Tuesday, January 22, 2013


New Church Council is Formed

Membership: 
Pastors:   Jim and Bonnie Parr Philipson     Past Lay Leader: Hal Salwasser
Present Lay Leader (also functions as chair):  Rick Schroff      Lay Leader Elect:  Elizabeth Nielsen
Secretary:  Anne Foltz   Lay Member to Annual Conference: Brooke Collison
Trustees Expertise:
Class of 2013:  Jill Mackey-Feist     Class of 2014:  Dave Straub   Class of 2015:  Terry Bolin
Finance/Stewardship Expertise:
Class of 2013:  Jan Walker             Class of 2014:  Cindy Dahl       Class of 2015:  Julie Christianson
SPRC/Human Resources Expertise:
Class of 2013:  Sherri Willard-Argyres   Class of 2014:  Jim Swinyard    Class of 2015:  Nita Phillips
Motion approved by Church Conference 1.21.13:  As of February 1, 2013, this new church council in accord with the single board governance model will be the corporate body for First United Methodist Church of Corvallis.  The Present Lay Leader/Chair will serve as the President; the Past Lay Leader/Chair shall serve as Vice-President and the Secretary as Secretary.  


Single Board Governance Model – First UMC Corvallis
Draft 01.18.13
This is a draft for discussion but it seeks to lay out the decisions that must be made and where they might be made. The goal is to move day to day decisions from the Church Council to teams. The teams will function much more loosely than the old committees. They will be smaller and have more authority to make quick decisions after email discussion. The system is designed so that these teams are accountable to the pastors and not the Church Council. 

The Church Council will be elected by the Church Conference after hearing the recommendations of the Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development. The Church Conference may authorize the Church Council to fill vacancies during the year after hearing the recommendation of the Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development.

Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development: (N.& L.D.)
The Discipline requires that there be a Committee on Nominations and Leadership
Development (¶258.1). The committee is to be composed of not more than 9 persons elected by the Church Conference to 3-year terms (divided in 3 classes), plus the lay leader and pastor. A pastor (Rev. Bonnie) shall be the chair of this committee.

Responsibilities include:
·         Recommending to the Church Conference a potential list of members of the Church Council, the Nominations Committee, and the Corvallis United Methodist Foundation.
·         Recruiting other key leadership positions for some of the ministry teams as is helpful.
·         Establishing a regular process for encouraging members to discern their areas of passion for ministry or Spiritual Gifts and helping those people connect with or form ministry teams within the church.
·         Identifying and providing training opportunities for future leaders in the church.

Church Council:
The Council consists of 13 elected officers including the following disciplinary offices:
The Lay Leader who is Council Chair, 
A Lay Member of Annual Conference,
3 persons representing the interests of the care for the church’s property, formerly Trustees *
3 persons representing the interests of Finance and Stewardship, formerly the Finance Committee* 3 persons representing human resource issues, formerly SPRC*
Plus the following:
The past Lay Leader (Shall function as Vice-Chair)
A person who will become Council Chair and Lay Leader in the next year.
The Pastors
A Secretary with voice and vote.

Other positions as needed and included by Charge Conference Action. .

*members in these groups shall be elected to 3-year terms, each in one class. 

  • The Church Council will be the Corporate Body of the Congregation. Its chair shall be the president of the corporation. The Church Council is responsible (and has authority) to keep the entire ministry of the congregation focused on the mission.

  • Its chief function shall be to work with the congregation to establish a guiding vision for the mission of the church. It will then translate the vision into measurable strategies and over-all goals for accomplishing the vision.

  • It will be responsible for planning for and allocating the resources (financial, personnel and facilities) to accomplish the vision.

  • It will be responsible for setting the policies, ethical standards and adequate processes to set the boundaries for ministry in and by the church.

  • It will evaluate the progress of the church in accomplishing the vision and hold the pastors and the congregation accountable to the vision and report regularly to the congregation.

