## **CROFTON BAPTIST CHURCH – ANNUAL REPORT 2023** ## **Statutory Information:** ## **Registered Address:** 100 Crofton Lane Orpington BR5 1HD As from 09/02/2010, Crofton Baptist Church (CBC) became a registered charity. CBC’s Registered Charity number is 1134220. ## **Trustees:** Rev Adrian Judd (Pastor) - paid - from 01/09/12 Rachel Davis Rev Moises Mendoza (Associate Pastor) - paid - from Helen Williams 01/04/23 Femi Adesanya Wole Adeloye (Elder) Kola Olounbanjo David Coles (Elder) Simon Li Andrew Crowson (Church Manager & Elder) - paid - Sara Bottomley (Community Worker & Elder) - paid - from 07/09/16 from 01/09/13 Peter Newton (Chair of Finance Team/Treasurer) ## **Property Trustees:** ## **Bankers:** The Baptist Union Corporation Limited Barclays Bank PLC Baptist House 229 High Street 129 Broadway Orpington Didcot BR6 0JU Oxfordshire OX11 8RT CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue **Independent Examiner:** Kings Hill Mark Jarrold West Malling 23 Repton Road ME19 4JQ Orpington BR6 9HR ## **Annual Report for 2023** The charity trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2023. ## **Charitable Object** The Charity is governed by a constitution which states that the principal purpose of the charity is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination to include the advancement of education, community service and such other general charitable purposes in such parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the church shall determine. The church occupies premises which are held, by the Baptist Union Corporation Limited, on trusts which are entirely compatible with the above object. ## **Organisational Structure and Decision-Making Process** Crofton Baptist Church is an unincorporated association with Managing Trustees appointed by a meeting of members (the “Church Meeting”). Church membership is open to all who profess repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They also accept the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the authority of the Holy Scriptures and the interpretation of them usually called Evangelical. In accordance with the Constitution, the Church Meeting appoints the Trustees, (consisting of the Pastor and Leadership Team), to be responsible for the spiritual leadership, oversight, and administration of the church, including the financial and legal aspects of the charity. Specific duties are assigned by the Trustees to each person by mutual agreement. New Trustees receive a pack of appropriate documentation, as listed in the document **“Briefing New CBC Leadership Team Members”** . The Trustees submit relevant matters to the Church Meeting for guidance, or matters may be raised by members in the Church Meeting for further consideration by the Trustees. The Church seeks to work by consensus wherever possible, though the constitution permits decisions to 1 be made at Church Meetings by appropriate majorities. All members are encouraged to take an appropriate part in the spiritual and practical tasks involved in the furtherance of the charitable objective. **The Church Meeting has responsibility for the overall policy of the church, the appointment of the Charity Trustees,** and meets regularly (not less than four times per year). There were five meetings during 2023. These included a Special Church meeting on 22/01/23 to appoint an Associate Pastor. The AGM was held in person on 16/07/23. The Pastors and other staff are appointed in accordance with the Church Constitution. Charity Trustees are elected for a period of 3 years and are eligible for re-election at the end of their period of service. The Church Secretary and the Chair of the Finance Team are chosen annually by the Charity Trustees from among themselves, subject to ratification by the membership at the next Church Meeting. ## **Objectives and Activities** ## **Introduction** The Mission Statement and Objectives of the Church continue to be as follows: ## **Crofton Baptist Church Mission Statement – ‘Helping people follow Jesus’** ## **Crofton Baptist Church Vision –** ## **“We exist to help people to become fully committed and equipped disciples of Jesus Christ”** ## **We will do this through:** - **Jesus’ centred preaching and teaching** - **Prayer that is both personal and corporate** - **Loving relationships across the generations** - **Serving others as we identify and use our spiritual gifts** - **Passionate outreach both at home and overseas** - **Engaging with our society in ways that are culturally relevant** - **Joyful and creative worship that is grounded in Scripture** ## **This means:** - **Being committed to personal spiritual growth through the regular reading of God’s word** - **Living as a disciple of Jesus every day of the week** - **Belonging to an appropriate small group / home group** - **Learning to share our faith in Christ in natural and unforced ways** - **Being involved in a group/activity within our local community** - **Sharing our resources for the sake of the kingdom and for the care of others** - **Playing our part in a church that lives up to the image of being a church that follows Jesus Christ** - **• Complete submission to the Holy Spirit in both decision-making and behaviour** The church is committed to this vision which includes growing its interest in global mission, developing compassion ministries, and caring for people in the community. It is possible to see this commitment in the work carried out by members of the church in serving the local, wider regional, and global communities. ## **Ministry Team Structure** Additionally, the church has a Ministry Team structure in place. During 2023 the nine teams have overseen various areas of church life; Youth, Community, Fellowship, Mission, Pastoral Care and Prayer, Finance, Support, Seniors, Children, and