2023-12-31-accounts

(Company Limited by Guarantee)

Trustees’ Report, Independent Examiner’s Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2023

Charity Number: 1113299

Company Number: 05661787

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) Year Ended 31 December 2023

	Pages
Letter from the General Secretary	1
Trustees' Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report)	2 - 19
Independent Examiner’s Report	20
Statement of Financial Activities (Incorporating the Income and Expenditure Account)	21
Balance Sheet	22
Statement of Cashflows	23
Accounting Policies and Notes	24 - 39
Reference and Administrative Information	40 - 41

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Letter from the General Secretary

In a time of increasing polarisation, violence, and insecurity, it is a privilege to lead and support work that is focussed on bringing people together, building relationships and facilitating collective responses to societal divisions, inspired by our Christian faith.

In 2022 the CTBI trustees and wider membership approved a new strategic plan which came into effect in 2023. Since then, our member churches have been working together on the following strategic priorities:

• Strengthening ecumenical engagement in Britain and Ireland

• Working together for mission and the common good

• Healing society’s fractures: identities, borders, and nationalities

• Working for Global Peace and Justice

• Promoting Ethical and Inclusive Leadership

The reception of the new plan as we begin the work of implementation has been very positive with members welcoming, in particular, the way in which it demonstrates the connection of the different strands of our work and the deeper significance of our search for unity which provides the foundation and guiding principles upon which all other aspects of the work rest. In this way the new strategy helps us to communicate our work to a wider audience.

The report which follows outlines some of the key achievements and learning from our experiences in 2023. In response to the first progress report on the new plan at our 2023 AGM it was noted that such an ambitious and varied programme is only possible because of the support from member church representatives, the participants in our working groups and networks and the other partners who contribute to our work and encourage and guide our small staff team. We are conscious that the increasing pressures on the resources of churches, both human and financial, means that it is more important than ever that we work together, and also that we make the most of the time our members invest in this work.

I am grateful to my colleagues in the CTBI staff for their commitment to this work, and to our very dedicated trustees who provide such careful and consistent support. We are grateful to the trustees who completed their terms on the board during 2023, Rachel Lampard and Elizabeth Harris, who have made a significant contribution, leading different aspects of the work.

In 2025, together with the Church around the world, we will mark the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council – the Council of Nicaea. Our conversations to date have demonstrated that reflection on this anniversary has the potential to deepen our understanding of the ecumenical journey so far, and potentially to guide us towards renewed commitments that will strengthen our fellowship and our collective witness to a fractured world.

Nicola Brady General Secretary

1

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Trustees’ Report

The Trustees present their Annual Report (also incorporating the Directors’ Report) for the year ended 31 December 2023. The Trustees are listed on page 40 and general information relating to CTBI is also given on page 41.

Overview of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Structure, Governance and Management

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) was incorporated in England on 22 December 2005, and on 1 April 2007 acquired all the assets and functions of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, an unincorporated association, (Registered Charity number: 259688). The Company provides a structure to facilitate the operations of CTBI with membership drawn from the National Ecumenical Instruments (Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS), Churches Together in England (CTE), Churches Together in Wales (Cytûn) and the Irish Council of Churches (ICC)), the Churches and Bodies in Association.

CTBI is a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (Company number 05661787) and established under a Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 22 December 2005 (as amended on 3 May 2007, 22 September 2010, 5 May 2011 and 17 May 2017). It is a registered charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity number 1113299).

The names of those who served as Trustees (and who are also directors of the company) during 2023 and up to the date of signing these accounts are listed on page 40. The Trustees delegate day to day management of CTBI to the General Secretary, Nicola Brady.

Governance

The board meets four times each year, usually including at least one residential meeting. In addition, the Finance and General Purposes Committee reports to each meeting of the Trustees. Board members new to the work of CTBI meet with the General Secretary and senior staff for orientation. Where required, additional training or advice is made available, and Trustees are kept informed and up to date about all relevant regulatory and other governance matters at board meetings.

The board are responsible for all key strategic decisions of the charity, including approval of annual budgets, review of strategy and risk register, approving salary levels and overseeing key personnel appointments. Line management of the General Secretary is carried out by selected trustees on behalf of the whole board. Day to day activities and operational decision-making are delegated to the staff team under the direction of the General Secretary.

Board membership in recent years has been broadened to give greater voice to the churches whilst also allowing the Board to develop the necessary skills and expertise. Trustees can be nominated or proposed by any of the members of CTBI (other than Bodies in Association). Those nominated by the National Ecumenical Bodies of England, Scotland or Wales or by the Irish Council of Churches (collectively, a maximum of 5) will be elected to serve by majority vote of those Trustees who have been appointed from the member Churches. Member Churches can appoint, collectively, up to 10 Trustees who are elected via proposal to a nominations committee which ensures balance between various Christian traditions. Trustees can also be co-opted, and anyone so appointed will serve until the subsequent AGM at which point, they can be re-elected. The minimum number of Trustees is 10 and the maximum is 22. One third of Trustees retire at each AGM and are eligible for re-election. We continue to seek new ways of ensuring that our member Churches have significant representation and the issues that are live for our membership are brought to the board table.

2

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Trustees are guided by the following principles which state that our work programme should:

1. Meet unmet needs (work desired by the churches but not being done);

2. Add value (work amplifying or increasing the impact of work done by the churches);

3. Only be possible if done ecumenically (work which achieves that which member churches cannot achieve individually);

4. Add a four nations focus (work drawing on the insights/contexts of member churches in the different nations to enrich each other);

5. Be done in partnership (work draws on or enables partnerships).

The staff and trustees of CTBI continue to believe that we have an important role to play across the four nations and internationally. At a time when we need reconciliation locally, nationally, and internationally, the need for dialogue between the churches, other faith communities and government is even more important. The sharing of information, the creation of resources that support local initiatives, connecting the national and international contexts to the local church roots, is as important today as at any time in the past. CTBI is a resource for serving the churches and the communities in which our churches are set, as they strive to work together through deepening dialogue and interaction. The small, dedicated team remains responsive to fresh demands and new initiatives. Its emphasis continues to be on relationships and the building of dialogue between the churches and associated organisations as they serve their local communities.

The trustees have given due consideration to the Charity Commission’s published guidance on the Public Benefit requirement under the Charities Act 2011. During the year, the following areas of work in particular contributed to the requirement to provide public benefit. More details are provided in the Achievements and Performance section of this report:

• Promotion of inter-religious dialogue and joint working

• Equipping churches to respond to issues of serious youth violence

• Resourcing churches to engage with issues around asylum, migration, and refugees

Regular skills audits are undertaken to ensure Trustees have the breadth of skills and experience to comply with the Charity Governance Code. This process is reviewed periodically to identify additional steps they could take to improve the governance of the charity.

The charity had no fundraising activity in 2023 requiring disclosure under S162A of the Charities Act.

Objectives and Activities

The objects of the Charity are the advancement of the Christian religion, the relief of poverty and the advancement of education and any other purposes which are charitable according to the law of England and Wales.

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland has been established by its member churches as an expression of their commitment to ecumenism and inter-church cooperation across Britain and Ireland. We provide spaces for member churches to engage in dialogue and relationship-building and support collaborative actions on issues of shared concern through a range of approaches, including research, publication of resources, theological reflection, communications, and advocacy.

CTBI is an umbrella body through which the member churches cooperate on common issues. It works closely with the National Ecumenical Instruments to give witness to the essential unity of the Christian movement. CTBI’s core tasks are providing “structured ecumenical space” for meetings and encounters, facilitating shared study on common issues, and fostering relationships, both among the churches and between the churches and the wider world.

3

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Our Statement of Purpose

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland believe that Ecumenism is an urgent evangelical imperative. It is time we cease projecting the image of a dismembered Body of Christ, which is a counter-witness to the Good News we proclaim. The ecumenism we seek is dynamic and responsive, not a monolith resulting from one powerful church swallowing the others, but a mega community composed of churches (local, national, and international) that complement one another, each with its own historical identity, its unique tradition, its own doctrinal emphasis, and its particular worship form; in short, a Pentecostal communion of communities that understand and speak one another’s language.

This current strategic plan is based on priorities that have been identified, in consultation with member churches, for the period 2023 to 2027. It centres on five priority areas of focus:

• Strengthening ecumenical engagement in Britain and Ireland

• Working together for mission and the common good

• Healing society’s fractures: identities, borders, and nationalities

• Working for global peace and justice

• Promoting ethical and inclusive leadership

The wide-ranging nature of the strategic plan reflects the diversity of our membership and the extent and depth of the churches’ ecumenical commitment to the promotion of the common good and to the building of a just and compassionate society for all.

We are conscious that this strategy is taking effect at a challenging time for the Church, from the local through to the global level. It is offered as an invitation to dialogue and engagement in the hope that it will help churches feel supported in their vital work and enhance the visibility of that work in the wider society.

Principal activities

The principal activities of the Charity continue to be carried out for the public benefit and comprise:

• witnessing to and working towards the visible unity of the Christian Churches;

• providing opportunities for representatives of the Churches to meet and to plan their work together;

• where possible resourcing the work of these Churches in their relationship with government and social concerns, in their international relationships and in their internal life;

• seeking opportunities for the development of partnerships with external community based organisations;

• working on the Churches' behalf on issues such as racial justice, relations with people of other faiths and aspects of mission;

• developing and publishing for the Churches resources for study and prayer; and

• • developing new social media platforms to engage with wider society.

These activities are undertaken in close partnership with the ecumenical bodies established to work in the separate nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

4

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Achievements and Performance

Strategic Priority 1 – Strengthening Ecumenical Engagement in Britain and Ireland

This strategic priority refers to the work CTBI does to promote and resource ecumenical engagement, develop our networks and support British-Irish engagement with global ecumenical bodies.

Promoting and resourcing ecumenical engagement

CTBI develops and publishes resources for local ecumenical groups for significant events in the church calendar and to support engagement with key themes arising from its work.

Each year CTBI develops resources to help the churches in Britain and Ireland engage with the global Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, with a dedicated website (https://weekofprayer.org/) and communications and social media support. Preparation during 2023 was focussed on the resources for the 2024 Week of Prayer, when the theme came from the churches of Burkina Faso in West Africa and focused on the text of the parable of the Good Samaritan with its emphasis on serving the needs of others especially in times of conflict, and how this is the central vocation of Christians and how they live together in unity in the world. The resources were made available online and in hard copy, with a Welsh-English bilingual version and online resources in Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic.

A resource entitled ‘Christ’s costly gift of reconciliation’ was developed for Lent in 2023, with the option of a weekly e-mail reminder. The theme connected participants to the work of CTBI and to the wider international context with reference to the World Council of Churches 2022 General Assembly on the theme of ‘Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity’ and looked ahead to the June 2023 General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches with its theme of ‘Under God’s Blessing – Shaping the Future’.

