There are a number of ways you can become involved with the Ecclesiological Society. We are always looking for new members.

Treasurer

Our Treasurer, Anthony Gilmour, has decided to retire after a remarkable twelve years in that role. His friends and colleagues on Council are hugely appreciative of all that he has done over this time and we will be sorry to see him go. This now means that we need to recruit a successor for this, one of the most critical roles on Council.

The new Treasurer need not necessarily have a background in accountancy or finance, though clearly the role requires a strong facility with numbers, attention to detail, a professional mindset, and the ability to maintain accurate records and use spreadsheets. The Society’s finances are relatively straightforward. Most of our income comes in January in the form of membership fees, with small surpluses from events like conferences and visits. Our expenses primarily take the form of the costs of our publications (design, printing, and mailing) and holding events. We predominantly use online banking. The Treasurer manages all these processes, and it is a role which involves a pattern of work which could be described as “little and often”. The Treasurer also works with Council colleagues on pricing of events and in recommending membership fee rates to Council. This latter part of the role entails being able to take an overview of the whole of the finances of the Society and to understand the drivers which underly our income and expenditure and how these will evolve. Similarly all-encompassing is the preparation of the Annual Accounts, which are subject to independent external review and are an important feature of the Society’s compliance with charity law. The Treasurer is also, of course, a member of Council, and participates fully in the wider decision-making of Council on all matters. Council meets four times a year, currently twice in person and twice on Zoom.

If you think that this role would suit you, please contact Mark Kirby at chair@ecclsoc.org by 31 October and set out what you think you would bring to the role. There would be a handover period between Anthony and his successor, using the preparation of the Annual Accounts as a way of learning about the role.