ACAT run an annual conference for everyone involved in Church finances and administration. We meet together to learn and form community.
We’re pleased to confirm that this year’s ACAT Conference and AGM will take place on Saturday 17 October 2026 at St Michael’s Centre, The Green, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8PD.
The conference offers a chance for church treasurers and trustees to meet together in a day of discussion, encouragement and knowledge. The roles of finance and governance in a church are of utmost importance and carry with them a real responsibility, and I’m sure for some it can feel like a very lonely role. We run the conference to be a place where people who understand these challenges can come together, sharing in their experience and offering practical advice to one another.
It doesn’t matter if you’re serving for the first time or have been going for what seems like forever; the conference will be a place of fellowship and guidance, bringing together members from all across the UK and all across Christian denominations and organisations.
Tickets this year are £25 and, as ever, we encourage you to invite others from your church and those around you to come along together. I have no doubt that anyone engaged in finance, administration or governance within the church will benefit.
If travelling isn’t an option for you, we also have a live stream option. Those attending online can only follow the main sessions, and only those attending in person can vote at the 2026 ACAT AGM.
Read below to find out more about our previous conferences.
Thank you to everyone who made it to the ACAT Conference and AGM 2025 on Saturday, 1st November at St John’s House, Diocese of Manchester, Bury.
“The conference was excellent, no one could fail to be inspired by Bishop Mark’s keynote speech and it was worth attending for that alone. Great sponsors with knowledgeable people on the stands, and thought provoking sessions. Loved the choice during the afternoon.” – Helen
We extend our thanks to our speakers:
Richard Hunt (CAF Bank)
Heather Ford (Ecclesiastical Insurance)
Andrew Robinson (CCLA)
Paul Bailey (Diocese of Manchester)
Matthew Jones (Epworth)
Simon Woolnough (Epworth)
Livia Velicu (ACAT Board Member)
Nigel Davies (ACAT Board Member)
Manny Kemp (ACAT Board Member)
Bishop Mark (Bishop of Middleton)
A special thank you to our sponsors: CAF Bank, Epworth IM, CCLA, and Ecclesiastical Insurance, as well as our exhibitors: Data Developments, easyfundraising, Liberty Accounts, Unity Trust Bank, and Utility Aid. Your support helped make the day possible.
From presentations that really got people thinking to valuable Q&A sessions and the chance to make some new contacts, it was a great day, and we’re all really grateful to everyone who attended.
Thank you for making ACAT 2025 a success.
Thank you to everyone who attended the ACAT Conference 2024 on Saturday, October 19th, at Eden Baptist Church, Cambridge.
This year’s conference was a fantastic opportunity to gather treasurers, trustees, and church leaders nationwide to explore new ways to strengthen and inspire impact within our churches.
We extend our thanks to our speakers:
And a special thank you to our Headline Sponsors, CAF Bank, Ecclesiastical Insurance, and CCLA, as well as our exhibitors: Data Developments, Liberty Accounts, easyfundraising, and Action Planning. Your support made this event possible.
Thank you for making ACAT 2024 a success! See you in 2025.
Thank you to those who attended the ACAT Conference 2023.
We appreciate everyone who contributed to making this event a success.
We extend a special thanks to our exceptional lineup of speakers, including:
We want to express our gratitude to our sponsors. They include Headline Sponsors CAF Bank and CCLA as well as Data Developments, JustMoney Movement, Liberty Accounts, Trinitas, Bates Wells, iKnow Church, and PGS (Parish Giving Scheme).
We hope to see everyone again in 2024.
Our 2022 Conference was held on the 22 Of October at Central Hall Westminster.
Thank you to all those who attended online and in person. It was a highly engaging and thought-provoking day.
Thank you also to our speakers:
Richard Hunt – CAF Bank
Sarah Edwards, Rosie Venner – JustMoney Movement (formally ECCR)
Sammi Tooze – Diocese of York Generous Giving Advisor
Livia Velicu – Bates Wells
Sir Philip Rutnam, Eddie Tulasiewicz – National Churches Trust
Mark Heaton – ACIE
And a special thank you to our sponsors CAF Bank, CCLA, Andrew Silly, Bates Wells, Data Developments, ECCR (JustMoney Movement), ExpensePlus, Liberty Accounts, and Paxton Charities Accounting Software. You can read more about our sponsors here.
