Letter to Members - 25th April 2003 

General Council Nominations April 2003

Dear Crosslinks Members

I'm taking advantage of this opportunity to write to Crosslinks members, as there is quite a lot to communicate at the moment. Normally this mailing would include ballot papers for voting new members onto our General Council. This year, as last year, there have not been a sufficient number of candidates to necessitate activating an electoral process. We have three candidates for the four vacancies that were up for re-election, and you will find profiles of these included with this mailing. These three people are therefore duly elected to the Crosslinks General Council. 

As I've said there is much that is happening at the moment in Crosslinks and I would like to draw your attention to some of the current issues, particularly the up-coming Annual Review, a new venture that will be out shortly. It will make a 5th mailing of the magazine for this year. In it you will find a number of items that will have a lasting relevance over the span of the year and will give a much more global view of what's going on in Crosslinks. Whilst it covers much of the ground of my annual report to members this will reach a much wider group of people. In it we are trying to keep you up-to-date with a number of things: e.g. new areas where we are being asked to provide mission partners, new mission partners, new study partners, projects and opportunities in Smile. 

As you will see in the Annual Review one of the major issues in the past year has been the conduct of three separate independent reviews of Crosslinks, with the tremendous help of John Truscott. It was in January 2002 that we received the first report and we have been carrying out a number of actions as a result of that in terms of restructuring and redirecting the staff. Then, later in 2002 there was the review of our regional structure and how we relate to churches and individuals in mainland Britain. That likewise has necessitated changes and you will find in the Annual Review a description of what we are seeking to achieve with the new Regional Team. In both of these reviews attention was drawn to the need to clarify who Crosslinks is and what we stand for. For many of you, as members of Crosslinks, this might seem to be a surprising issue because you are quite clear what BCMS/Crosslinks has always stood for. What I can say is that the reviews underlined what was becoming increasingly plain, that upcoming generations do not perceive the clarity that you and I might take for granted. Without that clarity these up-and-coming generations are unlikely to engage with Crosslinks in world mission and will certainly not consider becoming members of Crosslinks. That would be disastrous for the long-term of the Society at a time when our doctrinal clarity is needed more than ever.

It was this highlighting of the issue that provided us with the incentive in September 2002 to work with the General Council to reaffirm who Crosslinks is and what we do. You will find the short draft statement that was agreed unanimously by the General Council in September last year, in the Annual Review. I would want to stress that though these are new words they are expressing a desire to remain true to the foundation and purpose of BCMS from 1922. Please do not read in to these statements that we are making any change to the doctrinal basis of the Society. We are delighted indeed to reiterate that the Statement and Basis of Faith of the Society remain the same, and we hope that this statement of the distinctive will be helpful rather than confusing. That has certainly been my experience.

We have recently received the third and final Truscott report. This was tackling the question of governance, or the way that Crosslinks is run with the AMM, the General Council and paid staff. I shall not go into the details here but just want to put you in the picture as far as what we propose to do with this report and invite you to participate in the process. Now I would mention at this stage that the three reports that John Truscott has put so much time and energy into producing have been produced at very little cost to the Society. This last one was given to us without the presentation of any invoice because of the generosity of John and some of his colleagues. I hope that this answers the fears that some may have about the price and investment that we have put in to these processes. I believe that John has not only carried out a very thorough job but he has done this demonstrating a sincere commitment to the cause that Crosslinks represents. He is as keen as any to see the Society succeed.

I hope to give a very brief summary of the report's findings and recommendations at the Annual Meeting of Members on the 17th June. Can I take this opportunity to invite those who are willing and able to come and join us at the AMM where we will have a preliminary discussion of the subject. I have received a number of letters over the last year to say how members attending the AMM would have liked to have participated more in the discussions rather than merely listening to reports. This AMM under the Chairmanship of one of our Vice-Presidents, Bishop John Ball, will be a great opportunity to come and make comments on matters such as this whole process. 