  • Elections – Shall elect a Church Treasurer and Finance Secretary to annual terms.
      Upon recommendation of the Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development 
      may elect people to fill offices and Council positions which become vacant during the
      year as authorized by the Church Conference.

Other tasks assigned to the Council formerly fulfilled by the Trustees, Finance Committee and
SPRC.

SPRC:
  • Conduct an annual evaluation of the clergy.
  • Make the annual recommendation on appointment
  • Consult with the bishop and District Superintendent when changes of appointment are made.
  • Recommend the clergy compensation to the Church Conference
  • Recommend candidates for ministry to the Church Conference for approval to be sent to the District Committee on Ministry.
  • Interpret the work of the pastors to the congregation.

Trustees: (These tasks may be delegated to a Property Ministry Team)
·         Supervision: They are responsible for the supervision, oversight, care and maintenance of the real property of the church and all property and equipment acquired by any organization connected to the church. This shall include proper care of the church’s legal records and regular inventory of its property.
·         Insurance: review annually the adequacy of all insurance policies of the church.
·         Contracts: review annually all contracts for ongoing use of the church and whatever contracts for maintenance of the facilities or equipment become necessary.
  • They are responsible for receiving or refusing all bequests, trusts, and trust funds or other gifts the church may receive.
·        Parsonage: monitor the church’s parsonage funds (Invested by the Foundation) and any need for a parsonage.
·         Accessibility: Has an annual accessibility audit been completed? (Paragraph 2532.6)
·         Building Use: Has the final responsibility for the use of the church by outside groups (except in the area of worship). Such use must be consistent with the Social Principles of the UMC (paragraph 160-166).
·         Annual Report to the Charge or Church Conference Shall make an annual report 
       using the forms provided by the General Church.
·         Sale or Purchase of Church Property (See paragraphs 2540-48)
·         Gifts- May refuse gifts to the church in situations where it is deemed wise.

Finance: (These tasks may be delegated to a Finance Ministry Team)
·         Planning: creating the annual budget for income and expenses. Developing strategies for the long-term financial health of the church.
·         Stewardship: Develop a year round approach to stewardship education and conduct any annual stewardship drive or other fund raising as necessary.
·         Accounting: maintaining account balances, and records for all income and expense transactions.
·         Policies and Procedures: creation, execution, and monitoring of all church financial policies and procedures.
·        Audit: providing for an annual audit of the church books and accounts.
·         Reporting: providing regular information to the congregation and committees on the status of the church’s financial activities and to the members and supporters of the church on the status of their individual pledges and gifts.

Nominations:
  • After hearing the recommendation of the Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development may elect people to fill offices which become vacant during the year as authorized by the Church Conference.

The Church Council is accountable[1] to the mission (it is God’s Church), to the standards of conduct for its members (such as participation in meetings, worship, giving and so on) and to the congregation (through their annual election). Meetings are open to all members except when dealing with matters which require confidentiality. Minutes for meetings will be posted.

Corvallis United Methodist Foundation (paragraph 2533)


Administer all Endowment Funds under its supervision and seek to raise awareness in the congregation of the value of bequest and trust giving to the church’s endowment. Actively seek gifts for the Endowment Funds. The Foundation operates according to its bylaws and policies. It shall report quarterly to the Church Council and annually to the Church Conference.

The Personnel Ministry Team (Decision: Shall be accountable to pastor – Rev. Bonnie)     

Team Leader will be chosen by the pastor in consultation with the Committee on N.&L.D. and is accountable to the pastor. (This person may or may not be a member of the Church Council.)  This person will select the members of their team.

Shall fulfill the following responsibilities and others assigned by the Church Council:

·         Shall be responsible for supporting the paid staff through a liaison and providing evaluations of the staff.
·         Shall make recommendations on hiring and firing paid staff members to the pastor who will make the decisions on hiring and firing staff. (Rev. Bonnie)
·         Set Personnel Policies and the Safe Sanctuary Policies.
·         Insure compliance with the Safe Sanctuary Policies.
·         Aid the Council as directed in evaluating paid staff resources and work with the pastor on writing the job descriptions for the paid staff.
·         As directed by the Council may make recommendations on staff salaries.
·         Prepare the Church’s Annual Profile for the Church Conference.
·         Recruit and provide care for candidates for ministry.