Developing our Networks

CTBI’s work is carried out in close partnership with the national ecumenical instruments (NEIs). In addition to the NEI representation at CTBI trustee meetings, CTBI facilitates a range of opportunities for relationshipbuilding and collaborative working including: meetings of General Secretaries and other staff and participation in NEI events and meetings. A four-nations meeting of national ecumenical officers takes place quarterly to discuss issues of shared concern. In addition, the trustee residentials of CTBI rotate around different locations to provide opportunities for in-depth engagement with each of the NEIs in turn. In 2023 the trustee residential took place in Edinburgh and provided an opportunity to engage with the national ecumenical officers for the Scottish churches to discuss the development of new national ecumenical instruments for Scotland and to explore the contribution of bilateral theological dialogues with a panel of member church representatives.

CTBI holds an ecumenical fund, which supports ecumenical work carried out by any of the four national ecumenical instruments in Britain and Ireland. These bodies can apply for grant funding to support new or ongoing work. Applications are assessed by the trustees in line with wider charitable and strategic objectives. In 2023 a grant was awarded to the Irish Council of Churches to support the creation of a new Good Relations Officer post.

CTBI’s membership includes Bodies in Association – faith-based organisations working on issues that align with the vision, values, and strategic priorities of CTBI. Three times a year, meetings of this group are convened jointly with Churches Together in England. We are grateful to John Cooper for his chairing of this network. During 2023 the group discussed themes relating to the CTBI strategic plan, such as the relationship between the work of mission and the churches’ contribution to the common good.

Twice a year CTBI publishes a magazine for members with a range of articles providing updates on the work of CTBI and the national ecumenical instruments, together with profiles of its members and information for churches arising from our networks.

5

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

British-Irish engagement with global ecumenical bodies

In 2023 CTBI worked with the Conference of European Churches (CEC) to facilitate planning and networking for the British and Irish church representatives attending the 2023 General Assembly in Tallinn, Estonia. A special briefing was organised for delegates in advance of the Assembly.

The CTBI General Secretary participates in annual meeting of European General Secretaries organised by CEC. The 2023 meeting took place from 27th February to 1st March in Brussels with a particular focus on peacebuilding work in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

CTBI has also been participating in conversations about the ecumenical dimension of the global synodal process currently underway in the Catholic Church.

Strategic Priority 2 – Working Together for Mission and the Common Good

This strategic priority covers work in the area of mission, racial justice and inter faith dialogue as well as social inclusion and a healthy society.

Mission

The Mission Theology and Apologetics Group (MTAG) is facilitated by CTBI and the Church of England. The group has held two meetings since the last Annual Report. Members have appreciated the return to in-person meetings, drawing energy, creativity and support from being together. MTAG work goes on continuously between meetings with momentum maintained through chats, emails and online groups. In our commitment to providing both theological reflection and practical resource to the churches in the areas of Spirituality, Theology, Reconciliation, Evangelism and Mission, we have worked on the following:

Spirituality

• We have produced a new reflection on contemporary spirituality and the challenges for the Church, building on our analysis of Prince Harry’s book, Spare.

• Three of our members are involved in the Modern Church Conference 2024 which this year concentrates on ‘Finding the Sacred in the 21st Century: New Ways of Looking at Spirituality’ https://modernchurch.org.uk/events/finding-the-sacred-in-the-21st-century-new-ways-of-looking-atspirituality. Anne Richards has written a blog piece for Modern Church on ‘spiritual abuse’ which highlights the possibility of harms and exploitation in spiritual exploration https://modernchurch.org.uk/anne-richards-spiritual-abuse . Her keynote address at this conference will use MTAG’s Five Themes in a Theology of Evangelism.

Theology

• We are continuing to work on our project on Mortal Remains. We added new theological material on the resurrection of the body and what that implies. Because of the interest we are attracting in doing this work, we were also approached by the Law Commission to help them understand some of the ethical issues around disposal of human bodies as they consider new funerary methods such as water cremation. Two members joined us at our last meeting for a fruitful discussion. This work is ongoing.

• Similarly, we are working with researchers looking into Digital Immortality and ‘grief tech’. This is an important new area which requires robust theological interrogation, and which is part of MTAG’s project.

Reconciliation

• We have provided theological material to policy advisers working on migration issues. Following the Archbishop’s Commission on Families and Households, we produced a paper on something we felt was literally missing – how we help people in our society who are invisible or who deliberately make themselves invisible.

• We have continued to work with Relational Church – contributing to conversations on ‘clergy stress’ and ‘difficult relationships’. MTAG’s long history of work in reconciliation (building on ‘Unreconciled?’) has been invaluable in building ecumenical relational church work, which is still in its early stages.

6

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Evangelism

• We are supporting Professor John Drane in an initiative at Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church and receiving regular updates from John on how this radical re-imagining of this place is drawing people to it.

• MTAG’s Facebook page sparked an interesting discussion about ‘I don’t go to church, but…’ at the beginning of the year, leading to invitations to become involved in other projects and partnerships, which we are taking up.

Mission

• We have continued to promote our resources on saints, with St David proving popular over the last year.

• • As a result of our connection with Relational Church, Anne Richards has also done a piece of work on cathedrals and mission, drawing on work in MTAG, including member Vicky Johnson’s new book on Music and Singing, and published shortly in the Journal of Beliefs and Values.

Development

• We will continue resourcing of spiritual seekers through www.spiritualjourneys.org.uk and developing ways to allow Christians to develop and share their faith in simple ways.

• Providing digital theology, through MTAG’s social media channels, provoking conversations, and discussions.

• Resourcing peacebuilding and better relationships in communities.

• Partnerships with denominational networks and groups, and to evangelism networks in places where MTAG can add value.

• Supporting a whole range of projects led by our members and wider network of supporters in areas such as social action, world mission, chaplaincy, liturgy and music, digital mission, theological education, inter faith work and refugee support.

Racial Justice

Since the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, there has been increased church and societal interest in racial justice matters. CTBI has been seeking to build on our long-term investment in the work of racial justice to support our member churches in going deeper in their work in this area and thinking more strategically and creatively about how to achieve lasting change. At our 2023 AGM we heard from member churches that this issue is an acute concern in many areas due to fears about racist attacks on the streets and the institutional racism that continues to impact many people, especially youth.

Key achievements in this area for the Director of Social Justice and Inclusion:

• Liaising with the Stephen Lawrence Day Trust to organise a 30th anniversary church service at St Martinsin-the-Field on Stephen Lawrence Day (in the UK) on 22 April 2023.

• Providing racial justice training to students linked to the Congregational Federation in April 2023.

• Writing and recording prayers for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Prayer for the Day’ in June.

• Writing a chapter focusing on ‘Communications’ in the National Church Leaders Forum’s ‘Black Church Political Manifesto’ in June. This manifesto aims to equip Black Christians with the wherewithal to engage in political matters.

• Working with CTBI colleagues to revamp existing resources to mark the 60th anniversary of Revd Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I have a dream’ speech in August 2023.

• Providing racial justice training to Salvation Army staff in October 2023.

• Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the Ammerdown Centre in Somerset in November 2023

• Providing racial justice training to Church of England clergy and curates in January 2024.

• Liaising with Christian Aid colleagues in February 2024 to promote their new, justice-related worship song: ‘Everything is Yours’.

• Attending a Parliamentary Breakfast meeting in February 2024 to discuss the churches’ role in getting Christians to register to vote in the British general election.

7

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Looking forward to 2024:

• Speaking at the Church of Ireland’s Primate's Reference Group on Ethnic Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Justice on 19 March 2024.

• CTBI will participate in the annual COVID-19 Memorial service on 18 March which recognises the disproportionate numbers of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic victims of the pandemic.

• Speaking at the 101st ICC Annual Meeting on 11 April 2024.

• Speaking at the Leeds Church Institute’s Churches Against Racism event on 18 April 2024 in Tooting, London.

• CTBI will participate in the annual service that recognises the Windrush Scandal in Brixton, London in May.

• • Guest speaker at the Catholic Association for Racial Justice’s (CARJ) 40th anniversary celebrations on 25 May 2024.

Racial Justice Sunday

This initiative enables churches to remember the importance of racial justice, reflect on human diversity and thank God for it, and respond by working to end injustice, racism and ignorance through prayer and action.

• During 2023, CTBI developed resources for Racial Justice Sunday (RJS) 2024 that focused on migration. This year’s material had the title: Exodus: Justice for God’s people on the move, and aimed to respond to the worldwide refugee crisis, and the disquiet linked to asylum matters in Britain and Ireland. Once again, these ecumenical resources had a four-nations dimension.

• CTBI promoted RJS via:

• Articles on the Premier/Christianity website

• On Premier Radio

• On UCB Radio

• Via the writing and recording of prayers for Premier for Racial Justice Sunday.

• An article for Reform magazine (URC) for Racial Justice Sunday.

• A Churches Together in Staffordshire meeting in January 2024.

Looking forward to 2024:

• Working on Racial Justice Sunday resources for February 2025, which will be the 30th anniversary of Racial Justice Sunday.

• There will be a new approach to the production of these resources, via a new Racial Justice Sunday writers’ group.

• Liaising with denominations and parachurch groups that have hitherto not engaged with Racial Justice Sunday.

• Working with the Society of Ecumenical Studies and CTE on theology regarded to racial justice in September.

Racial Justice Advocacy Forum (RJAF)

Website: www.rjaf.org.uk

CTBI is one of the partners in the Racial Justice Advocacy Forum (RJAF) which works to advocate on behalf of Black and Brown Christians. Key achievements in 2023 included:

• Launching the RJAF (officially) at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, in London in February 2023.

• Hosting a reparations conference in London in October 2023.

• Producing the Bible study ‘We will repay’ which explored reparations for African chattel enslavement.

Looking forward to 2024:

• Organising the ‘Pursuit of Justice’ roundtable at the University of East London in March 2024, which explores how church leaders and Christians can transform the British criminal justice system.

• Organising the ‘Hope for Justice’ conference at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in April 2024, which picks up the discussions at the roundtable, and explores how church leaders and Christians can transform the British criminal justice system.

• Organising a political hustings at Ruach City Church in Kilburn, London, involving the major political parties and the Black Christian church community in May 2024.

• Liaising with Christian Aid regarding an international reparations conference in 2025.

8

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Windrush 75th Anniversary

• CTBI worked with the RJAF, NEIs and parachurch organisations in supporting churches and agencies to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Windrush in 2023. These activities explored and celebrated the contributions of the Windrush generation of Black people to these islands.

• CTBI assisted in the organisation of a service at Southwark Cathedral in south London on 22 June 2023 – Windrush Day in Britain.

