Boards and Committees of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

The United Appeal Board

Convener: Rev Trevor Gribben

The United Appeal Board is responsible for raising much of the money that pays for the wider ministry of our church in Ireland and beyond, involving what we do individually in our congregations and corporately as a whole Church.

Through donations United Appeal funds a wide range of church projects including evangelism, youth ministry, home and overseas mission, training of ministers and Sunday School teachers, communications and social witness.

The Board assesses the financial needs of twenty or more of the principal missions and agencies of the church, in order to recommend to the Assembly a sum that would cover the needs of the agencies involved. This is presented as an appeal to each individual church, who has its own target to meet as part of the overall amount required. The congregation's target is a proportion of the target set for its Presbytery, and is set by the Presbytery.

The Board is also responsible for allocating the money received from the appeal. The distribution takes into consideration the income and expenditure of each Board requiring funds.

The system is based on cooperation and consent, and there are no sanctions for a church not meeting their target. However, the Board seeks to combine sensitivity to a congregation's financial constraints with a desire to meet the needs of its agencies and missions, needs which are publicised within the church in order to encourage and stimulate responsible Christian giving.

For further information on the work of the Boards and Agencies financed by the United Appeal go to the Briefing.