The Property Ministry Team (Accountable to---either pastor or the Council??)

Team Leader will be chosen by the pastors in consultation with the Committee on N.&L.D. and be accountable to the pastor/Council.  (This person may or may not be a member of the Church Council.)  This person will select their team members.

Shall be responsible for any of the tasks listed under the Trustee section of the Church Council which may be delegated to it such as:

·         Supervision: They are responsible for the supervision, oversight, care and maintenance of the real property of the church and all property and equipment acquired by any organization connected to the church. This shall include proper care of the church’s legal records and regular inventory of its property.
·         Insurance: review annually the adequacy of all insurance policies of the church.
·         Contracts: review annually all contracts for ongoing use of the church and whatever contracts for maintenance of the facilities or equipment become necessary.
  • They are responsible for receiving or refusing all bequests, trusts, and trust funds or other gifts the church may receive.
·        Parsonage: monitor the church’s parsonage funds (Invested by the Foundation) and any need for a parsonage.
·         Accessibility: Has an annual accessibility audit been completed? (Paragraph 2532.6)
·         Building Use: Has the final responsibility for the use of the church by outside groups (except in the area of worship). Such use must be consistent with the Social Principles of the UMC (paragraph 160-166).
·         Annual Report to the Charge or Church Conference Shall make an annual report 
       using the forms provided by the General Church.
·         Sale or Purchase of Church Property (See paragraphs 2540-48)
.
The Finance Ministry Team

Team Leader will be chosen by the pastors in consultation with the Committee on N.&L.D. and be accountable to the pastor (Rev. Jim).  (This person may or may not be a member of the Church Council.)  This person will select their team members.

    Shall be responsible for any of the tasks listed under the Finance section of the Church  
    Council which may be delegated to it such as:

·         Planning: creating the annual budget for income and expenses. Developing strategies for the long-term financial health of the church.
·         Stewardship: Develop a year round approach to stewardship education. oversee fund raising as necessary. Select a Stewardship Team Leader who will recruit a team and organize any annual stewardship drive.   
·         Accounting: maintaining account balances, and records for all income and expense transactions.
·         Policies and Procedures: creation, execution, and monitoring of all church financial policies and procedures.
·        Audit: providing for an annual audit of the church books and accounts.
·         Reporting: providing regular information to the congregation and committees on the status of the church’s financial activities and to the members and supporters of the church on the status of their individual pledges and gifts.



The Memorials Ministry Team

The Team Leader will chosen by the pastors and be accountable to the pastor (Rev. Jim).
This person will select their team. It shall insure that Memorials are properly recorded and acknowledged. Shall in consultation with the pastors develop a list of potential projects and decide which shall be funded from which memorials.

Program Ministry Teams

Programs of the church which minster to the church and the community are carried out by ministry teams which may be formed for short or long-term work. 

  • Each team should have a Team Leader(s). These team leaders will be accountable to the pastors or to staff members designated by the pastors.
  • Teams may be formed at anytime by completing a Program/Ministry Proposal From
and receiving approval from a pastor.
  • Each ministry team ought to have a clear idea of how their work fits into the current vision of the church and the strategies and goals the Church Council is pursuing.
  • Each ministry team ought to establish a few measurable goals in relation to the vision.
  • Teams should coordinate their work through the pastor or staff person assigned to them.
  • All building use should be scheduled through the church office.


[1] “Accountability” is an important word in this document. It designates the lines of responsibility and authority.
Accountability establishes  lines for reporting when necessary, for support and information, for a final decision if necessary, for evaluation and for the selection of leaders and their removal. 

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