to help us and other support organisations to understand what the church is thinking and what it needs. Taking some time to share your thoughts can help shape the support you get.

The survey closes on 10 June 2026. We encourage you to take 5 minutes to fill out the survey and help Stewardship get a bigger picture of the support they should be offering.

Annual ACAT Conference – Come and join us

#Church Life & Community, #News, #Encouraged Action

ACAT’s Annual Conference and AGM will take place on Saturday 17 October 2026 at St Michael’s Centre, The Green, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8PD.

This is a great opportunity for church treasurers and trustees to meet for a day of discussion, encouragement and knowledge, in a vibrant city well worth a visit.

The roles of church finance and governance are of utmost importance and carry with them real responsibility. Sometimes it can feel like a very lonely role, and so the conference is a place where people who understand these challenges can come together, sharing their experience and offering practical advice to one another.

Whether you’re a newly appointed church treasurer, accountant or trustee or have been in the role for what seems like forever, the conference will be a place of encouragement, support and the exchange of views, bringing together members from across the UK and across Christian denominations and organisations.

Tickets this year are £25 and, as ever, we encourage you to invite others from your church and those around you to come along together. This will no doubt benefit anyone engaged in finance, administration or governance within your church.

Growth of the Rural Church

#Church Life & Community, #News, #Information Only

The rural church is frequently only seen in terms of historic buildings, expensive to repair and maintain, with dwindling congregations, most of whom are aged over 70. 

Against this picture, it would be hard to view the state of the rural church as being anything other than a phenomenon in decline. 

However, in recent post-COVID times, many rural churches have again become the hub and centre of their local communities in very practical ways. Whilst Sunday worship has continued much as in the past, during the week, church buildings are transformed into:

• Small shops and post offices, following the demise of the village store
• Food banks and repositories of excess produce for those struggling economically
• Cafés and drop-in centres providing hot meals for the homeless and those living alone
• Day centres for young families
• Visitor centres offering hospitality to tourists, walkers and pilgrims.

St Aidan’s Cumbria is a new, growing rural church, set up for people living around Keswick and Cockermouth. Established along what is known as the A66 corridor, the project is part of a £6.8 million investment in mission, in Cumbria, funded by the Strategic Mission and Investment Board of the Church of England.

This rural church plant is one of a number to be created across the county as part of The Cumbrian Way project, with other new worshipping communities being established in Barrow and Carlisle.

Working alongside other churches in the area, the project aims to reach families, children, young people and those for whom church has not been part of their lives so far.

This serves as an encouragement to all who are part of a rural church that, despite challenging issues, growth can take place provided prayerful vision and commitment are present. Financial investment and support also go a long way.

This is perhaps an aspect of mission that larger urban and city-centre churches with greater financial resources could consider supporting.

Domestic abuse within our churches – An overlooked safeguarding challenge

#Church Life & Community, #News, #Encouraged Action

A disturbing article in The Church Times, 1 May, by Sally Hope, highlighted the unacceptable level of domestic abuse in our churches. Sally, who specialis in writing on the subject of faith and domestic abuse, referenced several disturbing reports, concluding among other things that:

“If we want to resolve the problem of violence against women, we have to tackle the aspects of our doctrine which are misappropriated by abusers. We have to teach — overtly — better theology.”

These issues immediately come to the fore when reflecting on Sally’s article:

• Are our safeguarding policies and procedures sufficiently robust?
• Are the procedures able to identify possible situations where domestic abuse may be taking place within our church family?

As trustees, we have a duty of care with respect to possible safeguarding concerns. Is this an issue we, in our churches, are inadvertently overlooking or even ignoring?

Continued growth in Church of England congregations

#Church Life & Community, #News, #Information Only

Some encouraging news for Anglican members. It is estimated that over 1,023,000 people regularly attended Church of England services last year. This is an increase of 1.4% from 2024 and the fifth year in succession that numbers have risen.

Attendance at Christmas and Easter services rose significantly, with nearly two million attendees at Christmas and over one million at Easter.

Whilst remaining below pre-pandemic levels, this is still encouraging news and runs contrary to claims that church-going is in decline and is only of marginal relevance today.

It would be interesting to know whether the experience of increased attendance is being felt across our membership generally.

ACAT Members Can Now Join Churches Mutual Credit Union

Churches Mutual Credit Union is a financial co-operative created by and for the Church community. This new partnership opens the door to ethical savings and affordable loans designed to support both individuals and church bodies.

ACAT members can open personal savings accounts with instant access, dividend-based returns and FSCS coverage up to £120,000. Church bodies – including PCCs, dioceses, circuits, and charities – can also join as corporate members, providing a safe home for reserves or project funds.

Churches Mutual operates on a simple but powerful principle: members support members. Loans are tailored to real-life needs at fair, transparent rates, with decisions made by people who understand the Church context.

Read the full article to find out more.

Mind the Gap Conference

Our partners over at The Church Office are running a conference for church leaders, operations managers, trustees, PCC members, and key team members leading in that space.

Much of church leadership doesn’t happen on the platform; it happens in the GAP.

The space between vision and delivery. Between responsibility and authority. Between senior leaders and the wider team.