ACAT’s 2021 virtual conference entitled “Mission-Driven Finance: The Way Forward Post-Covid” took place in October 2021.
Outstanding speakers from the worlds of faith and finance shared their knowledge and expertise with church treasurers.
The event launched with a webinar on Saturday, October 9, and subsequently continued virtually with events being held daily between Monday, October 11, and Friday, October 15.
On Saturday, October 16, our conference concluded with ACAT’s free to attend Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was followed by our first ‘Meet the Sponsors’ trade fair.
ACAT is truly delighted that CCLA returned as our headline sponsor for the 2021 conference. CCLA is the UK’s leading fund manager for Christian churches and charities with 60 years’ experience providing competitive and attractive investment management services.
Ashley Ellis, ACAT’s Executive Officer, said: “This conference was devised to ensure that church treasurers are in the best possible position as we emerge from the pandemic to accomplish their roles even more successfully.
“A simply outstanding array of speakers kindly agreed to make their time and expertise available to us – and the event couldn’t have been more easy to attend as was entirely virtual.”
The running order for the ACAT 2021 Conference entitled “Mission-Driven Finance: The Way Forward Post-Covid” was:
Monday, October 11, 2021 at 7pm – Keystone Law: The impact of Covid on the workplace
Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 7pm – CCLA: What is good investment?
To discover more please click on the above links. The event has now passed and you will therefore not be able to book a place.
ACAT was also delighted that additional “Partners in Ministry” also agreed to sponsor our 2021 conference. These included:
ACIE – The Association of Charity Independent Examiners – https://acie.org.uk/
Andrew Silley – Independent utility consultant – www.andrewsilley.com
Data Developments – http://www.datadevelopments.co.uk/
easyfundraising – https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ .
ECCR – The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR) – https://www.eccr.org.uk/
ExpensePlus – https://expenseplus.co.uk/
Keystone Law – https://www.keystonelaw.com/sectors/charities
Kingdom Bank – https://www.kingdom.bank/ .
Liberty Accounts – www.libertyaccounts.com/not-for-profit
We would like to extend our gratitude to all our sponsors.
Please note: After initially mulling a ‘hybridised’ approach – with the event taking place both online and in-person – ACAT took the decision to host the event entirely virtually in response to enduring concerns surrounding the pandemic.
OUTSTANDING speakers from the worlds of finance, faith, law and digital brought their expertise to bear for church treasurers at the ACAT 2020 Conference, entitled “The Challenge of Change – Securing Your Church’s Financial Future”.
ACAT was delighted that CCLA returned as our headline sponsor for the conference. CCLA is the UK’s leading fund manager for Christian churches and charities with 60 years’ experience providing competitive and attractive investment management services. To read more about CCLA click HERE.
Ashley Ellis, ACAT’s Executive Officer, said: “We wanted to provide church treasurers with the opportunity to learn more about those best practices that will truly ensure they can accomplish their roles even more successfully – and that’s what we accomplished.
“The speakers who so kindly made their expertise available were simply outstanding – and the event was embraced and enjoyed by hundreds of our members over the fortnight.
“The fact that this year’s event took place virtually certainly meant that it could not have been easier to attend.”
The speakers at this year’s event included:
CCLA
ACAT was delighted to welcome Ed Christian, CCLA’s Client Relationship Manager as one of our 2020 conference keynote speakers.
Ed spoke on the topic of “Investing before, during and after a pandemic – CCLA’s Response to Covid-19”. CCLA manages investments for charities, religious organisations and the public sector.
It believes that good investment management is like a well-tended garden, requiring constant attention, planting and pruning.
Founded in 1958, it aims to deliver strong long-term returns and has unmatched experience in providing ethical and responsible investment to charities.
The Charity Commission
ACAT was delighted to welcome The Charity Commission back to our annual conference to present a session entitled: “Treasurers – Making a Difference” .
