Charitable Objects

Why we have charitable objects

Church Growth Trust is an evangelical Christian charity.
As a registered charity, we are required to operate within a defined set of charitable objects. These set out the purposes of the Trust and guide (as well as restrict) how we operate, including how we use and manage our church properties.

They also help explain:

The types of churches we are able to work with
How buildings must be used
The principles that shape our work

Because of this, our objects directly dictate how we support churches, how properties are held and who may occupy buildings. If you are unsure how these apply to your situation, we are always happy to help you understand this in practice.

Our doctrinal basis

As an evangelical Christian charity, our work is shaped by our doctrinal basis. This underpins our approach and helps ensure that church buildings continue to be used for Gospel ministry, but restricts who is allowed to use our buildings.

Our charitable objects

The wording below sets out our charitable objects as defined in our constitution. Church Growth Trust’s objects (purposes) are for the public benefit and are restricted to the following:

To permit our properties to be used by Independent Churches, Evangelical Churches as church buildings and Christian Missions, mission halls, church centres and ministers’ residences, so long they are required for such purposes;
To let or sell our properties, using the income and capital for:
1. Making grants or loans or giving guarantees for the planting, developing, encouraging and supporting of Independent Churches in the UK;
2. Assisting Christian Missions whose primary purpose is to plant and/or support and/or work with Independent Churches in the UK;
To promote the effectiveness and efficiency of Independent Churches, Evangelical Churches and Christian Missions by the provision of:
1. Advice services on property issues, new legislation and good practice in relation to the operation and management of churches and missions;
2. Seminars, guidance and information on legal, property and charity matters affecting churches and Christian charities.

Definitions

The following terms are used in our charitable objects and have specific meanings within our constitution

“Christian Mission” means an evangelical Christian mission that operates in accordance with our doctrinal basis.

“Independent Church” means a local group of Christian believers meeting together as an evangelical Christian church and professing our doctrines and observing our practices see “Our beliefs” and which is understood to operate independently rather than as part of a wider denominational structure.

“Evangelical Church” means a local group of Christian believers meeting together as an evangelical Christian church and professing our doctrines.

These definitions help explain how we apply our charitable objects in practice, including how we work with churches and how buildings may be used.

Understanding how this applies

Our charitable objects help guide (as well as restrict) how we operate, including how we work with churches in different situations. For example:

When a church transfers responsibility for a building, this is shaped by how the property has been held in trust and in some cases will continue to be held in trust
When a church occupies one of our buildings, this church would have to be aligned with our doctrinal basis and we also consider how the building will be used for Gospel ministry.

If you would like help understanding how this relates to your church, we would be glad to talk this through with you.