Local Ecumenical Partnerships
Model Governing Document
This is a model governing document provided by Churches Together in England for Single Congregation Local Ecumenical Partnerships.
You should you use this as a basis for your own constitution and it has been agreed by the Charity Commission.
We recommend that you contact our County Ecumenical Officer, before reviewing your constitution. We are more than happy to assist you through this process.
Download it and edit a copy
Download the document from and save a new copy of it. Name the new document with the name of the LEP and the date of the draft. This way you've got the original on your computer just in case you need to refer back to it.
A new way of thinking
Any single-congregation LEP which is revising its constitution or agreeing one for the first time must use this Model Governing Document (MGD) which has been agreed by the Churches and the Charity Commission.
Unless you are new to LEP constitutions, you will remember that, in the past, constitutions were bespoke, unique to the LEP and reflected its vision and creativity. The downside of this was that they took forever to navigate their way through denominational lawyers. We now ask for a change in attitude. All creativity and vision should be reflected in the Ecumenical Vision Statement which can be amended without expensive lawyers. Any local practices which the trustees insist on can be put in a third document of Standing Orders which have the status of resolutions of the Annual Congregational Meeting.
The Churches no longer have staff available to examine local drafts but the MGD, comprising a Constitution and a Schedule, allows any LEP to do anything it ought to want to do. If you really do think that you have found something which needs amending because of your local situation, please contact your Denominational Ecumenical Officer, your County Ecumenical Officer or the National Ecumenical Officer of your denomination.