Hope Church recognises the importance of listening to all members of our church community, including those who find it hard to make their voices heard and those who hold contrary views to the church leadership. The trustees will proactively seek the views of all who engage with the church in a variety of ways; however, we also recognise the importance of responding well when concerns, criticisms or complaints are raised with us.
It is our hope that the majority of concerns that do not meet the statutory thresholds for referral to external agencies can be resolved informally through constructive discussion and in line with Matthew 18: 15-35, however, we recognise that for a variety of reasons, resolution via such dialogue will not always be possible or appropriate. This procedure seeks to establish a robust process for dealing with complaints or concerns that have not or cannot be resolved through informal discussion.
Use of informal discussion (as described above) is not a prerequisite for initiating the formal complaint process. Not all complaints will involve a safeguarding element. The same process will be followed for all complaints.
The information contained in the complaints procedure forms sections 15 and 16 of our Safeguarding Policy. It is set out here to provide easier access to this information, in particular for those whose concerns do not include a safeguarding element. Section 15 is aimed at anyone who wishes to raise concerns about something that has taken place at a Hope Church service or event. Section 16 is primarily for staff or volunteers at Hope Church who have concerns about practice, process or culture in any of our areas of ministry.
If you believe your concerns may include a safeguarding element, please refer to the safeguarding information on our website or contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Jackie Mitchell (please remember that e-mail is NOT secure so confidential or sensitive data should not be included).
If you believe that a crime has been committed, please do not follow this procedure, but contact the police.
PLEASE NOTE: Hope Church is the name of our church family, under which all our services and activities take place. The Walkergate Trust (registered charity 1182145) is the legal entity to which Hope Church belongs and represents Hope Church in legal and financial matters. For simplicity the name Hope Church has been used throughout this document; any reference to Hope Church in a formal or legal capacity can be understood to mean that The Walkergate Trust will be acting on behalf of the church family.
AMiE Discipline Process for Licensed Clergy
In addition to the procedures outlined in Section B, any five people on the Electoral Roll of an AMiE Member Church, or any two licensed clergy of the Diocese, may bring a complaint against a licensed Minister of a Member Church concerning conduct which is a breach of doctrine and/or a breach of professional standards, and/or a breach of safeguarding policies.
Should you wish to make a complaint in this way, please refer to Canon 10: Discipline of Clergy and Bishops in the AMiE Constitution and Canons, which can be found on the AMiE website