The Charity Commission is a non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales to ensure that the public can support charities with confidence.
The session was presented by Jeff Prescott – a Senior Accountant with the Charity Commission’s Accountancy Services Team . It appraised:
1. What is different for church treasurers?
2. How do church treasurers make a difference to their charity?
3. And how can the charity demonstrate the difference it makes?
Creative Stream
Creative Stream is a web design agency that specialises in producing stunning designs for a host of national clients that make their organisations truly stand out.
For the past decade, it has also specialised in helping churches communicate via their websites and social media – and designed and launched ACAT’s own website.
In this webinar entitled “WWW: Which Websites Work – A snapshot of what works for Churches today”, Creative Stream’s founder and managing director Ant Clifford offered delegates guidance on:
• Top tips for looking great online, and most importantly being yourself
• What platform should I build my website on?
• Social media overwhelm!
• How to use the resources in my church to effectively communicate online
The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR):
ECCR presented a session entitled “Money Makes Change – How do we connect our faith and finances to create a fairer, more sustainable world?”
ECCR works to promote economic justice, human rights and environmental sustainability. Through shareholder activism and advocacy, ECCR encourages companies to meet the highest standards of corporate responsibility and transparency while also working with faith communities to uphold the same high standards through the responsible use and investment of their money.
The Diocese of York Generous Giving Team
The Diocese of York Generous Giving Team presented a session entitled “Communication – Top Tips for Encouraging Generosity”.
Generosity is such an important part of our lives as churches and as disciples, as it resources our mission and ministry, and enables us to reveal the generous nature of God in our communities.
But how do we communicate well with those who regularly give to our churches? As well as mechanisms of giving, the way we communicate is really important for encouraging giving in our churches. In this session, Diocesan Generous Giving Adviser Sammi Tooze explored how we can communicate with confidence, the impact on the way we use language, and how to frame and shape our message about giving. We will also touch on the psychology of generosity, and how that might shape our thinking, and influence our approach to givers.
The Association of Charity Independent Examiners (ACIE)
This event was for those churches that have not reached the heady heights of requiring an audit… But their accounts still need to be independently examined.
It appraised:
• What IE entails?
• What information do you need to provide?
• Who can be an Independent examiner?
• Why do they need to know that?
The webinar was led by Susan Robinson, chair of the Association of Charity Independent Examiners.
ACIE is an association of people who carry out independent examination (IE), providing support and information to its members, charities and other interested parties
easyfundraising
In this useful session easyfundraising demystified online fundraising for churches.
Attendees discovered how their congregation can generate donations while making their usual online purchases as well as how they can access a completely platform fee free donation feature.
easyfundraising explained how to get your church started, how to help your supporters get on board with lots of tools and how to keep funds coming in during these unprecedented times.
If your church already takes part in the scheme there was the ption to ask questions and find out about new features too.
This really is a completely free service which can make a big difference to our members.
Anthony Collin Solicitors
This webinar was presented by Matthew Gregson, a partner in the employment team at Anthony Collins Solicitors, which exists “to improve lives, communities and society”.
Matthew’s presentation equipped delegates with the knowledge they need post-pandemic to ensure that they consistently undertake their employment law obligations with the utmost efficiency and effectiveness.
Anthony Collins has worked with charities and other not-for-profit bodies since 1973 and is independently ranked in the top five national law firms for such work.
ACAT is most grateful to CCLA who returned as our headline sponsor for the conference. CCLA is the UK’s leading fund manager for Christian churches and charities with 60 years’ experience providing competitive and attractive investment management services.
To read more about CCLA’s range of services click here.
ACAT welcomed a range of expert speakers on a diverse range of topics with universal relevance to church treasurers drawn from all denominations. These speakers included:
Janie is executive director of The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR), which works to promote economic justice, human rights and environmental sustainability. Through shareholder activism and advocacy, ECCR encourages companies to meet the highest standards of corporate responsibility and transparency while also working with faith communities to uphold the same high standards through the responsible use and investment of their money.
