What the PCC is and what it does
The Parochial Church Council is the lay governing body of an Anglican parish, alongside the incumbent. It's a charity in its own right (with the incumbent and churchwardens as ex officio trustees). It's responsible for the parish's finances, the upkeep of the church building, the welfare of the church community, and a long list of statutory duties under the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956.
Quorum and meeting frequency
The PCC must meet at least four times a year. Quorum is one third of members or three members, whichever is greater (subject to standing orders). The agenda goes out at least seven days in advance. The Vicar chairs unless absent, in which case the vice-chair takes it. Decisions are minuted and decisions affecting expenditure typically need a recorded vote.
Minutes are not optional
Minutes are a legal record. They cover: who was present, who sent apologies, what was discussed, what was decided, and any votes. The minutes are approved at the next meeting and signed by the chair — at which point they become the definitive record. Good software lets the secretary draft the minutes during or right after the meeting, share them with the PCC for review, and lock them on approval so they can't be edited after the fact.
Declarations of interest
Each PCC member must declare any personal or financial interest that might conflict with a decision. This is an annual standing declaration plus an ad-hoc declaration whenever a relevant item comes up at a meeting. Good software prompts members to update their declaration annually and surfaces relevant declarations at the start of any agenda item that might trigger a conflict.
Term tracking and DBS
Most PCC roles run for three years. The PCC secretary needs to know when each member's term ends so the parish can hold elections at the APCM. Many PCC roles also require a current DBS check (specifically anyone with safeguarding responsibility for children or vulnerable adults). DBS checks expire — keeping a calendar of expiry dates is non-negotiable. Good software flags terms-ending-soon and DBS-expiring-soon automatically.
How MosesTab handles it
The PCC module tracks each role-holder's term, displays a roster, prompts annual declarations of interest, alerts on DBS expiry, schedules meetings (with quorum reminders), records attendance, holds draft + locked minutes, and generates the diocesan annual return prefilled from your data.