• CTBI organised the ‘Walk of Witness’ that preceded the Windrush service at Southwark Cathedral, which began in Waterloo Station and culminated at Southwark Cathedral.

• CTBI worked with BBC Radio 4 to broadcast the Windrush service for BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Morning Worship on the 25 June 2023.

• CTBI worked with BBC ‘Songs of Praise’ on a Windrush themed programme that was broadcast on 18 June 2023.

• CTBI guest-edited the June 2023 issue of Christianity magazine (a Premier publication), which had a Windrush focus.

Looking forward to 2024:

• CTBI will continue liaising with the Windrush Leaders group to assess how community groups and others will mark this year’s Windrush anniversary on 22 June 2024.

Inter Faith Dialogue

Inter faith dialogue is another area that has attracted particular attention from churches and the wider society in recent years due to international tensions, and it is also an area of long-term investment by CTBI since it was established. As part of the 2023 AGM CTBI Deputy General Secretary Dr Peter Colwell hosted a roundtable discussion with Trupti Patel from the Hindu Forum UK, Ephraim Borowski from the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, Ibrahim Mogra from the Christian Muslim Forum, and Harriet Crabtree from the Inter Faith Network. The discussion centred on whether we are now a society at ease with religious diversity given the significant changes witnessed in recent years, with people of non-Christian faith being increasingly visible in public life. Following the discussion, the panel took questions from attendees.

Inter-Religious

CTBI continues to work with the Christian-Muslim Forum on a resource that helps Christians better understand their Muslim neighbours in the face of Anti-Muslim hatred. This follows a similar project on Antisemitism that was undertaken in partnership with the Council of Christians and Jews.

The Inter Faith Theological Advisory Group (IFTAG) took forward a number of matters:

• In response to the terror attacks by Hamas on Southern Israel and the subsequent IDF military action in Gaza, a short resource entitled “Torn in Two” that aims to resource reflection and response by churches to the conflict.

• Continued with its series of theological pieces on John 14.6 for the CTBI website.

• During its residential meeting in July, the group reflected on religion and nationalism and highlighted a number of issues that can be developed in future work.

• In July 2023, IFTAG held a theological symposium in Cambridge in memory of Kenneth Cracknell, the first Inter Faith Secretary of the British Council of Churches who had died the previous December. Contributors included those who knew Dr Cracknell and also theologians from the global south.

We are grateful to outgoing Chair Dr Elizabeth Harris who completed her term during 2023 after over ten years of dedicated leadership of IFTAG. We welcome Stephen Roberts to the role of Chair and thank him for his leadership at a time of particular challenge for inter faith relations.

The Churches Forum for Inter-Religious Relations (CFIRR) continues to provide an important place where the churches come together to discuss matters of religious pluralism. In 2023 it held its first residential since the pandemic. It met in Birmingham and was able to engage with the local context there as well as hearing presentations from specialists in Christian-Buddhist and Christian-Sikh dialogue. At other meetings (online) it has discussed matters of religious freedom and activity during Inter Faith Week. It has also been active in coordinating church responses to the news that the Inter Faith Network for the UK was likely to lose Government funding and discuss the implications for how faiths will engage in the public square were IFN to close in 2024.

9

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Social inclusion and a healthy society

A recurring theme across CTBI meetings throughout the year has been the response to the cost-of-living crisis. CTBI has been sharing the learning from those member churches and Bodies in Association who are providing and coordinating frontline responses to aspects of this crisis, as well as engaging in advocacy to raise awareness of the consequences of poverty and social exclusion.

Strategic Priority 3 – Healing Society’s Fractures: Identities, Borders and Nationalities

Under this strategic priority CTBI places particular emphasis on theological reflection, British-Irish relations, reimagining borders, and state engagement with faith communities.

Theological reflection

CTBI supports the Network for Theology and Justice in partnership with Luther King House. A key activity of this network is the annual David Goodbourn Lecture. The 2023 lecture was given by the Revd Fr Jarel RobinsonBrown with the title: “the Wretched of the Church – Dominance and Submission” which explored themes in his recent book “Black, Gay, British, Christian, Queer: The Church and The Famine of Grace”.

Slavery Legacies and Reparations

CTBI is working alongside partner groups to equip Christians and churches with the resources and confidence to address issues linked to slavery legacies, and reparations.

• CTBI spoke at a Bristol Quakers Reparations Conference in March 2023.

• CTBI spoke at a Herefordshire Quaker meeting in Autumn 2023.

• CTBI assisted in the production of Bible study/theological resources on reparations with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and promoted through the Racial Justice Advocacy Forum with the title ‘We Will Repay’.

• CTBI hosted the RJAF national reparations conference in London (at the CTBI offices) in October 2023.

Looking forward to 2024:

• CTBI is working to promote the ‘We will repay’ Bible study and arrange an official launch. The resource is available as a downloadable PDF. Conversations are taking place to produce a printed version.

• CTBI is working with Christian Aid to host an international conference in 2025 exploring reparations within church-related contexts in Britain and Ireland, the Caribbean, West Africa, and Latin America.

British-Irish Relations

Through CTBI our member churches are committed to supporting the ongoing work of peace and reconciliation on these islands, following the three strands of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement: (i) relationships within Northern Ireland; (ii) on the island of Ireland and (iii) between the UK and Ireland. During 2023 we marked the 25[th] anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. CTBI facilitated reflection on the learning from this experience and the churches’ engagement with the work of peace and reconciliation and partnered with organisations such as Christian Aid to consider the wider international lessons from this experience at a time of increasing violence and insecurity around the world. The General Secretary contributed to academic projects in Ireland and globally examining the role of religion in conflict. CTBI continued its support of those engaged in frontline peace-building work, helping to raise awareness of their concerns around the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 in interviews with Premier Christian Radio.

In December 2023 CTBI partnered with the Irish Council of Churches and Rethinking Conflict, an NGO established by Rev Gary Mason of the Methodist Church in Ireland, to organise a workshop to support those working in frontline peacebuilding in a faith context. With support from CTBI trustees, bringing perspectives from Scotland and Wales, the workshop considered the challenges relating to engagement with ex-combatants as part of the peace process. The Centre for Religion, Human Values and International Relations at Dublin City University hosted an exchange with CTBI’s Reconciled Land project in Sri Lanka on the second day of the workshop with Centre Director Professor Philip McDonagh helping participants to explore the lessons for the wider international context.

Reimagining borders

A particular focus of CTBI’s work in recent years has been to explore how our Christian understanding of the Kingdom of God might transform our approach to borders, considering these not as barriers that divide people, but as places where people meet.

Churches’ Refugee Network (CRN)

10

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

The CRN’s activities have become more prescient due to the asylum debate in Britain and Ireland, which have seen politicians using intemperate language regarding those seeking asylum, and local groups (some with links to far-right organisations), laying siege to hotels accommodating asylum seekers. In some instances, the latter scenario has led to violence. With the likelihood of a general election in the UK in 2024 and also in Ireland before the end of 2025 (and immigration/asylum being a prominent campaigning matter), the CRN will continue to encourage, inspire and educate British and Irish churches on how best to engage with asylum, refugee and migration issues.

• The CRN built on the work of the ‘Life Beyond Borders’ conference, and unpacked the themes discussed in the workshops at that event (in November 2022) at its meetings in 2023.

• At its first meeting in 2023 (on 19 January), the CRN replicated one of the workshops at the Life Beyond Borders conference, which explored the issue of sanctuary and hospitality within the context of the Old Testament Book of Ruth.

• It hosted its second meeting in April 2023 which focused on the work of asylum-related organisations in Birmingham, England. The meeting also included a presentation from West London Synagogue who work with LGBT asylum seekers and refugees.

• It participated in a JPIT event in Parliament to protest against the British Government’s ‘Illegal Immigration Bill’ in April.

• It carried out media in response to the ‘Illegal Immigration Bill’.

• Its Chair issued statements condemning the toxic nature of the conversations linked to asylum/refugee matters and called for measured language on these issues.

• It assisted in the planning and marking of Refugee Week and Sanctuary Church Sunday in June.

• It hosted the Annual Meeting in October which provided a further opportunity to unpack ‘Life Beyond Border’s themes. This time it explored asylum matters in Britain and Ireland as well as Europe. This included presentations from the Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME).

• It liaised with CCME regarding ExCom, and British representation on this body.

• It worked with Church of Sanctuary on a joint conference (in June 2024).

• It met with HIAS+JCORE in November to discuss a multifaith response to the British and Irish refugee crisis and the hostile environment.

At the end of 2023 the work of the Ukraine Refugee Roundtable, facilitated jointly by CTBI and Churches Together in England, was integrated into the wider work of the Churches’ Refugee Network, given the wider relevance of the issues faced by the Ukrainian refugee community.

Looking forward to 2024:

• The CRN will use its four annual meetings to discuss the forthcoming British general election, and ways in which churches can speak prophetically into the asylum/refugee conversation.

• CRN will meet with HIAS+JCORE to explore a multifaith response to asylum issues linked to the British general election.

• CRN will liaise with community groups and civic organisations looking to respond to asylum issues linked to the British general election.

• The CRN will hold its second meeting on 29 April 2024, via Zoom.

• The CRN will be hosting its joint conference on 8 June alongside the Church of Sanctuary.

• The CRN will work with Counter Point Arts for Refugee Week in June.

• The CRN will be promoting Sanctuary Church Sunday at the end of Refugee Week in June.

• The CRN will hold its Annual Meeting on 5 November 2024, via Zoom.

11

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Church of Sanctuary

Website: https://churchofsanctuary.org/

This project continues to have real impact in its efforts to encourage British and Irish churches to be welcoming and hospitable to strangers. The Church of Sanctuary (COS):

• Organised a Training Day for those Churches of Sanctuary in membership, in May 2023.

• Liaised with CTBI and other groups to maximise information about Sanctuary Sunday and COS resources to mark this in June.

• Worked with Churches Together in Birmingham, churches and parachurch groups in Birmingham and the West Midlands on a Church of Sanctuary/CRN conference in June 2024.

• The Church of Sanctuary met with the planning group for the CRN/Church of Sanctuary conference on 13 February 2024 at Carr’s Lane Church Centre, Birmingham.

Looking forward to 2024:

• Church of Sanctuary planning group to meet in April for the CRN/Church of Sanctuary conference in June at Carr’s Lane Church Centre, Birmingham.

• Church of Sanctuary/CRN conference in Birmingham on Saturday 8 June 2024 at Carr’s Lane Church, Birmingham.

• Working on the updates to the publication, ‘Hospitality and Sanctuary for all’.

• Working on an online directory listing the various Church of Sanctuary (Churches, Cathedrals and Methodist ‘Connexions’) in Britain and Ireland.