Matthew is a partner in the employment team at Anthony Collins Solicitors, which exists “to improve lives, communities and society”. The firm has worked with charities and other not-for-profit bodies since 1973 and is are independently ranked in the top five national law firms for such work. Anthony Collins works with churches and faith-based groups of all kinds and sizes to help them achieve their mission, whether that’s to share their faith or transform society.
Jeff is senior accountant with the Charity Commission’s accountancy services team. He has worked in accounts and finance for nearly forty years in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. He joined the Commission in 2008 and has advised on finance and compliance issues and helps lead proactive monitoring and project work.
Chris is Christian Aid’s digital engagement lead and has substantial experience in running marketing, digital and social media programmes. Chris, who previously worked on the government’s “Act on CO2” campaign, will be discussing how Christian Aid utilises social media to engage with the public.
The Reverend Dr Hayley Matthews is formerly chaplain to MediaCityUK and is currently the director of lay training for the Diocese of Leeds. Hayley will be bringing her insight into the best way churches can harness the power of digital.
Every year, ACAT invites some of our partners in ministry to attend the conference. These companies and organisations have the opportunity to exhibit their products or services at the conference and meet those who attend. Some generously choose to sponsor the event.
In 2019, the exhibitors at the ACAT conference included:
Christian Aid is a UK-headquartered charity that works in 37 countries helping people, regardless of religion or race. It works tirelessly to fight global poverty. As the official relief, development and advocacy agency of 41 sponsoring churches in Britain and Ireland, Christian Aid works as part of a worldwide church community. https://www.christianaid.org.uk/
Kingdom Bank is a Christian Bank with a mission to ‘Grow God’s Kingdom and Change People’s lives for good’. We work with many Churches offering a range of savings, lending and insurance products.
To explain more about what we do and how we can help your Church, please come and see us in the exhibition or visit https://www.kingdom.bank/
National law firm Stone King works extensively with faith organisations in the charity sector. It has significant experience in the issues that affect churches of all denominations as they seek to fulfil their mission within the constraints of civil charity law and regulation. http://www.stoneking.co.uk/
Business Energy Team is an independent consultancy that specialises in helping churches and charities source cheaper energy prices. Its free reminder service ensures churches and charities can avoid paying higher out-of-contract prices. http://www.businessenergyteam.com/
The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR) works to promote economic justice, human rights and environmental sustainability.
Through shareholder activism and advocacy, ECCR encourages companies to meet the highest standards of corporate responsibility and transparency while also working with faith communities to uphold the same high standards through the responsible use and investment of their money. https://www.eccr.org.uk/
Liberty Accounts produces powerful and versatile cloud accounting and payroll software, designed for UK businesses and charities with specialist support for Anglican churches.
For details, log onto www.libertyaccounts.com/not-for-profit
Data Developments has been specialising in the design of software for churches since 1985. The company’s range of software covers accounting, membership, donations and gift aid – and all are tailored for the requirements of churches. Data Development’s software is available as both desktop & cloud-based applications.
More information is available at http://www.datadevelopments.co.uk/
MCA Funding for Churches provides loans to churches and associated organisations at the lowest possible rate of interest. These loans are primarily intended to enable churches to acquire, develop or repair church buildings for the benefit and inspiration of the church and community. www.mcafundingforchurches.co.uk
ACIE works for those who carry out independent examination (IE). The association provides support and information for its members, charities and other interested parties. https://acie.org.uk/
Anthony Collins Solicitorsis a social purpose law firm which works across the country and is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals, communities and society. https://www.anthonycollins.com/
ACAT’s conferences take place annually. To view the report of last year’s event, please click the link below.
Independent utility consultant, Andrew Silley, provides clients with a winning formula for energy procurement, energy management and reducing consumption. www.andrewsilley.com
TAX return software company GoSimpleTax uses the information church treasurers upload to calculate – in real time – their income and expenditure before pointing out any savings to be made. It submits this information directly to HMRC and includes bespoke “Minister of Religion” pages. For further information go to http://l.gosimpletax.com/acat/
To view a report of ACAT’s 2018 Conference click here:
