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Trusteeship

Being part of a Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a valuable and rewarding role. It’s how the Church locally comes together to make decisions, care for communities, and support mission. 

What many people don’t realise at first is that PCCs are also charities. This means that PCC members are charity trustees, with legal responsibilities as well as a shared purpose. 

There’s no need to feel daunted— trustee responsibilities are about applying good judgement, acting with integrity, and working well together as a team. 

Your role as a trustee

As a trustee, you are responsible for: 

  • ensuring your PCC is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit
  • managing the parish’s resources responsibly
  • acting in the PCC’s best interests
  • complying with laws and regulations

Training resources

You don’t need to be an expert before you begin—but it is important to take some time to understand what’s expected.

The resources below are provided as training for new trustees, but it’s also good practice for experienced trustees to revisit them from time to time. 

How long will the training take?

Everyone reads and digests information in their own time. You don’t need to tackle it all at once; you may find it helpful to bookmark these resources, and after a first read as an overview, return to them for a more in depth look as you need to. 

As a rough guide:

  • CC3 The Essential Trustee ~ 45-60 minutes to read
  • Managing faith charities ~ 30-45 minutes to read 
  • The Church Representation Rules ~ 45-60 minutes to review key sections 
  • 5-Minute guides and videos: dip in as needed (each take around 5 minutes as designed) 

While reading the guidance, you may identify other areas of governance you’d like more support with e.g. data protection, employing people or risk management. Links to resources to support PCCs with these and other key topics have been collated on a single webpage by the National Church. 

Future resources

Over the next 12-18 months (as of May 2026), we will be developing and refining parish focused resources on many of these topics, making guidance and tools available on the new Church of England website. 

Getting started

If you’re new to trusteeship, as a minimum you should read the Charity Commission’s guidance for trustees: 

This is a clear introduction from the Charity Commission as the regulator for England and Wales, covering important things trustees need to know. 

Helpfully, the Charity Commission also provide some context for faith charities, acknowledging some of the nuances of this sector: 

You should then familiarise yourself with the Church Representation Rules as these set out how the PCC is governed and provide a church context for the information you read in the CC3 guidance— Parts 2 and 9 are particularly relevant to you as a PCC trustee: 

As a trustee you must understand your responsibilities towards Safeguarding.

Bite sized guidance and support

To build confidence, you might like to explore a series of ‘5 minute’ guides from the Charity Commission:

These resources are designed to be straightforward and reassuring, helping you understand your responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes it’s about identifying what you don’t know, so you can find out more. 

Other training resources

These resources are available for you to explore at your pace, supporting you with some of the tasks you may be involved in for the day to day running of your parish.

A shared responsibility

Remember, you’re not alone. Trusteeship is a collective responsibility of the whole PCC, and support is always available— from your diocese, national resources and from regulators such as the Charity Commission.  

Taking a little time to understand your role will help you contribute with confidence and make the most of this important ministry. 

Last Updated

May 2026

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