www.theologysociety.org.uk
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2022
Annual Report
1. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Summary of Objectives
‘The Society is established for the advancement of education, specifically to promote excellence in the study of Christian theology, in the UK and internationally. The Society aims to support all those engaged in theology, across the full range of approaches and church traditions; to facilitate and shape theological thought, conversation and community; to identify and discuss important themes, questions and dialogues which call for theological engagement; to explore the nature of, and to foster, theological integrity, responsibility and vocation; and to promote understanding of, and engagement with, theological work across a wide range of contexts including the academy and the churches.’
www.theologysociety.org.uk/about-us/constitution/
Summary of Public Benefit
The Executive Committee keeps the Society’s activities under review to ensure that they continue to reflect its aims. In carrying out this review, it makes reference to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular to its supplementary public guidance on the advancement of education for the public benefit. The Society is in the process of making technical amendments to the Constitution in order to ensure it meets the requirements of the Charity Commission as it moves to charity status.
Additional Activities
The Society has continued its significant work around Theology and Race over the course of the past year, and continues to hold an annual consultation, via a joint meeting of the Society’s Committee with the four members of the Theology and Race Sub-Committee. The latter
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continue to provide invaluable advice on how this important aspect of the Society’s ongoing commitments in this area might be enhanced.
Other significant work this past year has included an extraordinary general meeting, conducted via Zoom, to agree a Society policy on the making of statements on matters of social and ecclesial importance which might be regarded either to impact on its work or about which it could be considered to have particular perspectives worth articulating.
The Society has also sought to improve upon its own safeguarding policies, and to formulate and agree a new Professional Conduct Policy for all members. It continues to be a condition of attending the Conference that all members agree to this policy.
2. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Members and Subscriptions
The total membership of the Society increased from 447 to 505. Student membership was around 170 and there were around 92 international members.
To extend the financial support that the Society is able to make available to students and other conference participants on lower incomes, all members continue to be warmly encouraged to raise their subscription payment to £10 per £10,000 of income.
An additional £4395.00 was received this way, which was transferred directly to the Bursary Fund.
Postgraduate Conference
As a postgraduate conference did not take place in 2022, a conference is now planned for 2023 (September 4[th] - 6[th] ) at New College, The University of Edinburgh, on the theme of Hope. Invited speakers include James Eglinton, Katherine Hockey and Selina Stone. Postgraduate students attending will be invited to give paper presentations in any discipline related to theology. Prof Rachel Muers, Chair of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, will give a formal welcome.
Colin Gunton Memorial Prize (sponsored jointly by The International Journal of Systematic Theology and The Society for the Study of Theology )
The 2021 Prize was on the theme of Eschatology, and the winning essay was written by Hannah Malcolm, a doctoral candidate and ordinand at The University of Durham, with the title: ‘Body Without End: Biological Mutualism and the Body of Christ’. This essay will feature in a forthcoming issue of IJST . The Society’s contribution to the Prize is the award of a sponsored place at its Annual Conference at Warwick University.
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This was the final year for which the Prize would be named for Colin Gunton alone, a decision being made at the Conference that forthwith it would be known as the Gunton/Webster Prize, (after John Webster) to honour the memory and significance of both theologians to the study of systematic theology.
The 2022 Prize will be awarded to an essay on the theme of ‘The Communion of Saints’.
3. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The Society for the Study of Theology is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). It is constituted by the Constitution adopted by the Annual General Meeting of the Society on the 9[th] April 2019. The Constitution can be found on the SST website.
As a CIO, the Society for the Study of Theology is eligible for VAT exemption on some goods and services it provides (e.g. conferences and advertising). Accounts are prepared in accordance with English and Welsh charity law.
Executive Committee members, who act as the Society’s trustees, are elected by the AGM in accordance with section 7.6 of the Society’s Constitution, available at
https://www.theologysociety.org.uk/about-us/constitution/
The Committee meets at least twice annually, immediately before and immediately after the annual conference. In recent years, a third meeting in the summer has been added to the meeting schedule for the Committee. By tradition, the AGM is consulted on the conference theme two years in advance.
4. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Correspondence
Revd Andrew Taylor Secretary, Society for the Study of Theology 25,Great Norwood Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 2AW Email: andrew.taylor@regents.ox.ac.uk
2022 Executive Committee and Trustees
| Prof David Clough | President | 2022- 24 |
|---|---|---|
| Rev’d Andrew Taylor | Secretary | 2021 - |
| Rev’d Dr Andrew Shamel | Treasurer | 2022 - |
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| Ms Anupama Ranawana | Assistant Secretary | 2021 - 24 |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Dulcie McKenzie | BAME Representative | 2020 - 23 |
| Prof AnthonyReddie | BAME Representative | 2020 - 23 |
| DrJoanna Leidenhag | Elected Member | 2020 - 23 |
| Dr Calida Chu | Elected Member | 2021 - 24 |
| Dr Gifford Rhamie | Elected Member | 2021 -24 |
| Dr Nicola Whyte | Elected Member | 2022 -25 |
| Ms Florence O’Taylor | Elected Member | 2022 -25 |
5. FINANCIAL REVIEW
Bursary Fund
Awards were made to 48 eligible bursary applicants, waiving or reducing their conference costs by either £100 or £200. The total amount of bursaries awarded was £6500, of which £5096 were redeemed. Bursaries were funded by increased subscriptions and donations from Members and from Society reserves.