• Ongoing discussions about a possible visit to the Vatican linked to the Church of Sanctuary.

State engagement with faith communities

A recurring theme in our working groups and meetings has been to discuss how the state engages with faith communities, both in general and in relation to specific social justice issues, to share best practice and to engage jointly where possible in dialogue with policymakers. The Ukraine Refugee Roundtable engaged with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities around the challenges faced by people in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The Churches’ Refugee Network facilitates sharing of experiences from churches’ dialogue with Government around refugee issues in the wider context.

Strategic Priority 4 – Working for Global Peace and Justice

This strategic priority includes work in the area of climate justice, international ecumenical peace networks, the theme of religion, violence and human rights and freedom of religion or belief.

Climate Justice

Our Christian understanding of reconciliation calls us to reflect on our relationship with God, with one another, and with the whole of creation. The theme of climate justice is therefore, unsurprisingly, a clear shared priority for our member churches.

CTBI supports the Environmental Issues Network (EIN) which meets quarterly with representation from member churches and faith-based organisations. During 2023 EIN supported the churches in setting and achieving net zero targets, shared best practice on biodiversity, highlighted relevant scientific reports and information, promoted faith-based engagement with climate related bodies and facilitated collaboration on advocacy including awareness-raising and engaging with policy makers around the annual COP conference and forthcoming General Elections. CTBI has been connecting the EIN to the work being undertaken by the World Council of Churches in the global context. In 2024 CTBI will be working in partnership with EIN to conduct research to examine the lasting impact of the 2020-2021 Climate Sunday initiative, and the learning for future inter-church collaboration on issues of climate justice.

12

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

International ecumenical peace networks

International participation and learning on the theme of faith-based peacebuilding has been a central pillar of CTBI’s work. There has been long-term engagement in the Israel-Palestine conflict through the facilitation of meetings, events, resources for theological reflection and support for the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI). In September, an online briefing was organised for member churches in partnership with Christian Aid. A priority area of focus for CTBI is on the inter faith dimension of this conflict. As well as the IFTAG resource “Torn in Two” which responds to the Gaza-Israel War, CFIRR held an additional meeting to discuss the crisis in Gaza and Israel.

Since 2018 CTBI has been funding a five-year project in partnership with the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) entitled ‘A Reconciled Land’. The overarching objective for this project has been to strengthen our ecumenical approach to reconciliation through theological reflection, social analysis, action-learning, and community-based dialogues around issues of land. This programme works to build dialogue within affected communities who are at the nexus of local, regional, national, and international pressures which threaten their livelihoods and could cause reoccurrence of ethno-religious unrest, tensions and conflict. Using these dialogues to deepen understanding of the nexus between God, people, and land, helps to enhance Christians’ theology of land informing both the Sri Lankan church response to conflict resolution and, through CTBI, wider international conversations and learning about the nature of living together in a reconciled land. Within this framework there were three initial primary areas of focus: women’s leadership, environment, and peace.

A project visit by CTBI General Secretary and Dr Liz Harris, CTBI trustee and Chair of the Sri Lanka project working group took place from 19th to 27th March 2023. Projects were visited in Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Vavuniya and Kilinochchi areas, as well as meetings in Colombo. The itinerary included:

• A community meeting of civic and religious leaders on land issues;

• A community-school founded by a group of Christian and Hindu mothers;

• Batticaloa inter religious forum;

• Meetings with LTTE ex-combatants in different locations;

• Meetings with women’s groups and networks in different locations;

• Symposium: Theology, Land and Justice: Christian, Buddhist and Sociological perspectives in the Tulana centre;

• Meeting with mothers of the disappeared;

• Meeting with displaced people now living in the former no-go areas;

• Visit to the NCCSL offices;

• Meeting with the General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Colombo.

The visit provided clear evidence of activity, developed over a number of years, that addressed the three priority areas listed in the original project plan: women, environment, and peace.

The methodology used is faithful to the original vision for the project offering opportunities for theological reflection, social analysis, action-learning, and community-based dialogue. Dialogue is undoubtedly at the heart of this project which offers strong examples of very good practice in terms of accompaniment of groups – building confidence and then encouraging those groups to accompany others, developing peer support networks. There was a combination of support to existing groups and the establishment of new groups, depending on the circumstances of each local context. The project has clearly been a lifeline for a variety of groups. This is particularly significant in the case of the LTTE ex-combatants because engagement with this group is monitored very closely by the authorities.

On the questions of identity and belonging that are central to the issues around land addressed by the project, the NCCSL has been able to use this project to make a positive contribution. It engages in accompaniment of groups/communities at local level and at the same time through being present as the National Council of Churches, as well as intentionally convening national gatherings to connect groups, is helping to create a sense of shared identity, as well as shared concerns and priorities.

13

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Project partners underlined the vital importance of international support, committing a significant amount of time and in some cases undertaking very difficult journeys, including personal risk, to be present at these evaluation meetings. In addition to the need for external funding to support work of this nature, there was a clear desire to communicate via CTBI to an international audience the reality of the challenges being experienced in Sri Lanka today, which can be very different from the official narrative.

Key Themes:

• Environment: evidence of the challenges relating to the environment was present throughout the visit, from the presence of elephants on busy roads to the unseasonal weather causing severe difficulties for farmers at the time. Some communities visited were still suffering the loss and trauma of the 2004 tsunami and concerned at the failure of Government to take action to prevent similar disasters in the future. In the land seminar in Batticaloa local leaders shared concerns about corrupt practices that were undermining land rights and vital environmental protections, placing fishing communities in particular at risk. There was an appeal to faith communities to use their voice in the society for advocacy to the politicians in a context where communities feel those elected to represent them are not listening.

• Women’s leadership: as in other societies emerging from conflict, women in Sri Lanka face additional vulnerabilities and challenges. The project is supporting women’s groups and networks in local contexts across Sri Lanka and bringing them together on a national level for learning exchange and peer support. The project also supports women-led community projects, such as the Christian-Hindu pre-school visited. Women leaders in attendance spoke powerfully about under-representation in community leadership, while inspiring examples of initiatives led by women’s groups demonstrated how investment in women leaders can benefit the wider community, such as food projects that benefit not only the sellers and the producers they buy from, but also the consumers by making nutritious food more affordable.

• Peacebuilding: in keeping with best practice in this area, the project involves engagement with victims/survivors, armed actors and peace actors. There is focussed engagement with the theme of trauma and those living with the aftermath of violence. This was evident, for example, in the support to mothers of the disappeared. One activity under the auspices of the project is to bring together mothers whose children had been disappeared in different parts of the country and by different armed actors. The role of NCCSL is important because of the pressures on civil society. It is important to acknowledge the courage and commitment of the NCCSL team in a context where their community meetings have been subject to police surveillance and on occasion staff have been detained and questioned. The NCCSL has built up relationships of trust with communities that are very isolated and suspicious of outsiders and is therefore doing work that few, if any, other groups could do. These excombatant groups in particular were very keen to learn from the wider international context for this work.

• Inter faith dialogue: This was a very strong theme throughout and although initially considered as part of the methodology this could perhaps usefully be elevated to a specific focus of the project (alongside women, environment, and peace), given the unique situation of Sri Lanka and the value of learning from this context where Christianity crosses ethnic, linguistic and other boundaries. The theological symposium in Tulana effectively demonstrated how inter faith dialogue adds value to wider civic conversations on contested land rights, offering a helpful language and points of connection.

In February CTBI, working in partnership with Churches Together in England, supported the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in marking the anniversary of the Russian invasion with an ecumenical service.

In April the General Secretary had the opportunity to share learning from CTBI’s British-Irish experience, and wider international engagement in peacebuilding as part of an international delegation supporting the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Inter faith Council of Liberia.

Meetings have taken place with the Armenian Church in Britain and Ireland to show solidarity with the suffering of the Armenian people in the wake of attacks by Azerbaijan. A joint visit to the Armenian community in Ireland with the General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches took place in October.

14

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Freedom of Religion or Belief

Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) continues to be significant part of CTBI’s engagement around inter-religious matters. CTBI is a Stakeholder in the UK FoRB Forum. CTBI held an online roundtable discussion on some of the theological issues that underpin how churches engage around religious freedom.

Strategic Priority 5 – Promoting Ethical and Inclusive Leadership

This strategic priority includes work on themes of ethical leadership, support for the next generation of leaders, gender justice and women’s leadership and the development of collective advocacy.

Ethical leadership

As part of a focus on ethical leadership CTBI has been working with partners to support member churches’ engagement with the next General Elections in the UK and Ireland. The Churches’ General Election website https://churcheselection.org.uk/ provides a space for sharing information, resources and publicity for electionrelated meetings and events. The theme for the CTBI 2024 Lenten reflections will be ‘Politics at the service of the common good’.

Support for the next generation of leaders

CTBI supports the work of the Children’s Ministry Network (CMN) which brings together representatives of member churches and faith-based organisations working in this area for networking, sharing of resources and collaboration. The Network organises conferences and an annual residential for members. The 2023 residential included a session exploring how the work of CMN relates to the CTBI strategic plan. The Network is preparing to launch a new training programme, entitled Ministry Essentials in 2024. CMN members are working with CTBI to establish a similar network for those involved in youth work.

Serious Youth Violence

https://wearesynergy.org.uk/

CTBI is part of the Synergy Network (SN) whose work aims to address serious youth violence (SYV) in Britain and Ireland. The SN continues to engage with youth workers, church leaders and the young people impacted by SYV. The SN:

• Organised a gathering for church leaders in London in April 2023.

• Hosted the second annual ‘Standing Together Weekend’ in July 2023.

• Drafted statements in response to the stabbing of teenager, Elian Andam, in Croydon in September.

• Drafted letters to the Home Office and Mayor of London, which resulted in a meeting with the Rt Hon. Chris Philp, MP, Minister for Crime and Policing in late November, to discuss the Government’s response to serious youth violence.

Looking forward to 2024:

• Hosting a gathering for church leaders, youthwork practitioners and others on 19 March 2024 at Montgomery Hall, south London, responding to knife crime.

• Hosting various Synergy Network planning group meetings which now include the participation of a senior Home Office civil servant.

• Working on hosting the third annual ‘Standing Together Weekend’ in July 2024.

• Working on hosting a church gathering in November 2024.

• Updating the Synergy Network website with CTBI colleagues.

15

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Gender justice and women’s leadership

In March 2023 CTBI organised a gender justice themed webinar, exploring how faith informs how people think of themselves as women and men, with contributions from Alison Webster and John Baxter Brown.