Through practical teaching and honest conversation, they will explore:

• What life in the GAP really feels like and how to navigate it well.
• The skills needed to lead with clarity in complexity.
• How to work effectively with senior leaders and teams.
• How to lead with influence

The conference will be running once in the north and once in the south:

The South Conference: 16 September

The North Conference: 29 September

Gavin Smith, founder of The Church Office, will be our keynote speaker at the ACAT Conference 2026, and we encourage you to learn more about the Mind the Gap Conference as well as ACAT’s.

Choosing a greener, more ethical bank account for your church 

Churches are constantly encouraged to consider where and with whom they bank, and the importance given to green and ethical issues by their financial services provider.

One of ACAT’s Partners in Ministry, Just Money Movement, has recently provided a guide to choosing a “greener, more ethical bank for your church.”

The guide is free and compares four ethical banks that offer accounts suitable for churches and charities: CAF Bank, the Co-operative Bank, Reliance Bank and Unity Trust Bank.

If this is an issue you are actively considering, the guide is certainly worth a look.

Risk assessment & management – A reminder

When was the last time your church’s risk management policy and procedures were reviewed?

Assuming that is, you have a formal policy in place, because not all churches regard this as a priority.

Now that spring is firmly present, and summer is on the horizon, churches will be holding various events, both inside and outside their buildings, including outreach initiatives in town and city centres and beach missions.

In their latest monthly newsletter, Ecclesiastical reminds all churches and charities of the importance of risk management, particularly for each event that may be planned, including regular Sunday worship activities.

Risk management advice is in plentiful supply, either through denominational central offices, specialist advisors, or through online courses. The subject is also included in ACAT’s course, Trustee Training for Churches.

In general terms, the essentials of any risk management system are very simple and straightforward.

• Identifying the risks associated with any proposed event.
• Defining the harm that could be caused to people or property.
• In what circumstances might the risks occur, and the harm be done?
• Who or what might be involved and harmed?
• What is the likelihood of the harm happening?
• What factors or precautions might reduce the risks?
• Review the assessment and management process.

The advice is clear: don’t take anything for granted.

To use the cliché, ‘Better safe than sorry.’

Failure to take the subject seriously could be costly in many ways, not the least being financial.

Fundraising – Updated grant funders list

Ecclesiastical insurance has issued an updated list of those grant-making bodies willing to consider funding projects with a particular emphasis on:

• Community involvement and impact
• Church building projects
• Activities centred around faith and church life, including emergency clergy-related financial support.

So if your church has a project for which it is seeking grant funding, help is at hand.

Charities Aid Foundation: Local Giving Report 2026

The Charities Aid Foundation UK Local Giving Report 2026 is well worth reading as an insight into charitable giving across the country.

It demonstrates how charitable giving varies from area to area, as well as the influence of location, place, and community engagement.

The report’s area analysis offers insights into what determines people’s generosity and offers recommendations for fundraising planning. It also demonstrates that the greater the perceived involvement of a charity in its local community, the more generous people are likely to be towards that charity.

The lesson for our member churches is clear. Demonstrable community engagement can reap its own very tangible rewards.

Almost £100k in donations

Almost £100k in donations has just been given to churches using easyfundraising. All courtesy of retailers giving donations when kind supporters shop online.  Your church can be part of the next funding pay out in August by setting up a free easyfundraising page.

Simply register your church as a good cause with easyfundraising and ask your church community to choose you as the cause they want to support. Then, each time they shop online with over 8,000 well known retailers like Tesco, trainline, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Booking.com, eBay and many more, they’ll activate a cashback donation for your church courtesy of the retailer they shopped with – at no extra cost to anyone.

Every three months, the money raised is paid to your church and you can spend it on whatever you like as this classes as unrestricted funding.

Find out more and register your church at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/acat

• Introduction to being a Church Trustee: Some things to think about
  • Date: Tuesday 2 June
  • Time: 7 – 8 PM

• Generating Income and Grant Applications (In-person)
  • Date: Saturday 6 June
  • Time: 10 AM – 4 PM
  • Location: Cambridge

• Being a Treasurer: The Basics (3-session course)
  • Date: Thursday 11, 18, 25 June
  • Time: 7 – 9 PM

• Charities SORP 2026: an Introduction
  • Date: Monday 15 June
  • Time: 7 – 8 PM

• Trustee Training for Churches (2-session course)
  • Date: Saturday 4, 11 July
  • Time: 10 AM – 12 Noon

• Gift Aid: Maximising the benefits and reducing the pitfalls
  • Date: Monday 6 July
  • Time: 7 – 9 PM

• Introduction to Computer Security for churches
  • Date: Tuesday 14 July
  • Time: 7.30 – 8.30 PM

• ACAT Conference 2026
  • Date: Saturday 17 October
  • Time: 9.30 AM
  • Location: Bristol

• ACAT Conference 2026 – Livestream
  • Date: Saturday 17 October
  • Time: 9.30 AM

If you have any questions about our training, please contact Cath Fox.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales registers and regulates charities to ensure that the public can support charities with confidence. Through regular events, the Charities Engagement Team supports trustees and charity leaders to manage their charities effectively.

Courses for June and July are open for bookings.

Did you know?

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Charity no. 1072733 Registered address: Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers, C/O KM Accountants, 1st Floor, Block C, The Wharf, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 1JG.