the Sunday Service Ministry Team. These teams encourage members to be fully involved in the work of the church exercising their gifts and using their skills. ## **Church Life** The church is committed to helping all its members grow as faithful followers and worshippers of Jesus Christ and servants of other people in the church and wider community. Sunday services provide opportunities for teaching and worship. They are also an opportunity to encourage members to be active in serving others and telling them about Jesus. Members of the Church also enjoy fun events and eating together. The services are live-streamed and then the recordings are placed on the church’s YouTube channel. The numbers of business meetings were as follows: Leadership Team – 7 plus informal prayer meetings; Church Meetings – 5. The Church AGM approved the annual report and annual accounts for 2022. It also considered strategy and vision for the year ahead. The regular annual Charity Trustee Election took place during November when Chris Munday was appointed as an Elder and Femi Adesanya was reappointed as a non-eldership trustee. All those elected begin 3-year terms from 01/01/24. The church membership at the end of December 2022 totalled 148 and at the end of 2023, having taken account of deaths, people moving on and new members joining, it was 155. 4 adults have been baptised by immersion during 2 the year. On 11[th] March 2023 Crofton Baptist Church lost its last surviving founder member, Pam Davies, who had set us an example of commitment, vision, and zeal for just over 65 years! ## **Achievements and Performance** Several important objectives had been agreed by the Charity Trustees and Church Meeting for 2023 including: 1. Associate Pastor Appointment - to proceed with this appointment, aiming for the chosen applicant to commence their role as soon as possible **– this objective was carried forward from 2021.** 2. To begin the process of transition from the term ‘Church Member’ to ‘Church Partner’ in order to better encapsulate the responsibilities of the role. In addition, each Ministry Team set objectives for 2023 consistent with the overall objectives and those of the team itself as outlined in its original brief. **OBJECTIVE 1** - Rev Moises Mendoza was appointed as the Associate Pastor at a Special Church meeting held on 22/01/23 and took up his appointment on 01/04/23. **OBJECTIVE 2** - Good progress on was made during the year. This project will be progressed slowly and sensitively with completion expected during 2024. In addition to the formal objectives set above the following activities were completed: - the fellowship participated in the Church Big Read using the book ‘The Church of Tomorrow’ by John - McGinley. This was accompanied by a sermon series - a Lectio course was held using material provided by the organisation 24/7 Prayer. - the Community Worker was granted well deserved sabbatical leave during August and September. - a Church Big Day Out took place in September. - a Young Adults Group was established to strengthen and encourage this age group. - a Walk Through Nativity event was held which many families from the surrounding community attended - and enjoyed. The following objectives were set for 2024: 1. Launch a new website with a wider range of feature to enhance communication within the fellowship and beyond. 2. Complete the transition to church covenant partnership. 3. To run an apologetics course entitled ‘Beyond Belief’ for the benefit of the community. 4. Conduct a review of the Mission Ministry Team activities and the systems and procedures for supporting mission organisations. 5. Consider how to address the issue that the Main Worship Area is now virtually full on Sundays. Congregation growth will require innovative thinking. 6. Establish a Prayer Room using the model provided by the organisation 24/7 Prayer. ## **Finance Ministry Team:** The financial results for the year ended 31 December 2023 are set out in the accompanying Financial Statements, together with a summary of the accounting policies adopted by the charity. The church continues to raise the funds needed to carry on its activities from within its own membership and congregation, and in this accounting year no wider public appeal was made for funds. At the end of this accounting year the church employed 4 people. The church depends heavily on volunteers among its membership in all aspects of its activities, many of which involve little or no expenditure but nevertheless contribute substantially to the achievement of its objectives. Online giving options are available and cashless giving via a mobile phone app will be introduced during 2024. As an expression of its role in the life of the wider church, the charity made grants to national and international organisations and societies whose aims, and objectives are compatible with this church’s own charitable purpose (Details are listed in the attached document **“Accounts for the Year Ended 31 December 2023”** ). During November 2020, the Finance Team formulated a revised reserves policy. The finances of the church are not dependent on any one income stream; for instance, it receives no income from investments other than bank account interest and does not depend on a few large donors. The church owns a minister’s residence and all its other assets outright. Throughout the year, the Fellowship Fund provided support to many members who were in financial need, including pensioners and those on benefits. Crofton Baptist Church has appropriate insurance for its buildings and contents and Employer’s Liability Insurance, as recommended and provided by the Baptist Insurance Company PLC. 3 CROFTON BAPtIST CHURCH ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 0￿0 cTh o Tr) J r4 ￿ rrt ¢ri