Foundations for the Future

David Harvey, Interim Chief Executive Reports to the PBS’AGM

The PBS stands at a moment of opportunity. Yours is an enviable position among charities of comparable size: the Society enjoys reserves of some £1.8 million, carefully stewarded through legacies and investment. This gives you not only security, but the rare freedom to invest in evolutionary growth and modernisation. The question is how PBS uses that freedom.

The Trustees’ Strategic Plan for 2024–29 provides a clear map for the years ahead. Its themes are Mission, Discipleship, Community. PBS is charged to keep the Book of Common Prayer at the heart of the Church’s life, to deepen understanding of its theology and spirituality, and to strengthen the community of members, branches, and clergy who uphold it.

Since April, my task as Interim Chief Executive has been to establish the foundations upon which that plan may be built. Systems are being modernised — migration to Office 365 is well under way and a full review of our membership database has been completed, with replacement likely. Governance has been sharpened — a new safeguarding policy is prepared and will be implemented nationally but keeping it light touch for volunteers. Staff roles and contracts have been reviewed. A membership campaign has reached out to lapsed supporters, while a discussion paper sets out proposals for new tiers of membership with benefits that add value. Our events programme is expanding, and work has begun to forge new alliances with theological colleges, dioceses and kindred societies.

The next phase belongs to the incoming Director, the role will be advertised early in September through many channels; be ready to tap suitable candidates on the shoulder. Their agenda will be to widen PBS’s reach and voice:

• To make membership easier and more engaging, with long term predictable income through Direct Debit and fair subscription levels (unchanged since 2019) and diversification of income sources.
• To strengthen support for clergy and students, equipping them with the resources to use the Prayer Book confidently in parishes and colleges.
• To broaden the Society’s community, reaching younger members, evangelicals as well as Anglo-Catholics, and more diverse congregations across the country.
• To establish PBS through the BCP as one of the most trusted national advocates for liturgical best practice in the Church of England.

It is right to acknowledge both the achievement and the challenge before your trustees and you, the members. The founding ambition of the Society — to secure the Prayer Book’s continuing place in the worship of the Church — has been largely achieved. Yet the charity’s duty does not end there. To preserve alone is insufficient; to grow, to influence, to inspire — this is the present calling.

PBS has the means to act boldly. The resources entrusted to the charity give freedom to experiment and to learn without endangering continuity. The greater risk is not failure but stillness. Unless PBS takes this moment to renew our common life and expand our reach, the Society could gently decline into the margins.

The Book of Common Prayer is not only our inheritance; it is a gift for today’s Church at a time of tribulation. PBS’s task is to ensure that its riches are known, loved, and used by new generations.