Women’s leadership is supported through the Pauline Webb fund which provides grants to support women’s participation in ecumenical work. The programme was established with the support of the late Dr Pauline Webb of the Methodist Church in honour of her leadership in ecumenism, internationally and closer to home. The fund awards grants of up to £1000 as a contribution towards travel or other costs to enable women to:

• Attend an ecumenical event

• Undertake a course or study visit in the area of ecumenism

• Conduct research in the area of ecumenism

As part of the application process participants are asked to provide details of how they will use the experience gained to contribute to the promotion of ecumenism.

During 2023 grants were awarded to enable women to: undertake a study visit in relation to ecumenical support for refugees; ecumenical study in the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey; training in areas like chaplaincy and BSL support for Bible Study; and participation in ecumenical events and conferences.

CTBI Websites and Social Media

https://ctbi.org.uk/

Our main website, ctbi.org.uk, continues to be popular, with resources for observing the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Remembrance Sunday and Racial Justice Sunday in highest demand. We continue to provide resources for ecumenical groups and individuals to use during Lent, and also feature resources for the Season of Creation.

The website provides up-to-date responses from the churches and Christian organisations relating to many current events of concern, such as the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

There’s also interest in how the churches are responding to issues such as refugees through the Churches’ Refugee Network (CRN) and the Church of Sanctuary initiative, and the website covers key areas of CTBI’s work such as Justice and Inclusion and Interfaith.

Social media Twitter: @ctbi Facebook: www.facebook.com/ctbishare/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/ctbimedia/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/ctbimedia/

Other websites

We currently have a number of websites (some already mentioned above with more planned):

• Main CTBI website (ctbi.org.uk)

• CTBI archive website (ctbiarchive.org)

• Week of Prayer (weekofprayer.org)

• Church of Sanctuary (churchofsanctuary.org)

• Synergy Network (wearesynergy.org.uk)

• Climate Sunday (climatesunday.org)

• Churches Together websites directory (churchestogether.org)

• Dispossession Project (dispossessionproject.org)

• Churches Election (churcheselection.org.uk)

16

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Financial Review

Donations in 2023 derive mainly from member church subscriptions and donations for specific projects. Subscription rates are set annually at the AGM by the membership – the rates remain unchanged and income from this source remained at a similar level to last year. Investment income derives from our portfolio of investments but the largest element consists of rent received from the British and Irish Churches Trust in respect of CTBI’s ownership share in Inter Church House. Charitable activities generate income from various events and the provision of services to other ecumenical organisations. Sales of publications and event income both increased year-on-year.

Expenditure increased compared to 2022. Grant expenditure was slightly lower than the previous year, but costs in other areas increased. Staff costs increased in line with cost of living increments applied to the payscales. Meeting and office costs increased with more face-to-face working and meeting.

The charity had net expenditure (before investment gains and transfers) on the general fund of £105,547 for the year (2022: £74,928). Designated funds had net expenditure of £11,828 (2022: £6,018), which includes sales proceeds and costs from publications. Restricted funds show net expenditure of £1,683 (2022: £12,228).

The value of investments has shown net gains (realised and unrealised) of £57,484 during the year (2022: losses of £279,436). The Charity’s reserves remain at a satisfactory level. The Charity is budgeting to continue to operate within its overall level of income and average investment gains over the coming five years.

Investments and property

The Trustees may invest any funds not immediately required by CTBI into such investments, securities or property as they believe would be beneficial to CTBI. The portfolio of investments is managed on a discretionary basis by Investec Wealth & Investment Limited, subject to certain ethical restrictions laid down by the Trustees. These arrangements are monitored by the Finance and General Purposes Committee of CTBI, which reports to the Trustees. In addition CTBI holds, as a programme related investment, Inter Church House which is occupied by Christian Aid for use as their headquarters. From October 2018, CTBI has also been based in this property.

Investment policy and performance

CTBI investments are held in a portfolio of equities and securities managed on a discretionary basis by Investec with the aim of providing income and growth. This fund was benchmarked against a weighted composite benchmark in line with the asset allocation. Investment performance has shown a total net gain of 5.8% against a benchmark gain of 11.9%. The Trustees continue to engage proactively with the investment manager to ensure our investments meet our requirements, and are satisfied with the performance of the investment portfolio during the year.

17

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustees’ Report (Incorporating the Directors’ Report) (continued) Year Ended 31 December 2023

Reserves

The charity held total funds of £2,137,688 at the year end. A permanent endowment fund of £54,694 is held to support the production of ecumenical materials and resources. Designated funds amount to £982,273 and include the Property Fund of £726,160, which can only be realised on the disposal of programme related investments, and the Ecumenical Fund of £216,978 to support the national ecumenical instruments. Other designated funds are set aside to support longer term work of the charity, including publication of resource materials and support of websites. Restricted funds of £108,686 are held for a range of projects and grantgiving activities.

CTBI needs reserves to enable it to meet both its on-going commitments in respect of its general charitable activities and to meet its future operating requirements. The Trustees have assessed the required reserves having taken into account six months on-going expenses plus known existing and future liabilities together with a contingency to allow for unforeseen negative short term fluctuations in the value of investments held. This assessment requires a minimum level of free reserves (i.e. general funds less amounts represented by the net book value of fixed assets) of £700,000. A minimum level of investment income is required to be maintained to enable the current level of activity to continue into the future.

The level of free reserves as at 31 December 2023, represented by the general fund excluding the amount held as tangible fixed assets, amounted to £991,760. The Trustees are satisfied that the level of reserves held is adequate and in line with the policy.

Grant making policy

The charity makes grants to individuals and institutions in furtherance of its charitable objectives. The principal source of grant funding is the designated Ecumenical Fund, which supports ecumenical work carried out by any of the four national ecumenical instruments in Britain and Ireland. These bodies can apply for grant funding to support new or ongoing work. Applications are assessed by the Trustees in line with wider charitable and strategic objectives.

Grants are also made from the Pauline Webb restricted fund to support women’s leadership in ecumenism.

Expenditure on grants during the year is detailed in note 8 to the accounts. Some grants are made as part of the ecumenical programme work of the charity. The allocation of grant costs between activities is shown in notes 6 and 8 to the accounts.

Key Management Personnel

Remuneration levels for key management personnel are set annually as part of the budgeting process and approved by Trustees, in accordance with the charity’s payscales. Details of remuneration paid to key management personnel are provided in note 7 to the accounts on page 28.

Volunteers

The charity benefits from the involvement of many volunteers in the planning and delivery of its charitable activities. The charity is grateful, in particular, for those who volunteer as Trustees, and those who contribute to the writing and production of worship resources for publication by the charity.

Future plans

Much of our future programme work is outlined above on a project by project basis. We hope there will be significant strides forward in many of our new and ongoing areas of work. In addition, the General Secretary will work with trustees, staff and stakeholders to implement the new organisational strategy to guide the charity’s work over the coming years.

18

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Trustses, Report (Incorporatlng the Dlrectors, Roport) {contlnued) Yoar Ended 31 Docombor 2023 Rlsk assessment The Trustees undertake regular assessment of the rfsks and uncertainties that face the charfty, prlnclpally financlal shorrfall as a result of reduced member subscrlptions or investment losses.. shortfalls In cornpliance- legal and emergenry rlsks. Attlon taken to mlnlmlse the rlsks concerned Include adequate insurance provishm. spreading Investment risk and careful management and checks ol procedures. The risk assessment 15 reviewed continually by the Finafice and General Purposes Committee and Is revisited bythe frustees on an annual tsas￿. Independent Ex4mlner Helen Blundell, LL8 FCA FaE DChA has Indicated her wlllln8ness to be reappointed as independent examlner durin8 the forthcomln8 year and a rex)lution to ￿appoInt her will be put to the Annual Genernl Meeting. TheTrustees are responslble forpreparlngtheTrurtees' Report and the financlal statements In accordancewlth pplicable law and re8ulations. Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial ststements for each financtal year in accordance with United Kin8dorn GenerallyAccepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom knounting Standafds and appli£atAe lawl. Under cornpany law the Trustees must not approve the financlal statemer*ts unless they are satlsfied that they give a true and lair view ol the State of affairs of the charitable company and of its net incomindoutgoin8 resources forthat perlod. In preparing these financial ststements. the Trustees are required to: selett sultable accounting pollcles and then apply them coTrslstently.' observe the method and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice forcharitlts; make ju¢tgments ènd estimates that a￿ reasonable and prudeni,. • state whether appllcable accountlng standards have been foll¢)wed, 5ubleci to any materlal departure5 dls¢losed and explained in the financial statements.. prepare the financial statements on the 80in8 concern basis unless It is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue to operate. The Tru5tee5 are responsible for keepin¥ proper accounting records that are Sufficient to show and explain the charitable companls transattions and dlsclose wf(h reasonable accuracy at any tlrne the financial p051tion of the charltable company and enable them to ensure that the financSal statements cornply with the Cornpanle5 Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguardlng the assets of the Charity and hence for takin8 reasonable steps for the preventlon and detettion of fraud and other irregular￿leS. The report of the Tru5tee5 has been prepared in accordance with the special provi5ion5 relating to small companies subjectto the small companles reglme wlthln Part IS of the Companles Act 2006. The Trumees ￿pOrt was approved tsy the Twstee$ on 19 June 2024and is slgned on their behaw bv: Revd Gri￿rn Sprkes Trustee Company Number: 056617B7 19

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 December 2023, which are set out on pages 21 to 39.

