Helping Churches to prosper

Questions clients ask

Q. Do you charge fees?
A. There is a basic charge for the church fund-raising manual, which gives access to the free advice line, and to low cost copywriting and similar facilities.

Q. What sort of copywriting, and at what fees?
A. Primarily basic advertising copy and brochures. Advanced work is at an agreed fee. Frequently we will refer copywriting to an approved specialist in a particular field. The Director’s academic background is in the History of Art, Architecture, and Design, and his business experience before ordination that of building economics as a chartered quantity surveyor. He is very happy to help with the writing of church histories and similar items.

Q. What is your any counselling or psychotherapy background?
A. Over forty years with the Clinical Theology Association (now The Bridge Pastoral Foundation), and in Cambridgeshire the health authority’s outreach in stress management and relaxation training. The Director also taught, supervised, examined, and counselled students taking the St. John’s College, Nottingham professional post-graduate diploma in pastoral counselling. Dr. Baty was a member of the British Association for Counselling even before it took that title

Q. Do you restrict your work in any way?
A. We are well aware of our limitations! We undertake any work which is in accord with good, well-founded, Christian, moral and ethical standards. We operate a very strict client confidentiality policy. For instance, if we feel it would be better to refer you on, we will do so only with your permission. Finally, no appeal or request for help will be regarded as too trivial.

Q. Do you give financial advice, or undertake fund-raising campaigns for clients?
A. Certainly not! We see ourselves primarily as pastoral consultants to the clergy and lay leadership of the Christian Church, and view fund-raising campaigns and appeals in that context.

Pastoral Background

The Reverend Doctor Edward Baty, founder of Church Fund Raising UK is a retired priest in the Church of England. He has experience of over twenty different parishes both as an ordained priest and as a committed layman working with experience as a Sunday School Teacher, Organist, Choirmaster, and Server, and as a promoter of mission.

Building Economics combining with Knowledge of Architectural and Design History

Dr. Baty qualified as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor having worked on major construction projects in West Africa and the UK from the practice office in the City of London. The architects, civil engineers and designers who worked alongside the surveyors in the practice included names some of which are still household names. This special expertise in building economics is now combined with a detailed knowledge of architectural and design history (specialising in the nineteenth and twentieth century periods. It gives Dr. Baty a huge advantage whenever he becomes a guiding hand to those considering any kind of appeal - especially the appeals to do with the repair, restoration, and extension of church buildings.

Counselling and Psychotherapy

Appeals often raise pastoral and other problems to the surface of church life which are additional to those found everyday.
The Director’s expertise as a counsellor and psychotherapist will aid the evaluation of such difficulties. Special attention will be given to a range of programmes of regular giving in support of church purposes, which have proved very effective in many thousands of churches outside the UK, and which have been introduced to great effect by smaller denominations than the mainstream.

Financial Advice

Church Fund Raising UK does not give financial advice.

What we do is to help you gather your thoughts and aspirations together into a workable and clear format as a helping hand when you approach your bank manager or financial adviser.

Goals and Aspirations

“I see a church, slim-lined, self-supporting, and effective in its mission, without financial worries, happy and inspiring in its life, and worship, and witness to the truth. Fund raising does take us into the realms of ‘unrighteous Mammon.” We must accept this reality if we are to be successful in our mission. Jesus himself told us to make friends there but to be wary of it. If we are to be successful in our mission, we have to accept the reality of “Mammon” We don‘t have to be governed by it!” Dr. Baty believes that the way through lies in honesty, candour, and realism. (The Revd. Dr. Edward Baty, Director and Sole Principal, Church Fund Raising UK)

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