Working with Your District Lay Employment Secretary
The District Lay Employment Secretary (DLES) is there to support churches, circuits and districts in their role as employers. By involving your DLES early, they can help you prepare the necessary documentation, navigate Methodist requirements, and ensure that employment arrangements are established and managed effectively.
Under Standing Order 438A, employing bodies are required to keep the District Lay Employment Sub-Committee informed of all lay employment arrangements within the District. This is coordinated through the DLES, who acts as a key point of contact and source of guidance throughout the employment lifecycle.
To enable the DLES to provide appropriate support and obtain any necessary approvals, employing bodies should share relevant employment documentation and information, including:
- Documentation relating to proposed appointments, including e.g:
- Authorisation to Recruit Form
- Draft advertisement
- Job description
- Person specification
- Information relating to funding arrangements
- DBS requirements (where applicable)
- Draft conditional offer letter
- Draft formal offer letter
- Draft Statement of Terms and Conditions
- For step-by-step guidance on recruitment and selection, please refer to the Advertising, Recruitment and Selection section of the Lay Employment Resource and make use of the available model documents and templates.
And also:
- A copy of the signed Statement of Terms and Conditions once employment has commenced.
- Details of any proposed changes to contractual terms and conditions during employment.
- Early notification where employment may be coming to an end, so that appropriate advice and support can be provided.
- Notification of any proposed disciplinary action or formal employee relations processes.
- Information relating to organisational change, restructuring, potential redundancies or TUPE transfers.
Supporting Successful Appointments
One of the DLES's most important roles is to help employing bodies ensure that appointments are established correctly from the outset. Before an appointment is confirmed, the proposed appointment and associated employment documentation must be considered through the District Lay Employment Sub-Committee process, administered by the DLES.
Engaging with your DLES at an early stage allows them to review documentation, identify any issues, suggest improvements and help ensure that the appropriate processes have been followed. This collaborative approach supports good employment practice, helps reduce risk, and provides confidence that employment arrangements are consistent with Methodist requirements and employment legislation.
The functions of the District Lay Employment Sub-Committee are set out in CPD 438A(5) and include supporting and advising employing bodies, reviewing employment arrangements and promoting good employment practice throughout the District.