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and the charitable company’s trustees as a body in accordance with section 154 of the Charities Act 2011. My independent examiner’s work has been undertaken so that I might state to the charitable company’s trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an independent examiner’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company, the charitable company’s members as a body and the charitable company’s trustees as a body for my independent examiner’s work, for this report, or for the opinions I have formed.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the Company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Helen Blundell, LLB FCA FCIE DChA Date: 15 July 2024

Crowe U.K. LLP

Black Country House Rounds Green Road Oldbury West Midlands B69 2DG

20

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) For the Year Ended 31 December 2023

Notes INCOME FROM: Donations and grants 2 Charitable activities 3 Investments 4 Total income EXPENDITURE ON: Raising Funds Charitable activities 5 Total expenditure Net (expenditure) / income before gains on investments Net gains / (losses) on investments 12 Net (expenditure) / income Transfers between funds 18 Net movement in funds 18 Reconciliation of Funds Total Funds brought forward Total Funds carried forward	Unrestricted funds General Designated Fund Funds £ £ 141,245 - 2,000 3,844 385,216 3,978 528,461 7,822 12,628 1,312 621,380 18,338 634,008 19,650 (105,547) (11,828) 48,554 5,046 (56,993) (6,782) - 709 (56,993) (6,073) 1,049,028 988,346 992,035 982,273	Restricted Funds £ 1,800 16,731 2,038 20,569 661 21,591 22,252 (1,683) 2,542 859 - 859 107,827 108,686	Endowment Funds £ - - 1,058 1,058 349 - 349 709 1,342 2,051 (709) 1,342 53,352 54,694	Total 2023 £ 143,045 22,575 392,290 557,910 14,950 661,309 676,259 (118,349) 57,484 (60,865) - (60,865) 2,198,553 2,137,688	Total 2022 £ 147,287 4,353 390,021
					541,661
					16,185 618,022
					634,207
					(92,546) (279,436)
					(371,982) -
					(371,982) 2,570,535
					2,198,553

The notes on pages 24 to 39 form part of these financial statements

21

Churches Tog•ther In Brltaln and Ireland Balance Sh•et 31 December 2023 2022 Note5 FIXEOA55ETS Tangible assets Quoted Investments Interèst in Inter-cthurch Howe Total Flxed Assets li 275 824 1.659.661 526.160 128MO 2,186.645 12a 12b IAOZ.195 526.160 Debtors C45h at bank Irtd Sh￿ ierm de$￿sIt 13 26Jlg 19.369 115,350 134,719 97.718 LIA8ILinÉs C￿dItOrS.. amourbts falllni du• wlthln one year 14 74 95,891 NET CURRE14T A55m 23371 38,818 ToTAL￿￿E[S LESS OJRRENT UABiunES IIS2.001 2,225,473 CAÉDITORS: a￿￿￿￿t$fallln¢ due In mtte th•n one ye•r 15 126,9201 TOTAL NEfASSETS 2.198.553 THE FUNOS OF THE OIAAirY Unrstricted- Gener•1 fund Unr•strkted. Desl6n•ted funds . Property fund 18no ojs 1,049.028 262.186 726,160 7430• 2,037,374 726.160 Rèstrlrttd funds En¢S)wed funds 107.827 TOYAL OIARITY FUNDS 2,137M8 2 198 553 tomp•nrfs fln•n¢i•l stJternents hm be•n prep¥r￿ In wlth p￿￿$11)n5 app1k•b￿ tocofflpanles sublett to the small Companles rewmt. Forthe year ended 311)ecember 2033thecompany was to exemptlon frorn an audlt under sertk)n 477 of the COmpaTh￿S Act 2(￿ I￿￿e NLt"I rel•tlTr8 to small tompanles. The members have not requlred the ¢omwny to obuin •Th aud6t of ￿ accounts for the ￿ar ITh que5th)n In actord•nte wilh settbn 476 of the kt. The dlrertors •cknowled8e thelr resp)nslblh￿s for¢omptylnow6th the requlrernents of the Act wlth respectto accountlni records •fid the preparat6on of finantk•l st•tements. These flnènclal swements were apyov•d ￿ the TNstees and authorlsed f￿ Issu• OA 19 June 2024 ond are s*n•d on th•lf beh•ff bv: Revd GTrh•m 5p•rkes Trustee Th• not•s•n p•y$14 w JJ form Blth•s• lkn•rt¢￿l stst•mM CompanyNurnber. 05661787

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Statement of Cashflows

Year Ended 31 December 2023

Notes Cash flows used in operating activities 22 Cash flows from investing activities Dividends, interest and rents from investments Proceeds from sale of investments Movement in investment cash held Purchase of investments Cash provided by investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year Analysis of cash and cash equivalents: Cash at bank Deposit accounts Cash in hand	£ 392,290 295,654 (31,815) (148,889)	2022 £ £ (551,791) 390,021 241,182 86,341 (211,338) 507,240 (44,551) 115,350 70,799 28,325 42,259 215 70,799	2022 £ (516,471) 506,206 (10,265) 125,615 115,350 105,843 9,292 215 115,350

The notes on pages 24 to 39 form part of these financial statements

23

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

• a) Charity Information

• Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is a charitable company limited by guarantee (registered number 05661787 England & Wales) and a registered charity with the Charity Commission (charity number 1113299). The registered office address is Inter Church House, 35 Lower Marsh, London, SE1 7RL.

b) Basis of Preparation of Financial Statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under historical cost convention with the exception of investments which are included at market value.

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

c) Going Concern

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern for the foreseeable future. The charity has continued to produce revised budget forecasts for the next 5 years and have taken decisions which reduce costs in order to ensure the core work of the charity can be funded in a sustainable way. The Trustees are confident that both the level of reserves held, and the revised budgets, mean that the charity will be able to continue to operate effectively for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis.

d) Fixed Assets

All items with a value of over £1,000 are capitalised. Depreciation is provided on a straight line basis at rates calculated to write off the cost less estimated residual value of each asset over its expected useful life as follows:

Freehold properties - Nil Office furniture and equipment - up to 5 years Computer equipment - up to 4 years

The Trustees review the carrying value of the property to determine if any impairment has been incurred as at the Balance Sheet date, and an impairment adjustment is made to reflect any such reduction in value.

e) Investments

Investments are included at market value as at the Balance Sheet date. The surplus or deficit against cost or latest valuation, combined with differences between carrying value (or cost if acquired during the year) and the proceeds of investments disposed of, is included as gains or losses in the Statement of Financial Activities.

The interest in Inter-Church House represents the former offices of CTBI which are let to a Christian organisation with complementary aims and objectives to those of CTBI. The interest of CTBI in the property is accordingly shown in the financial statements as a programme related investment and carried in the Balance Sheet at the original amount invested less any impairment. The Trustees regularly review the carrying value and do not consider any impairment is needed.

24

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

• f) Income

All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably. Income received by way of grants and donations is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Where entitlement is conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, grants are recognised when the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance. Where a grant or donation is given for a specific purpose, it is included in restricted income and any unexpended portion is carried forward as a restricted fund. Subscriptions, which are deemed to be voluntary, are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which the income relates. All other income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities as and when entitlement arises, the amount can be reliably quantified and the economic benefit to the charity is considered probable.

g) Expenditure

Expenditure is included in the Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis, inclusive of VAT. Charitable activity costs include attributable staff and other costs for each area of the organisation together with a corresponding apportionment of support costs. The apportionment is done on the basis of staff time spent on each activity. Governance costs are those associated with constitutional and statutory requirements and include an allocation of overhead costs relating to those activities.

h) Grant Making

Grants payable are recognised when a constructive obligation arises that results in the payment being unavoidable and are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis. The Trustees or designated subcommittees decide which organisations or individuals should receive grants, and the level which should be granted.

i) Pension Costs

CTBI does not have its own pension scheme, but contributes to denominational schemes or TPT Retirement Solutions Growth Plan as is appropriate for individual staff members. All staff are entitled to join a pension scheme. Contributions to such schemes are recorded as part of staff costs. Pension costs are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as they are incurred.

The TPT Growth Plan is in most respects a money purchase arrangement, but does include certain guaranteed benefit elements. The Plan is a multi-employer scheme. As such it is not possible in the normal course of events to identify the share of the underlying assets belonging to the individual participating employers, and accordingly, in accordance with section 28 of FRS 102, is also accounted for as a defined contribution scheme with contributions being recorded as they become payable.

j) Classes of Charitable Funds

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds are funds set aside by the Trustees from the general funds for specific purposes.

Restricted funds are monies, which have legal restrictions on their use where donors have specified the funds can only be spent on certain of the Charity’s activities.

Permanent Endowment funds are funds where the Trustees are required to hold capital, mainly represented by investments, and are not entitled to spend them. Income arising from these funds represents unrestricted income.

k) Liabilities

Liabilities are recognised once there is legal or constructive obligation that commits the Charity to the obligation.

l) Operating Leases

Rentals under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as incurred.

25

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

m) Financial Instruments

The charity only has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially measured at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

Financial assets measured at fair value comprise of quoted investments.

Financial assets measured at settlement value comprise of cash, trade debtors, and other debtors.

Financial liabilities measured at settlement value comprise of trade creditors, sundry creditors and accruals.

• n) Judgements in applying accounting policies and key sources of estimation uncertainty Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The items in the financial statements where these estimates and judgements have been made include the following:

i) Useful economic lives of tangible assets

The annual depreciation charges for the tangible assets are sensitive to changes in the estimate useful economic lives and residual values of the assets. The useful economic lives and residual values are reassessed annually. They are amended when necessary to reflect current estimates, based on economic utilisation and the physical condition of the assets. See note 11 for the carrying amount of tangible assets and note 1 d) above for the useful lives for each class of asset.

ii) Impairment of fixed assets

Freehold property and programme-related investments are subject to an annual review, by trustees, for impairment based on market factors.

o) Taxation

As a charity, the organisation is exempt from UK corporation tax to the extent that its income is applied to its charitable objects. No liability arose in the period.

2. DONATIONS AND GRANTS

Members subscriptions Donations incl Gift Aid CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES Publication sales Event fees Management services	2023 General £ 139,750 1,495 141,245 2023 General £ 300 500 1,200 2,000	2023 Designated £ - - - 2023 Designated £ 3,844 - - 3,844	2023 Restricted £ 1,800 - 1,800 2023 Restricted £ - 16,731 - 16,731	2023 Endowment £ - - - 2023 Endowment £ - - - -	2023 Total £ 141,550 1,495 143,045 2023 Total £ 4,144 17,231 1,200 22,575	2022 Total £ 139,580 7,707
						147,287
						2022 Total £ 1,353 1,800 1,200
						4,353

3. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

26

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

4. INVESTMENTS

Rental income Investment income Interest	2023 General £ 345,000 38,280 1,936 385,216	2023 Designated £ - 3,978 - 3,978	2023 Restricted £ - 2,004 34 2,038	2023 Endowment £ - 1,058 - 1,058	2023 Total £ 345,000 45,320 1,970 392,290	2022 Total £ 345,000 44,682 339
						390,021

Rental income is received in respect of the CTBI proportion of Inter Church House. Investment income is mainly derived from return on the investment portfolio which is managed on behalf of CTBI on a discretionary basis.

5. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Ecumenical programmes Resources Grant making	2023 General £ 407,876 210,198 3,306 621,380	2023 Designated £ 10,675 7,663 - 18,338	2023 Restricted £ 19,345 - 2,246 21,591	2023 Endowment £ - - - -	2023 Total £ 437,896 217,861 5,552 661,309	2022 Total £ 402,524 201,096 14,402
						618,022

6. ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Alloc- ation Staff costs 1 Meetings and travel costs 2 Office costs 2 Depreciation 2 Independent examiner’s fees 3 Other costs 2 Publication costs 3 Grants (note 8) 3 Governance 4 Support costs 4 Total 2023 Total 2022	Ecumen- ical prog- rammes £ 180,860 35,180 19,125 - - 8,954 - 25,675 16,520 151,581 437,895 402,523	Resources £ 89,979 13,108 12,311 - - 3,384 707 - 9,668 88,703 217,860 201,096	Grant making £ 657 66 69 - - 25 - 2,246 245 2,246 5,554 14,403	Govern- ance £ 18,498 744 1,941 - 4,314 936 - - (26,433) - - -	Support £ 122,918 11,859 85,588 549 - 21,616 - - - (242,530) - -	2023 Total £ 412,912 60,957 119,034 549 4,314 34,915 707 27,921 - - 661,309 618,022	2022 Total £ 381,751 49,403 116,247 640 4,020 31,545 312 34,104 - -
							618,022

Basis of allocation:

1. Staff costs have been allocated between charitable activities based on time spent weighted by the salary cost of each member of staff.

