Constitution

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The Diaconal Association of the Church of England Constitution

1.	Name
1.1.	The name of the Association is "The Diaconal Association of the Church of England" (hereinafter referred to as "the Association").
2.	Administration
2.1.	Subject to the matters set out below the Association and its property shall be administered and managed in accordance with this constitution by the members of the Executive Committee, constituted by clause 7 of this constitution ("the Executive Committee").
3.	Objects
	The Associations objects are to advance the Christian religion and to support and further the charitable work of the Church of England and in particular:
3.1.	To promote diaconal ministries in the Church of England.
3.2.	To support all diaconal ministers as defined by clause 5.1.
3.3.	To maintain links with "DIAKONIA Foundation: the World Federation of Diaconal Associations and Diaconal Communities" and its relevant regional groupings, through membership of the same.
3.4.	To consider the theological and practical implications of diaconal ministry within the total ministry of the Christian church.
4.	Powers
	In furtherance of the objects but not otherwise the Executive Committee may exercise the following powers.
4.1.	Power to register as a Charity in England .
4.2.	Power to raise funds and to invite and receive contributions provided that in raising funds the Executive Committee shall not undertake any substantial permanent trading activities and shall conform to any relevant requirements of the law.
4.3.	Power to employ such staff (who shall not be members of the Executive Committee) as are necessary for the proper pursuit of the objects and to make all reasonable and necessary provision for the payment of pensions and superannuation for staff and their dependants.
4.4.	Power to inform and liaise with the Church of England as a whole through its various representative bodies as to the concerns of the Association and its members.
4.5.	Power to co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities operating in furtherance of the objects or of similar charitable purposes and to exchange information and advice with them.
4.6.	Power to establish or support any charitable trusts, associations or institutions formed for all or any of the objects.
4.7.	Power to appoint and constitute such advisory committees as the Executive Committee may think fit.
4.8.	Power to share experiences of diaconal ministry.
4.9.	Power to initiate dialogue and contribute to debate and discussion on the wider issues facing Society.
4.10.	Power to arrange and provide for, or join in arranging and providing for, the holding of exhibitions, meetings, lectures, seminars and training courses.
4.11.	Power to procure to be written and print, publish, issue and circulate gratuitously or otherwise such papers, books, periodicals, pamphlets or other documents, films, videos, tapes or computer software as shall further the above objects.
4.12.	Power to do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the objects.
5.	Membership
5.1.	Full Membership of the Association shall be open to Anglican: Deacons as defined in clause 16.1, Deaconesses, Church Army Officers, not also ordained as Priest, and Accredited Lay Workers as defined in clause 16.1, resident and/or working in any Province of the Anglican Communion in Britain and Ireland .
5.2.	Associate Membership shall be open to: any member of the Church of England not qualifying for Full Membership; any member of another church in the Anglican Communion; and All other persons, lay or ordained, in any Christian Church which subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, administers the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, and is designated by the Archbishop's of Canterbury and York for the Ecumenical Canons, and who subscribe to the purposes of the Association and are supportive of diaconal ministry.
5.3.	All members shall pay an annual subscription which shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
5.4.	Only such Full Members who hold a Bishop's Licence or permission to officiate, up to the age of 70 years, shall have the right to elect Officers ("the electorate").
5.5.	Membership shall be approved by the Executive Committee and the Committee shall reserve the right to review or refuse membership at any time.
6.	Honorary Officers
6.1.	The members forming the electorate shall elect from among their number a President and Vice-President who shall hold office for a four year term.
6.2.	No member shall serve as President for more than two consecutive full terms of office. No member shall serve as Vice-President for more than two consecutive full terms of office.
6.3.	Any casual vacancy in the office of President or Vice-President shall be filled within 12 months by a new election.
6.4.	The Executive Committee shall appoint from among their number a Secretary who shall be a Full Member of the Association.
6.5.	The Executive Committee shall appoint a Treasurer who shall be a Full or Associate Member of the Association.
6.6.	Any casual vacancy in the office of Secretary or Treasurer shall be filled within four months by an appointment made by the Executive Committee.
6.7.	Elections shall be held in the 90 day period prior to an annual general meeting and shall be conducted by post in accordance with any procedure the Executive Committee may decide.
7.	Executive Committee
7.1.	The Executive Committee shall consist of: the President; the Vice-President; eight members of the Association elected in accordance with clause 7.3, of whom no less than six shall be Full Members; one or more representatives appointed by the Executive Committee to "DIAKONIA - United Kingdom Liaison Group" in accordance with clause 7.5; any member of the Association who is, by election or appointment, a member of the Executive of the DIAKONIA World Federation or DIAKONIA Region Africa/Europe; and up to four co-opted members (who shall be Full or Associate Members of the Association) in accordance with clause 7.6.
