Church Leaders

We currently have no paid URC ministers in NAURC. Three of our churches (St Peter’s Jessopp Road,  Trinity URC and Wroxham and Hoveton) have retired URC ministers with oversight of their congregations and Revd  Matthew Olanrewaju from Chapelfield Methodist Church also has oversight of St Peter’s Jessopp Road.

The position of Children and Families Worker for Ipswich Road and Wroxham URCs is currently being advertised as a full time role as is the part time role for a Youth Worker for Ipswich Road URC

Currently the Elders are leading the ministry at Ipswich Road. We are very grateful to the different retired ministers and lay people who lead our worship each Sunday morning.Elders are elected from the members of the church to serve a 4 year term.

The functions of the Elders according to the URC manual are :

  1.  to foster in the congregation concern for witness and service to the community, evangelism at home and abroad, Christian education, ecumenical action, local interchurch relations and the wider responsibilities of the whole Church;
  2. to see that public worship is regularly offered and the sacraments are duly administered, and generally to promote the welfare of the congregation;
  3. to ensure pastoral care of the congregation, in which the minister is joined by elders having particular responsibility for groups of members;
  4. to nominate from among its members a Church secretary (or secretaries), to be elected by the Church Meeting, to serve both the Church Meeting and the elders’ meeting
  5. to arrange for pulpit supply in a vacancy;
  6. to keep the roll of members (see paragraph 2 (1)) and (as an aid to the discharge of the congregation’s pastoral and evangelistic responsibility) lists of names of adherents and children attached to the congregation, and in consultation with the Church Meeting to maintain standards of membership and to advise on the admission of members on profession of faith and by transfer, on the suspension of members, and on the removal of names from the roll;
  7. to be responsible for the institution and oversight of work among children and young people and of all organisations within the congregation;
  8. to call for the election of elders and advise on the number required;
  9. to consider the suitability of any applicant for recognition as a candidate for the ministry or for service as a CRCW and to advise the Church Meeting about its recommendation to the synod;
  10. to recommend to the Church Meeting arrangements for the proper maintenance of buildings and the general oversight of all the financial responsibilities of the Local Church;
  11. to act on behalf of the Church Meeting and bring concerns to the wider councils of the United Reformed Church;
  12. to do such other things as may be necessary in pursuance of its responsibility for the common life of the Church