Bookings are now closed; if you still want to attend, please contact Cath via our enquiry form to check availability.
We are thrilled to announce that this year's event will take place on Saturday, October 14th. Excitingly, we are relocating to a new venue, The Priory Rooms in Birmingham (B4 6AF).
Take advantage of this incredible opportunity! Join us and gain valuable strategies, practical tips, and actionable insights to help your church thrive.
We understand that not everyone can attend in person, so we have arranged a livestreamed option for those unable to join us physically bookable HERE. This way, you won't miss out on any of the valuable insights and knowledge shared at the conference.
This year's conference theme is "Maximising Resources: Being Efficiently Effective." We know that year-on-year finances continue to be a challenge for many churches, and we know this affects the treasurer, the trustees, and the wider church.
We aim to empower churches to make the most of their existing resources, be it finances, individuals, infrastructure, or technology. Our goal is to equip and inspire churches to fulfil their mission and create a meaningful impact in God's Church.
The ACAT conference is ideal for anyone connected with the finances or management of a church. Whether you are the Treasurer, Chair or a Trustee. Whether you are part of a church of 20 or 20,000, there will be something for you.
The programme will be accessible to all, whether you are new to the role or have been there since the church began.
The conference is there to help you gain new knowledge of the world of finance and management in the church.
The conference was a great way to meet other people sharing the same issues that I encounter in my role as a treasurer. More than that, I was inspired and motivated by the wonderful range of speakers. so many of my questions answered and possibilities opened up ahead of me and my church.
It was my first time at an ACAT annual conference and I left there really encouraged and strengthened to serve as a church treasurer. My 1st exposure to ACAT through a simple book keeping online training course gave me a lot of the knowledge in areas that I had learning gaps in and I was really looking forward to the conference. The conference really blessed me.
I really enjoyed the ACAT Conference. It felt like a very supportive and friendly atmosphere, being alongside like-minded people. It was a great way of meeting others who are doing what can sometimes be rather an isolated role.
In his address, Nigel will explore the resources used to make Church happen, identify opportunities to make the use of these resources even more fruitful, and identify free sources of help and advice that Church Treasurers, Trustees and Leaders can use to make this happen.
Richard from CAF Bank will conduct an insightful workshop centred on:
In his session, Mark will be exploring:
"Risk management can sometimes sound like an alien concept in a church - if people even think about it at all, it can be seen as 'too corporate', too inherently negative, or it is understood narrowly as just being about health and safety. However, risk is a much broader subject than accident books and PAT testing, and its understanding is often integral to ensuring an organisation - including a church - is best equipped to meet its objectives.
This seminar will explore how taking an intentional but proportionate approach to risk management can help a church leadership team understand where its operations are vulnerable to the kinds of disruption that will waste scarce resources, draw their focus, and ultimately interfere with their core ministry and mission. More importantly, we will explore what we can do about it."
This workshop, delivered in conversational style, will explore the issue of buildings and how we use them. The facilitator will draw on three decades experience of working with urban, rural and suburban churches and pose questions such as:
The Parish Giving Scheme(PGS) provides an efficient and effective giving mechanism for churches, with the unique feature of inviting givers to increase their regular giving in line with inflation.
In this session, The PGS team will facilitate conversation and share experiences and insights. Together, we will explore how your church can become a more generous church, with insights from PGS experiences of inflation-linked giving during a cost-of-living crisis, with practical takeaways to help you efficiently and effectively advance regular giving in your church.
This practical workshop will cover some common legal issues faced by churches as charities, and how to avoid pitfalls to ensure funds and resources are managed and used as effectively as possible. We will cover topics including:
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 09:30 | Registration |
| 10:00 | Welcome & opening prayer |
| 10:20 | Keynote talk |
| 11:00 | Tea Break – an opportunity to visit our exhibitors and take refreshment |
| 11:30 | Workshops - session 1 (3 to choose from) |
| 12:15 | Workshops – session 2 (3 to choose from) |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:45 | Workshops - session 3 (3 to choose from) |
| 14:30 | Workshops - session 4 (3 to choose from) |
| 15:15 | Break |
| 15:30 | ACAT AGM 2023 – An update of the work of ACAT and an opportunity to ask questions |
| 16:00 | Concluding remarks |
Sponsor - Data Developments
Sponsor - JustMoney Movement
Sponsor - Liberty Accounts
Sponsors - Trinitas
Sponsor - Bates Wells
Sponsor - iKnow Church
Sponsor - PGS (Parish Giving Scheme)
Venue: The Priory Rooms, Birmingham (B4 6AF)
For more information about the venue including transport links please see The Priory Rooms Website
This is a full day conference, with registration at the venue from 09:30 and the conference itself running from 10:00 to 16:15. Refreshment and lunch are built into the programme & are always a great opportunity to interact with fellow treasurers.
The cost includes all materials, lunch and refreshments. All ACAT events are open to members and non-members.
The Priory Rooms Meeting & Conference Centre, Bull Street, Birmingham, UK