2. Other costs have been allocated based on staff costs.

3. Direct costs have been charged appropriately.

4. Governance and support costs have been re-allocated on the basis of staff time.

27

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

7. ANALYSIS OF STAFF COSTS, TRUSTEE REMUNERATION AND EXPENSES AND THE COST OF KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

Wages and salaries net of statutory payments reimbursed Social security costs Pension costs Adjustment to pension deficit provision	2023 £ 332,300 32,043 48,593 (24) 412,912	2022 £ 300,476 30,008 49,178 (995)
		378,667

Three employees (2022: none) received remuneration in the band £60,000 to £70,000 during the accounting period.

No Trustees received remuneration for their services as Trustees (2022: Nil) in the year, nor for any other services provided (2022: nil). During the year 4 (2022: 8) Trustees received meeting expenses to cover travelling costs and other expenses totalling £1,246 (2022: £1,056).

Total remuneration paid to key management personnel during the year, including employer’s NIC and pension contributions, amounted to £151,452 (2022: £145,984). Key management personnel are the General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary.

The average monthly number of employees during the year was: Total on a headcount basis, including part time employees Full time equivalent 8. GRANTS DISBURSED DURING THE YEAR Analysis of grants Grants to organisations Number £ Individual grants - - International grants 1 15,000 Ecumenical grants 2 10,675 Total 2023 3 25,675 Total 2022 2 22,466 Details of grants made during the year: Charitable Activity Grants to individuals Grant-making Grants to organisations Ecumenical programmes Direct grant expenditure Administration of Grants Grant-making Allocation of support & governance costs Grant-making Total Grant making During the year, the following institutional grants were made: Recipient Fund NCCSL General Fund Irish Council of Churches Ecumenical Fund Scottish Episcopal Church Ecumenical Fund Total	2023 No. 2022 No. 7 7 6.6 6.6 Grants to individuals Number £ 3 2,246 - - - - 3 2,246 12 11,638 2023 2022 £ £ 2,246 11,638 25,675 22,466 27,921 34,104 817 761 2,491 2,004 31,229 36,869 £ 15,000 10,000 675 25,675	2023 No. 2022 No. 7 7 6.6 6.6 Grants to individuals Number £ 3 2,246 - - - - 3 2,246 12 11,638 2023 2022 £ £ 2,246 11,638 25,675 22,466 27,921 34,104 817 761 2,491 2,004 31,229 36,869 £ 15,000 10,000 675 25,675	2022 No. 7 6.6
		2,246
		11,638
		2022 £ 11,638 22,466
		34,104 761 2,004
		36,869

28

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

9. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging independent examiner’s fees for independent examination of £4,314 (2022: £4,020), depreciation of £549 (2022: £640) and operating lease payments of £36,451 (2022: £33,714).

10. STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR PRIOR YEAR

The comparative figures for the Statement of Financial Activities, for the year ended 31 December 2022, are shown below:

INCOME FROM: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Investments Total income EXPENDITURE ON: Raising Funds Charitable activities Total expenditure Net (expenditure) / income before gains on investments Net (losses) on investments Net (expenditure) / income Transfers between funds Net movement in funds Reconciliation of Funds Total Funds brought forward Total Funds carried forward	Unrestricted funds General Designated Fund Funds £ £ 145,557 - 1,200 1,353 383,361 3,699 530,118 5,052 13,773 1,340 591,273 9,730 605,046 11,070 (74,928) (6,018) (237,785) (23,135) (312,713) (29,153) - 628 (312,713) (28,525) 1,361,741 1,016,871 1,049,028 988,346	Restricted Funds £ 1,730 1,800 1,977 5,507 716 17,019 17,735 (12,228) (12,361) (24,589) - (24,589) 132,416 107,827	Endowment Funds £ - - 984 984 356 - 356 628 (6,155) (5,527) (628) (6,155) 59,507 53,352	Total 2022 £ 147,287 4,353 390,021
				541,661
				16,185 618,022
				634,207
				(92,546) (279,436)
				(371,982) -
				(371,982) 2,570,535
				2,198,553

29

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

11. FIXED ASSETS

IXED ASSETS
Cost At 1 January and 31 December 2023 Accumulated depreciation At 1 January 2023 Depreciation charge for the year 31 December 2023 Net book values 31 December 2023 31 December 2022	Furniture, IT and office equipment £ 17,622 16,798 549 17,347 275 824	Total £ 17,622
		16,798 549
		17,347
		275
		824

30

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

12. INVESTMENTS

12 (a) Quoted Investments

All investments are under a discretionary portfolio which is managed by Investec Wealth & Investment Limited.

Market value 1 January Cost of acquisitions Proceeds from disposals Movement in cash held Net investment gains / (losses) Market value 31 December Market value consists of: Quoted investments Cash held Historic cost 31 December UK Fixed Interest UK Equities & Funds UK Property Overseas Fixed Interest Overseas Equities & Funds Overseas Property Assets & Commodities Sterling Deposits Total	2023 Market Value Cost £ £ 153,874 173,132 353,861 337,752 74,044 81,956 46,320 52,236 672,993 540,545 18,525 32,839 248,268 262,196 34,310 34,310 1,602,195 1,514,966		2023 2022 £ £ 1,659,661 2,055,282 148,889 211,338 (295,654) (241,182) 31,815 (86,341) 57,484 (279,436) 1,602,195 1,659,661 1,567,885 34,310 1,657,166 2,495 1,602,195 1,659,661 1,514,966 1,628,920 2022 Market value Cost £ £ 156,650 181,079 458,351 471,061 67,551 75,773 31,052 38,724 687,506 601,032 20,595 32,839 235,461 225,917 2,495 2,495 1,659,661 1,628,920

12 (b) Programme Related Investment

Programme Related Investment
		2023	2022
		£	£
Interest in Inter-Church House (Note	1e)	526,160	526,160

CTBI has the right to appoint four out of the ten Trustees to the British and Irish Churches Trust Limited (BICT), a charitable company limited by guarantee with company number 00472409. The objects of BICT are to act as custodian trustee for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and Christian Aid in relation to the above property.

31

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

13. DEBTORS

EBTORS
Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments	2023 £ 390 13,430 13,099 26,919	2022 £ 1,945 9,902 7,522
		19,369

14. CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Taxation and social security Pensions Other creditors Accruals and deferred income CREDITORS: amounts falling due in more than one year Provision for pension deficit funding obligation (see note 17)	2023 £ 3,885 9,180 17,708 4,744 38,830 74,347 2023 £ 14,313	2022 £ 34,041 8,400 15,683 4,744 33,023
		95,891
		2022 £ 26,920

15. CREDITORS: amounts falling due in more than one year

16. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The charity has financial assets and financial liabilities in the following categories:

	2023	2022
	£	£
Financial assets
Quoted investments measured at fair value (note 12a)	1,567,885	1,657,166

32

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2023

17. PENSION OBLIGATIONS

CTBI participates in the TPT Retirement Solutions Growth Plan pension scheme (“the scheme”), a multiemployer scheme which provides benefits to some 638 non-associated participating employers. The scheme is a defined benefit scheme in the UK. It is not possible for the company to obtain sufficient information to enable it to account for the scheme as a defined benefit scheme. Therefore it accounts for the scheme as a defined contribution scheme.

The scheme is subject to the funding legislation outlined in the Pensions Act 2004 which came into force on 30 December 2005. This, together with documents issued by the Pensions Regulator and Technical Actuarial Standards issued by the Financial Reporting Council, set out the framework for funding defined benefit occupational pension schemes in the UK.

The scheme is classified as a 'last-man standing arrangement'. Therefore the company is potentially liable for other participating employers' obligations if those employers are unable to meet their share of the scheme deficit following withdrawal from the scheme. Participating employers are legally required to meet their share of the scheme deficit on an annuity purchase basis on withdrawal from the scheme.

A full actuarial valuation for the scheme was carried out at 30 September 2020. This valuation showed total scheme assets of £800.3m, liabilities of £831.9m and a deficit of £31.6m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee has asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 January 2025, as follows:

Deficit contributions

From 1 April 2023 to 31 January 2025: £3,312,000 per annum (payable monthly)

Note that the scheme’s previous valuation was carried out with an effective date of 30 September 2017. This valuation showed assets of £794.9m, liabilities of £926.4m and a deficit of £131.5m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme as follows:

Deficit contributions

From 1 April 2019 to 31 January 2025: £11,243,000 per annum (payable monthly)

The recovery plan contributions are allocated to each participating employer in line with their estimated share of the Series 1 and Series 2 scheme liabilities.

During the year, CTBI paid deficit contributions required by the Trustee amounting to £13,557 (2022: £21,518). From 1 April 2023 to 31 January 2025, the additional contributions will be £13,557 per annum (payable monthly and increasing by 3% each on 1st April).

Where the scheme is in deficit and where the company has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement the company recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. The present value is calculated using an appropriate discount rate of 5.31% (2022: 4.96%). The unwinding of the discount rate is recognised as a finance cost.

Provision as at 1 January Unwinding of the discount factor Deficit contributions paid Re-measurements – impact of any change in assumptions Re-measurements – amendments to the contribution schedule Provision as at 31 December	2023 £ 26,920 974 (13,557) (24) - 14,313	2022 £ 49,026 407 (21,518) (995) -
		26,920

33

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

18. ANALYSIS OF CHARITABLE FUNDS

General Fund Retained Funds Designated Funds Ecumenical Fund Redevelopment Fund Publications Fund Property Fund Total Designated Funds Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds International and Mission Youth Work and Training Children’s Ministry Network (CMN) Climate Sunday Pauline Webb Fund Total Restricted Funds Permanent Endowment Funds Benifold Trust TOTAL	Balance at 1 Jan 2023 £ 1,049,028 219,941 9,712 32,533 726,160 988,346 2,037,374 5,636 9,519 13,816 3,701 75,155 107,827 53,352 2,198,553	Income Expenditure £ £ 528,461 (634,008) 3,978 (11,987) - - 3,844 (7,663) - - 7,822 (19,650) 536,283 (653,658) - - - - 18,565 (17,998) - (1,347) 2,004 (2,907) 20,569 (22,252) 1,058 (349) 557,910 (676,259)	Investment Gains £ 48,554 5,046 - - - 5,046 53,600 - - - - 2,542 2,542 1,342 57,484	Transfers Between Funds £ - - - 709 - 709 709 - - - - - - (709) -	Balance at 31 Dec 2023 £ 992,035
					216,978 9,712 29,423 726,160
					982,273
					1,974,308
					5,636 9,519 14,383 2,354 76,794
					108,686
					54,694
					2,137,688

During the year, the following transfers between funds have been made:

• £709, being the net investment income (after deduction of investment management fees), from the Benifold Trust Endowment Fund to the Publications fund to support the publishing of worship resources

Notes on funds are on page 37 as part of note 20.