7.2.	Within the membership of the Executive Committee there shall be: at least one member from each of the Full Membership categories as in clause 5.1; and at least 2 members from each of the Provinces of Canterbury and York: save that when the membership of the Association does not include any persons in one or more of the Full Membership categories as defined in clause 5.1, or such members are not willing to stand for election, such categories shall be excluded from the above requirement.
7.3.	Eight members of the Association shall be elected by the whole membership of the Association to the Executive Committee for a four year term. Half shall be elected in one even-numbered year and half in the following even-numbered year two years later.
7.3.1.	Elections shall be in accordance with clause 6.7.
7.3.2.	In the event of a casual vacancy occurring within the first 18 months of a term, the Executive Committee shall offer the remaining period of the appointment to the candidates not elected at the time of election in order of the highest votes received. If there are no other candidates the vacancy shall be treated as a co-option valid until the next interim elections when the post shall be filled in accordance with clause 7.3.3.
7.3.3.	If a casual vacancy occurs between 18 months and three years of a term, the remaining period of the appointment shall be offered to the candidates not elected receiving the next highest votes at the interim election (i.e. if the vacancy occurs during the 6 months prior to the interim election, the post will not be filled until after that election). In the event of there being no other candidates the vacancy shall be treated as a co-option valid for the remainder of the four year term.
7.3.4.	If a casual vacancy occurs within 12 months of the end of the term then the vacancy shall remain unfilled.
7.4.	No member shall serve as an elected member of the Executive Committee for more than two consecutive full terms of office save that when insufficient candidates are presented they may be invited by the Executive Committee to stand for re-election but may only hold office until the following elections.
7.5.	The Executive Committee shall appoint representatives to "DIAKONIA - United Kingdom Liaison Group", the number of whom is determined by the size of the membership of the Association. At least one representative shall be a deacon and any others shall include representation from other categories of Full Membership. DIAKONIA - UKLG representatives become ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.
7.6.	The Executive Committee may co-opt up to four additional members of the Association. Co-options may be made at any meeting of the Executive Committee and shall take effect from the end of that meeting until the following annual general meeting.
7.7.	The Executive Committee may invite anyone who is not a member of the Executive Committee to attend and participate in its meetings, but not to vote. Such invitations may be for a specific meeting or item of business, or for a series of meetings. Such arrangements shall be reviewed annually.
7.8.	The proceedings of the Executive Committee shall not be invalidated by any vacancy among their number or by any failure to appoint or any defect in the appointment or qualification of a member.
7.9.	Nobody shall be appointed as a member of the Executive Committee who is aged under 18 or who would if appointed be disqualified under the provisions of the following clause.
7.10.	No person shall be entitled to act as a member of the Executive Committee whether on a first or on any subsequent entry into office until after signing in the minute book of the Executive Committee a declaration of acceptance and of willingness to act in the trusts of the Association (as a Charity).
8.	Determination of Membership of Executive Committee
8.1.	A member of the Executive Committee shall cease to hold office if he or she: is disqualified from acting as a member of the Executive Committee by virtue of section 45 of the Charities Act 1992 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision); becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of managing and administering his or her own affairs; is absent without permission of the Executive Committee from all their meetings held within a period of 12 months and the Executive Committee resolve that his or her office is vacated; or notifies to the Executive Committee a wish to resign (but only if at least three members of the Executive Committee will remain in office when the notice of resignation is to take effect).
9.	Executive Committee Members not to be personally interested
9.1.	No member of the Executive Committee shall acquire any interest in property belonging to the Association (otherwise than as a trustee for the Charity) or receive remuneration or be interested (otherwise than as a member of the Executive Committee) in any contract entered into by the Executive Committee.
10.	Meetings and proceedings the Executive Committee
10.1.	The Executive Committee shall hold at least two ordinary meetings each year. A special meeting may be called at any time by the President or by any two members of the Executive Committee upon not less than 28 days' notice being given to the other members of the Executive Committee of the matters to be discussed.
10.2.	The President shall chair meetings of the Executive Committee. If the President is absent from any meeting, the Vice-President shall chair the meeting. If both the President and Vice-President are absent from the meeting, the members of the Executive Committee present shall choose one of their number to chair the meeting before any other business is transacted.
10.3.	There shall be a quorum when at least one third of the number of members of the Executive Committee for the time being or three members of the Executive Committee, whichever is the greater, are present at a meeting.
10.4.	All members of the Executive Committee shall have a vote at Executive Committee Meetings save that should co-opted members number more than one third of those present at a meeting they shall not vote. In the event of a tie of votes there shall be no casting vote and any motion shall be lost.
