Centre for Christianity in Society Trustees Report For Period 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025
Centre for Christianity in Society (CCS) Charity Registration Number: NIC108788 Company Registration Number: NI682889 Reporting Period: 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025
1. Charity Details
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Name : Centre for Christianity in Society
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Legal Status : Company limited by guarantee (no share capital) and registered charity
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Date of Incorporation : 6 October 2021
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Date of Charity Registration : 17 May 2022
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Registered Address : 62 Rosewood Glen, Lisburn, County Antrim, BT28 2FH
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• Website : Centre for Christianity in Society ( Centre for Christianity in Society )
2. Structure, Governance and Management
CCS is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Trustees are responsible for strategic oversight, legal compliance, and financial stewardship. Day-to-day operations are delegated to volunteers serving as Executive Director and Operations Manager.
Trustees during the reporting period:
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Dr Keith Gardiner (Chair)
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Mr Arthur Canning
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Dr Paul Coulter
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Mr Gareth Kimpton
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Mr Michael Shaw
Trustees who stepped down:
- Mrs Rachel Shields
Trustees met regularly throughout the year, with minutes recorded and circulated by the Chair.
3. Objectives and Activities
The charitable purpose of CCS is the advancement of Christianity , as defined in its governing documents. Activities undertaken during the year were aligned with this purpose and included:
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Raising awareness, teaching, training, and advocacy
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Engaging with topical issues and big questions across all age groups and belief backgrounds
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Equipping Christians to think biblically, build loving relationships, and evangelise effectively
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Producing Christian content through writing, audio, and video
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Advising Christian leaders on cultural and societal challenges
All activities were designed to promote public benefit in accordance with Charity Commission guidance.
4. Area of Operation
CCS is based in Northern Ireland and operates across Ireland and the United Kingdom. Online resources extend its reach globally.
5. Beneficiaries
CCS serves:
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Christians of all ages, denominations, and educational backgrounds across Ireland
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The general public across Ireland
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A global audience via digital platforms
6. Financial Review (Subject to Final Audit)
Income
Total income for the year ending 31 October 2025 was £11,891.27 , comprising:
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Regular donations: £4,400.00
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One-off donations: £3,832.68
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Gift Aid refund: £2,185.83
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Conference and book sales: £272.76
Expenditure
Total expenditure was £16,672.26 , including:
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Office and registration costs: £1,200.00
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Electronic media development: £7,009.99
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Administrator salary: £5,637.51
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Ministry expenses: £1,053.69
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Videography: £1,088.70
Deficit
The charity recorded a deficit of £4,780.99 for the period.
Trustees received quarterly financial updates and approved the annual financial report at the AGM. Accounts are independently examined, and a summary of receipts and payments is submitted annually to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.
7. Public Benefit Statement
In planning and delivering activities, Trustees considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. The outcomes include:
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Supporting mental wellbeing through promotion of loving relationships in churches, families, and communities
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Encouraging moral improvement by promoting the Christian principle of honouring all people
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Educating Christians through seminars, articles, and courses on belief systems and their roots
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Educating the general public on Christian beliefs and practices
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Promoting good citizenship by encouraging respect for authorities
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Encouraging volunteering in churches and charitable organisations
Activities and Public Benefit
Activities of CCS over this period were:
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Speakers were provided on a variety of topics for 21 churches across Northern Ireland on 44 occasions, speaking to an estimated 1770 people.
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Contributions were made to four Colleges or Universities including: Queen’s University Belfast – Paul Coulter contributed to a module for medical students; Irish Baptist College – Paul Coulter taught the Ethics module and contributed to two other modules and Michael Shaw and Andy Witherall contributed to the Apologetics module; KVBC Malaysia – Paul Coulter taught the ministry module on pastoral care and leadership in person; Union Theological College – Paul Coulter and Michael Shaw contributed occasional classes.
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Seminars were provided to two summer conferences – New Horizon in Northern Ireland (two seminars by Paul Coulter and Michael Shaw) and Keswick Convention in England (two seminars by Paul Coulter)
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Paul Coulter made overseas trips to: Albania, contributing to the Albanian Leadership Forum; Malaysia, for the teaching mentioned above; North Macedonia, where he spoke for a church and an event on ethics; and Sweden, where he led a summer camp for a church.
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Our learning community, Everyday Gospel, continued to meet monthly during term times. We had eight events, providing training to 109 attendees.
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Our first Conference in Lisburn on 31 May 2025 on the theme of Human Dignity in life and Death had 50 attendees. The proceedings were subsequently published and videos are being released gradually online.
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God New Evidence videos had over 20,000 views and were watched for 777 hours, with 85 new subscribers to the channel.
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Three new articles were produced for the CCS website and the blog received over 2,400 views from almost 1,800 visitors.
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Two books were published – the first in our Connected Christianity series, titled Consuming and Creating Culture by Paul Coulter and Honour, Fear, and Love: The Shape of Christian Faithfulness in a Post-Christian Society , also by Paul Coulter and co-published with PESIOD Publications.
Mitigation of Harm
CCS’s Safeguarding Officer keeps the Trustees informed of any legal developments affecting the Charity’s operation in terms of welfare of children and adults at risk. This is to ensure that the activities that may include children or adults at risk are not posing a risk. The Trustees are not aware of any other potential harm from the CCS activities.
Data Protection
In accordance with legal requirements and good practice, all personal details, including financial information, are kept secure, and only used for their specified purposes.
This report was agreed at a meeting of the Trustees on the 20 March 2026.
Signed
Dr Keith Gardiner
Director (Chair)