BCC WILL BE A FEDERATION IN THE FUTURE

As reported this summer, BCC has committed to organizing our church as a modern federation. We believe this will ensure an effective organization of all the church’s activities and meet the needs BCC has as an international community of believers.


By Johanne Reiersrud – Photo by BCC

The decision to use a federation structure was taken at BCC’s Assembly of Representatives on the 13th of July this year. The Assembly of Representatives is BCC’s highest authority in financial and legal matters. Strategic policies are made here, and central resolutions are taken.

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A combination of internal research, the experiences of other Christian faith communities, and earlier resolutions all pointed towards a federation as the most modern organizational form for the church’s collected activities.

A federation connects several cooperating organizations

BCC as a faith community consists of several different organizations both in Norway and abroad. The local church branches are organized as independent legal entities, and in Norway there are 19 different federations with their own statutes and finances. In addition, BCC has cooperating organizations and churches around the world, and it is desirable to have an organizational model that regulates the relationship between these.

BCC as a central organization has for many years had various activities including putting on conferences and events, TV production, online mission work, advising churches, and fund management. Some parts of these activities are now separated into their own organizations and given a more dedicated and comprehensive responsibility for their activity. At the same time, each individual activity must be clearly anchored in the federation’s vision and strategy, and the Assembly of Representatives has adopted some common frameworks and requirements that apply to member organizations.

First step of reorganization is complete

The first step in becoming a federation was adopted at the Assembly of Representative on 13.07.2020, and consisted mainly of the following:

  • BCC Byaws that regulate the BCC federation
  • BCC Media is being separated from BCC and placed into its own organization
  • BCC Media is also admitted as a member of the BCC federation

The demerger of BCC Media was completed on September 1, 2020, at the same time as the BCC Federation became a reality. The BCC organization will at this stage be the central organ of this new federation, which at the moment consists of BCC and the new media foundation. Its expansion will take place in stages, and over time new member organizations will join.

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The Board of Trustees and Representative Assembly as highest authority

In this new federation, the Board of Trustees will continue to be the custodian of the church’s Christian doctrine and for the Christian content of the conferences. The various organizations that become members of the BCC Federation are bound together by the church’s objectives and are subject to the authority of the Board of Trustees concerning matters of faith.

Non-profit and charitable organizations that promote the church’s teachings can be included in the federation with the approval of the Representative Assembly, which will have the important role of approving organisational plans, allocating funds, and electing board members within the federation.

The Christian message has always been what binds us together in BCC. In our faith communiy, this message has been preached through more than 100 years. This will continue to be the focus, and in the new federation the relationship between the various local churches, members and organizations that share this faith is formalized.