10.5.	The Executive Committee shall keep minutes of the proceedings at meetings of the Executive Committee and any sub-committee and shall report proceedings to members of the Association.
10.6.	The Executive Committee may from time to time make and alter rules for the conduct of their business, the summoning and conduct of their meetings and the custody of documents. No rule may be made which is inconsistent with this constitution.
10.7.	The Executive Committee may appoint one or more sub-committees for the purpose of making any inquiry or supervising or performing any function or duty which in the opinion of the Executive Committee would be more conveniently undertaken or carried out by a sub-committee: provided that all acts and proceedings of any such sub-committee shall be fully and promptly reported to the Executive Committee. Any such sub-committee shall comprise of two or more members of the Executive Committee and may include other people as appropriate.
11.	Receipts and expenditure and Accounts
11.1.	The funds of the Association, including all donations contributions and bequests, shall be paid into an account operated by the Executive Committee in the name of the Association at such bank or financial institution as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide. The Executive Committee shall from time to time determine a figure, not exceeding £100, such that all cheques drawn on the account which exceed that pre-determined figure shall be signed by at least two members of the Executive Committee, and such that all cheques not exceeding that figure may be signed by only one member of the Executive Committee.
11.2.	The funds belonging to the Association shall be applied only in furthering the objects.
11.3.	The Executive Committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1992 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to: the keeping of accounting records for the Charity (the Association); the preparation of annual statements of account for the Charity; the auditing or independent examination of the statements of account of the Charity; and the transmission of the statements of account of the Charity to the Charity Commissioners.
12.	Annual Report
12.1.	The Executive Committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1992 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual report and its transmission to the Charity Commissioners.
13.	Annual Return
13.1.	The Executive Committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1992 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual return and its transmission to the Charity Commissioners.
14.	General Meetings of the Association
14.1.	There shall be an annual general meeting of the Association which shall be held within six months of the end of the financial year.
14.2.	Every annual general meeting shall be called by the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall give at least 28 days' notice of the annual general meeting to all the members of the Association. All the members of the Association shall be entitled to attend and all Full Members shall be entitled to vote at the meeting.
14.3.	The Executive Committee shall be responsible for arranging the annual general meeting and in the absence of the President or Vice-President shall appoint a person to chair the meeting.
14.4.	The Executive Committee shall present to each annual general meeting the report and accounts of the Association for the preceding year.
14.5.	The Executive Committee may call a special general meeting of the Association at any time. If at least ten members request such a meeting in writing stating the business to be considered the Secretary shall call such a meeting. At least 28 days' notice must be given. The notice must state the business to be discussed.
14.6.	The Secretary or other person specially appointed by the Executive Committee shall keep a full record of proceedings at every general meeting of the Association.
14.7.	There shall be a quorum when at least one tenth of the number of Full Members of the Association for the time being or ten Full Members of the Association, whichever is the greater, are present at any general meeting.
15.	Notices
15.1.	Any notice required to be served on any member of the Association shall be in writing and shall be served by the Secretary or the Executive Committee on any member either personally or by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to such a member at his or her last known address in the United Kingdom, and any letter so sent shall be deemed to have been received within 10 days of posting.
16.	Definitions
16.1.	For the purpose of definition within this document these words and terms shall mean as follows: Deacons for this purpose shall include only such persons as have not also been ordained priest or bishop; Order of Deaconesses shall be that represented by the Committee customarily known as the "Deaconess Committee"; Accredited Lay Workers shall include only those who have been centrally selected, nationally trained and admitted to their office by the Bishop under Canon E7 and E8; The electorate shall be defined as those full members referred to in clause 5.4.
17.	Alterations to the Constitution
17.1.	Subject to the following provisions of this clause the Constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the Full Members present and voting at a general meeting. The notice of the general meeting must include notice of the resolution, setting out the terms of the alteration proposed.
17.2.	No amendment may be made to clause 1 (the name of the Association), clause 3 (the Objects), clause 9 (Executive Committee members not to be personally interested), clause 18 (Dissolution) or this clause without the prior consent in writing of the Charity Commissioners.
17.3.	No amendment may be made which would have the effect of making the Association cease to be a charity at law.
17.4.	The Executive Committee should promptly send to the Charity Commissioners a copy of any amendment under this clause.
18.	Dissolution
18.1.	If the Executive Committee decides that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Association it shall call a meeting of all members of the Association, of which not less than 28 days' notice (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed) shall be given. If the proposal is confirmed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting the Executive Committee shall have the power to realise any assets held by or on behalf of the Association. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institutions or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the Association as the members of the Association may determine or failing that shall be applied for some other charitable purpose. A copy of the statement of accounts, or account and statement, for the final accounting period of the Association as a charity must be sent to the Charity Commissioners.

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