We're also fortunate to be able to tell you that on that day we will have the privilege of hearing from Canon Alfred Sebahene, who was formerly a Crosslinks study partner and who is currently the Principal of St Philip's Theological College in Kongwa, Tanzania. I will be asking our friend to share with us and to be available to respond to questions.

Returning to the subject of the Governance Review I would just want at this stage to make a few comments and hopefully dispel some very real concerns that you may have: 

No decision has yet been taken on what to do with the findings in this report. We can take it or leave it, in part or in its entirety.

The report touches on what is perceived to be a need for constitutional change. Any decision involving constitutional change rests ultimately with you the members. None of this can or will be attempted without the required majority of an Annual Meeting or Extraordinary Meeting of Members. 

Whilst we do not wish to delay unnecessarily in moving forward on the subject neither do we wish to rush the process and miss out on the value of discussing the issues with our membership. 

The Standing Committee of General Council has had one session considering the nature of the report, and the General Council has spent a number of hours in our March General Council meeting discussing some of the issues raised. Again, without going into the details, the General Council expressed itself on a number of points. It seemed clear that there were a number of issues that would require constitutional change through approval by the membership, and other issues such as the timings and conduct of General Council meetings that could be acted on without the requirement for constitutional change and which could be implemented if thought appropriate sooner rather than later. There was a general recognition of the need for some change.

A small constitutional working group was set up by General Council, consisting of: Matthew Payne as chair, Esther Clift, David Mills, Stephen Dunham, David Mace, Margaret West and myself. This group has already met once and will cease to exist in its current form at the September General Council. The remit of this group is to help the General Council and the membership move forward in the whole area of governance and we would hope to come up with some recommendations. In addition we would seek to provide research into the details of the implications of what is proposed. For example, we are looking, with the help of some contacts, at the feasibility and desirability of becoming a company limited by guarantee. At present the trustees that you elect, or who are co-opted, have unlimited liability in the face of any financial crisis that might occur. You will be aware from the figures this possibility has become much more acute in recent months and years. We are not allowed to make a decision on this but we will make a recommendation and give the information required for you to make an informed decision. 

Some of the information that we will seek to provide will require consultation with legal and other experts, in addition to finding out what sister societies and agencies may already be doing in this area. 

I'd like to mention just one more point which illustrates what the working group is looking at. Our constitution is very clear about many things and especially about the composition of the General Council, although there are some ambiguities even there. The Truscott review indicates some areas where some of these details might need amendment such as the voting status of our honorary officer and the Trinity College rep. John Truscott also brings up the valid point that the function of the General Council and its purpose within the governance of Crosslinks is not clear. For example there is no purpose statement for General Council and so John Truscott concludes that General Council has taken on far more upon itself than it can really helpfully cope with. These are some of the issues that the working group will be looking into.

I have also indicated that in view of the nature of some of the possible changes I would be prepared, once a draft proposal has been agreed by General Council (I feel sure that you would want your General Council to give a clear lead on this), to travel over the period of about 12 months to the different regions of Britain and Ireland in order to explain and to listen to what members have to say. When a proposal does become clearer we will be communicating again with each of you to invite you to an appropriate local meeting. This process would need to be fitted in before final amendment of the constitution was put to an Annual Meeting or an Extraordinary Meeting of members. 

Whether all this talk it excites or bores you I'm sure that you will agree that governance is a very significant thing. I hope you will feel inclined to attend this year's AMM and/or one of the subsequent local meetings to have your say in the whole process. 

I hope that this fairly lengthy correspondence gives you some idea as to what we are dealing with at the moment. Please be much in prayer about all this and in addition for the General Council which will meet around the AMM on 17th June. Amongst other things the General Council will be selecting a new Chair of General Council. Martin Perris has had a long association with the Society and has served very diligently as Chair of General Council in recent years. His place on General Council was up for re-election and Martin has felt that it is time for him to step down and hand on this important role to someone else. I personally would like to acknowledge with grateful thanks all that Martin, and Lorna his wife, have contributed, often in very unseen ways, to Crosslinks over the years.


I look forward to meeting with many of you over the coming months. 



Yours in Christ's Name, 






Andy Lines 

General Secretary.