Bursaries were also awarded through the SSST-BIAPT BAME bursary fund, established to increase access to the conference for BAME scholars. Under this scheme, five bursaries of £200 were awarded, funded jointly by £495 from The Susanna Wesley Foundation and SST. Bursary recipients who were members of the scheme’s named partner institutions had the option of applying for an additional grant from those institutions.
Reserves in the bursary fund allowed bursaries to be offered to other eligible applicants to the BAME bursary scheme. In all, bursaries were offered to all 17 BAME bursary applicants. The total amount of bursaries awarded through this scheme was £2200, of which £1200 were redeemed.
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6. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
A. RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS
| A. RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS | A. RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-Jun-22 | 30-Jun-21 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| General Fund – Unrestricted fund |
||||
| Receipts | ||||
| Membership receipts | ||||
| Subscriptions and Donations |
8634 | 7832 | ||
| Transfer to Bursary Fund |
-6296 | -3537 | ||
| Use of e-mail lists | 1047.93 | 3385.93 | 748 | 5043 |
| Conference receipts | ||||
| Conference fees | 18170 | 6515 | ||
| Accommodation and meals |
30688 | -- | ||
| Publisher stands and attendance fees |
670 | 300 | ||
| Reception sponsorship | 500 | -- | ||
| Conference centre deposit refunds |
-- | 50028 | -- | 6815 |
| Bank interest | 3.32 | 34.62 | ||
| Total Receipts | 53417.25 | 11892.62 | ||
| Payments | ||||
| Administrative payments |
||||
| Website | 354.01 | 1499.19 | ||
| Committee expenses | 218.20 | 0 | ||
| Secretary honorarium | 1250 | 1250 | ||
| Treasurer honorarium | 2500 | 0.00 | ||
| Assistant Secretary honorarium |
1250 | 5572.21 | 0.00 | 2749.19 |
| Conference payments |
||||
| Committee travel | 1167.95 | 0 |
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| Conference centre | 50819.99 | 0 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference centre cancellation fee |
-- | 9798.75 | ||
| Event insurance | 81 | 0 | ||
| Plenary speaker travel | 442.62 | 0.00 | ||
| Clerical support | 2988 | 1235.88 | ||
| Office costs | 394.38 | -- | ||
| Conference refunds | 1968 | 433 | ||
| Transfer from bursary fund |
-6296 | -3537 | ||
| Transcription services for online conference |
-- | 2352 | ||
| Zoom licenses for online conference |
-- | 51565.94 | 191.88 | 10474.51 |
| Postgraduate conference |
0 | 0 | ||
| TRS-UK donation/association fee |
0 | 0 | ||
| Banking and payment facilities |
603.80 | 955.91 | ||
| Total Payments | 57741.95 | 14179.61 | ||
| Excess of Receipts over Payments |
-4324.70 | -2286.99 | ||
| Bank accounts at start of period |
27476.15 | 29763.14 | ||
| Bank accounts at end of period |
23151.45 | 27476.15 | ||
| year to | ||||
| 30-Jun-21 | ||||
| £ | £ | |||
| Bursary Fund — Restricted fund |
||||
| Receipts | ||||
| Donations | 460 | 1263 | ||
| Transfer from Subscriptions |
5836 | 6296 | 2274 | 3537 |
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| Payments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer from bursary fund |
6296 | 3537 | ||
| Excess of Payments over Receipts |
0 | 0 | ||
| Bank accounts at start of period |
5000 | 5000 | ||
| Bank accounts at end of period |
5000 | 5000 | ||
| B. STATEMENT OF ASSETS AT THE END OF THE PERIOD | ||||
| £ | £ | |||
| Community Directplus Account |
18053.21 | 22381.23 | ||
| Select Instant Access Account |
10098.24 | 10094.92 | ||
| Total bank accounts | 28151.45 | 32476.15 |
Notes
-
I. Honoraria for Treasurer and Assistant Secretary carried over to 2021 – 2022 financial year due to a delay in processing payments. Treasurer's clerical support costs also carried over to 2021 – 2022 financial year for same reason.
-
II. Most of shortfall was due to trialling a hybrid conference format. The executive committee took the decision to pay for the University of Warwick’s technical services to host the hybrid conference. However, sales of online conference tickets were too low to cover these costs. The University of Warwick’s technical services are therefore not being used for the 2023 conference.
DECLARATION
The Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 under the Charities Act 2011. It was approved by the Executive Committee by e- mail consultation and was signed on its behalf by the President and the Treasurer .
Prof David Clough President
Dr Andrew Shamel Treasurer
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS
This report is on the financial statements of the Society for the period ended 30th June 2022, which are set out on pages 5 to 7.
The trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. They consider that an audit is not required for this period under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility: to examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act; to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act); and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that: proper accounting records are kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act; or to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Mr Giles Dobson, MRICS
15 April 2023 Almancil House, Church Road, Carlton, Newmarket, CB8 9JZ
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