34

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

19. ANALYSIS OF CHARITABLE FUNDS – COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR PRIOR YEAR

General Fund Retained Funds Designated Funds Ecumenical Fund Redevelopment Fund Publications Fund Property Fund Total Designated Funds Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds International and Mission Youth Work and Training Children’s Ministry Network (CMN) International Students Hardship Fund Climate Sunday Pauline Webb Fund Total Restricted Funds Permanent Endowment Funds Benifold Trust TOTAL	Balance at 1 Jan 2022 £ 1,361,741 240,717 9,712 40,282 726,160 1,016,871 2,378,612 5,636 9,519 13,459 7,126 5,959 90,717 132,416 59,507 2,570,535	Income Expenditure £ £ 530,118 (605,046) 3,699 (1,340) - - 1,353 (9,730) - - 5,052 (11,070) 535,170 (616,116) - - - - 3,480 (3,123) 50 (7,176) - (2,258) 1,977 (5,178) 5,507 (17,735) 984 (356) 541,661 (634,207)	Investment Gains £ (237,785) (23,135) - - - (23,135) (260,920) - - - - - (12,361) (12,361) (6,155) (279,436)	Transfers Between Funds £ - - - 628 - 628 628 - - - - - - - (628) -	Balance at 31 Dec 2022 £ 1,049,028
					219,941 9,712 32,533 726,160
					988,346
					2,037,374
					5,636 9,519 13,816 - 3,701 75,155
					107,827
					53,352
					2,198,553

Notes on funds are on page 37 as part of note 20.

35

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

20. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

General Fund Retained Funds Designated Funds Ecumenical support Redevelopment fund Publications fund Property Fund Total Designated Funds Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds International and mission Youth work and training Children’s Ministry Network (CMN) Climate Sunday Fund Pauline Webb Fund Permanent Endowed Funds Benifold Trust TOTAL AT 31 DECEMBER 2023	Tangible Fixed Assets £ 275 - - - - - 275 - - - - - - - 275	Invest- ments £ 1,351,397 138,745 - - - 138,745 1,490,142 - - - - 73,013 73,013 39,040 1,602,195	Inter- Church House £ - - - - 526,160 526,160 526,160 - - - - - - - 526,160	Net Current Assets / (Liabilities) £ (345,324) 78,233 9,712 29,423 200,000 317,368 (27,956) 5,636 9,519 14,383 2,354 3,781 35,673 15,654 23,371	Long term (Liabilities) £ (14,313) - - - - - (14,313) - - - - - - - (14,313)	Total 2023 £ 992,035
						216,978 9,712 29,423 726,160
						982,273
						1,974,308 5,636 9,519 14,383 2,354 76,794
						108,686
						54,694
						2,137,688

Notes on funds are on page 37.

36

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2023

20. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS (continued)

Designated Funds

The Designated Funds represent amounts, which have been set aside at the discretion of the Trustees. These Designated Funds are to provide for expenditure as detailed below:

• The Ecumenical Fund was established with an initial transfer of £250,000 to enable the income, but not the capital, to be made available for programmes sponsored by the National Ecumenical Instruments. In 2020, the trustees agreed to allow expenditure to reduce the capital value to a minimum of £200,000. There is cumulative income of £3,699 available (2022: £nil). The amount of capital held above the minimum level of £200,000, accrued through capital gains, is £16,242 (2022: £40,717). Trustees are currently prioritising applications to this fund to further work which aligns with the five priority areas of the CTBI strategic plan.

• The Redevelopment Fund has been established to fund and support the reorganisation of CTBI. This includes further development of the websites intended for the current year.

• The Publications Fund is set aside to facilitate the completion of the ongoing publications programme and presentation of e-books via the website. Income generated from sales of publications is allocated to the fund, and costs of production are charged against the fund.

• The Property Fund has been established for Inter-Church House which is a programme related investment carried at the original investment amount of £526,160. The fund includes £200,000 previously set aside for possible liability in the future in respect of repairs to the structural fabric for Inter-Church House (ICH).

Restricted Funds

The Restricted Funds are funds which have been donated with specific restrictions imposed on their use. The funds included within this heading are:

• The International and Mission Fund carried forward consists of balances held to support work in Sri Lanka and India.

• The Youth Work and Training Fund arises from funds and programmes relating to Christian youth work and training activities.

• The Childrens Ministry Network (CMN, previously Consultative Group on Ministry among Children, or CGMC) supports those with national responsibility for work with children in denominations and Christian Agencies.

• The Churches’ International Students Hardship Fund provides grants to assist full-time international students, who are already in Britain and Ireland and who are facing unexpected financial problems during the final stages of their course. The remaining balance of the fund was fully disbursed during the year and this fund is now closed.

• The Climate Sunday fund was formed to facilitate work around climate justice and the Climate Sunday initiative, in the build-up to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow which took place in November 2022. The balance of funds will be used in 2023 for research to evaluate and assess the legacy of this initiative in line with the original project plan.

• The Pauline Webb Fund is established to support women’s leadership in ecumenism.

Permanent Endowed Funds

• The Benifold Trust is administered by CTBI under a Uniting Order 2007 Scheme of the Charity Commission. The income from this endowment is transferred to a Designated Fund and used in ecumenical work in the general field of spirituality and worship materials.

37

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

21. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS – COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR PRIOR YEAR

General Fund Retained Funds Designated Funds Ecumenical support Redevelopment fund Publications fund Property Fund Total Designated Funds Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds International and mission Youth work and training Children’s Ministry Network (CMN) International Students Hardship Fund Climate Sunday Fund Pauline Webb Fund Permanent Endowed Funds Benifold Trust TOTAL AT 31 DECEMBER 2022	Tangible Fixed Assets £ 824 - - - - - 824 - - - - - - - - 824	Invest- ments £ 1,401,840 145,686 - - - 145,686 1,547,526 - - - - - 73,379 73,379 38,756 1,659,661	Inter- Church House £ - - - - 526,160 526,160 526,160 - - - - - - - - 526,160	Net Current Assets / (Liabilities) £ (326,716) 74,255 9,712 32,533 200,000 316,500 (10,216) 5,636 9,519 13,816 - 3,701 1,776 34,448 14,596 38,828	Long term (Liabilities) £ (26,920) - - - - - (26,920) - - - - - - - - (26,920)	Total 2022 £ 1,049,028
						219,941 9,712 32,533 726,160
						988,346
						2,037,374 5,636 9,519 13,816 - 3,701 75,155
						107,827
						53,352
						2,198,553

Notes on funds are on page 37 as part of note 20.

38

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Notes to the Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 December 2023

22. CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net (expenditure) for the year Adjustments for: Depreciation charges (Gains) / losses on investments Dividends, interest and rents from investments (Increase) in debtors (Decrease) in creditors under one year (Decrease) in creditors over one year Net cash (used in) operating activities	2023 £ (60,865) 549 (57,484) (392,290) (7,550) (21,544) (12,607) (490,926) (551,791)	2022 £ (371,982) 640 279,436 (390,021) (1,634) (10,804) (22,106)
		(144,489)
		(516,471)

23. OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS

At 31 December 2023 Churches Together in Britain and Ireland had total future minimum payments in respect of its operating lease on premises as follows:

On leases which expire: In less than one year Total future minimum lease commitment	Leased Building 2023 2022 £ £ 28,680 26,891 28,680 26,891	Leased Building 2023 2022 £ £ 28,680 26,891 28,680 26,891
		26,891

24. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

There are no related party transactions other than those disclosed elsewhere in these financial statements.

39

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Reference and Administrative Details

Directors and Trustees

The Trustees, who are also directors of the company, who were serving at the date of signing these accounts were:

Revd Graham Sparkes Moderator Revd T Alan Anderson† Mr Patrick Coyle Dr Richard Fasunloye Appointed 2 October 2023 Rt Revd Andrew Forster Dr Elizabeth Harris Bishop Paul Hendricks Revd Alexander Horsburgh Ms Gemma King Appointed 2 October 2023 Ms Gillian Kingston Mr Mark Lilley Appointed 2 October 2023 The Venerable Dr Rosemarie Mallett Fr Jan Nowotnik Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath Lt-Col Jonathan Roberts Revd Nicholas Rothon† Treasurer Ms Patricia White

The following also served as a Trustee during the year:

Ms Rachel Lampard Resigned 2 October 2023

Those who were not Trustees but attended the Board of Trustees by invitation were:

Dr Nicola Brady[†] General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) Mr Michael McClure[†] Company Secretary & Business Manager Revd Mike Royal General Secretary, Churches Together In England (CTE) Revd Siôn Brynach Chief Executive, Churches Together in Wales (CYTÛN) (from April 2023) Revd Canon Aled Edwards OBE Chief Executive, Churches Together in Wales (CYTÛN) (until March 2023) Dr Damian Jackson General Secretary, Irish Council of Churches (ICC) Peter Colwell Assistant General Secretary and Director of Programmes, CTBI Richard Reddie Director of Justice & Inclusion Programme

† Member of Finance and General Purposes Committee

40

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Reference and Administrative Details

Principal address	Inter Church House
and registered office	35 Lower Marsh London
	SE1 7RL
Company registration number	05661787 (England & Wales)
Charity registration number	1113299
Independent Examiner	Helen Blundell, LLB FCA FCIE DChA
	Crowe U.K. LLP
	Black Country House
	Rounds Green Road
	Oldbury
	West Midlands
	B69 2DG
Bankers	CAF Bank Limited
	25 Kings Hill Avenue
	Kings Hill
	West Malling
	Kent
	ME19 4JQ
	HSBC Bank plc
	38 Canada Place
	Canary Wharf
	London
	E14 5AH
Legal advisers	Stone King LLP
	13 Queen Square
	Bath
	BA1 2HJ
	Ashton Graham Solicitors
	Waterfront House
	Wherry Quay
	Ipswich
	IP4 1AS
Investment Advisers	Investec Wealth & Investment Ltd
	30 Gresham Street
	London
	EC2V 7QN

41