BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA
(EFFECTIVE --------)
SECTION 1. ANNUAL
REVIEW OF MEMBERSHIP ROSTER
R 1.01 The pastor shall provide to the Congregation
Council at its May meeting the membership record for review and acceptance.
This record shall contain the names and class of membership of all active and
inactive members as of the last review and show additions, removals and status
changes. After acceptance, a current roster of active and inactive members
including their class of membership shall be prepared as the official roster.
R 2.01 Lay staff positions shall be authorized as part of the budget approval.
R 2.02 The Parish Administrator shall take the lead in recruiting to fill lay staff positions consulting with the pastor, the Mutual Ministry Committee and the Congregation Council as appropriate.
R 2.03 The hiring recommendation with compensation recommendation and details of timing/overlap shall be reviewed with the Fiscal Officer and presented with recommendation to the Lead Pastor for approval.
SECTION 3. GUIDELINES FOR COMMITTEES, MINISTRIES AND
BOARDS OF THE CONGREGATION
R 3.01 Newly elected/appointed members shall be inducted the first Sunday of February and shall serve until their successors take office.
R 3.02 Meetings shall be called by the chair as needed.
R 3.03 Each ministry team/committee/board secretary shall prepare a report of each meeting and deliver it (preferably by email) to the Parish Administrator in a timely manner for distribution to the Congregation Council and members of the subject organization prior to their next regularly scheduled meeting.
a. Items requiring Congregation Council approval or action shall be stated as motions in the report.
b. The planned or anticipated date for the next meeting shall be included in the report.
R 3.04 The chairperson of each committee, board and
other organizations of the congregation shall prepare a comprehensive reports
for the last calendar year. This report shall be provided to the Parish
Administrator two weeks prior to the January annual meeting for inclusion in
the annual report to the congregation. Each report shall include meeting and
attendance statistics, the work and accomplishments of the last year along
with challenges and plans for the
coming year.
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SECTION 4. CONGREGATION
COUNCIL
R 4.01 Membership shall consist of the ex officio members (called pastor(s), President, Vice President, Fiscal Officer, Communications Officer, Chair of the School Board) and five (5) additionally elected members as follows:
a. Ministry Lead
b. Project Manager Advisor
c. Human Resources Advisor
d. Member at large
e. Member at large.
R 4.02 The elected members shall be so elected by the congregation at its January annual meeting from candidates recommended by the Nominating Committee and from nominations made from the floor.
R 4.03 Terms of office of the five (5) additionally elected members shall be three (3) years except that the first members elected at the annual meeting immediately subsequent to the adoption of these continuing resolutions shall be elected for staggered terms of up to three years.
R 4.04 Newly elected members shall be installed within four (4) weeks and shall serve until their successors are installed.
R 4.05 Unplanned vacancies may or may not be filled by the Council in its discretion. Members appointed by the Council to fill an unplanned vacancy shall serve until a successor who is elected at the next annual meeting to fill the remaining term takes office.
R 4.06 A member’s place on the Council shall be declared vacant by the Congregation Council if a member:
a. Ceases to be a voting member of the congregation, or
b. Is absent from two (2) successive regular meetings without cause, or
c. Resigns, becomes incapacitated or is otherwise unavailable.
R 4.07 Normally, the monthly meeting of the Council shall be held the second Tuesday of the month.
R 4.08 The Communications Officer shall prepare a draft of the minutes of the meeting and deliver it (preferably by email) to the Parish administrator in a timely manner for distribution to Congregation Council members and other interested parties prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Council.
a. The scheduled date for the next meeting shall be included.
R 4.09 Newly elected and ex officio prospective members shall attend the regular February meeting of the Council as observers. Immediately after the regular meeting the new Council shall convene and reorganize with the prospective members treated as de facto members.
a. Normally, the only additional agenda item for the new Council shall be the appointment of one (1) or two (2) members, as appropriate, to the Nominating Committee from the list of candidates recommended by the incumbent Nominating Committee.
R 4.10 The Vice President of the Council shall
ensure that the ministry committees and other organizations of the Council
prepare and provide to the Council comprehensive reports of their work,
accomplishments and challenges and plans for the coming year in a timely
manner.
R 4.11 The President of the Congregation Council with the help of the Communications Officer of the Council shall provide a comprehensive report of the work of the Council to the congregation at its annual meeting.
a. Such report shall include Council member attendance statistics, accomplishments and challenges and plans for the coming year.
b. The President shall, in the preparation of the report, draw upon the ministry/committee/board reports.
c. The reports of the ministry/committee board chairs shall be included as attachments to the President’s reports.
SECTION 5. GUIDELINES FOR COUNCIL MINISTRY
TEAMS/COMMITTEES/BOARDS
R 5.01 Each ministry team/committee/board except for the Audit Committee shall have one Congregation Council member as an ex officio member.
R 5.02 Committees shall strive to have no less than five members.
R 5.03 Incumbent ministry team/committee/board chairpersons shall take the lead role in seeking candidates for actual as well as prospective vacancies in consultation with the members of the ministry team/committee/board, the Ministry Facilitator, the pastor(s), and the President of the Council. Ministry team/committee/board members shall be encouraged to commit to serve for three years. There shall be no limit placed upon consecutive terms.
a. Appointments
to a ministry team/committee/boards shall to be
made by the Congregation Council shall normally be made in
February from a candidate list provided by the incumbent ministry
team/committee/board chair.
b. New members shall be recognized and installed the first Sunday in March. New members filling unplanned vacancies shall be recognized and installed the first Sunday subsequent to their appointment by the Council.
R 5.04 Newly appointed members shall attend the regular February meeting as observers. After such meeting, the new ministry team/committee/board shall meet and reorganize selecting a chair, a vice-chair and a secretary.
a. Committees shall reorganize at any other time circumstances indicate reorganization is desirable.
R 5.05 Ministry team/committee/board meetings shall normally be held once a month on the fourth Tuesday [DHK1]of the month. Any change shall be given to the Parish Administrator.
R 5.06 Chairpersons shall coordinate and consult as needed with other ministry teams/committees/boards and staff and shall prepare agendas, lead meetings, and follow up on ministry team/committee/board actions.
a. The ex officio member of the ministry team/committee/board is primarily responsible to coordinate as needed with the Congregation Council and to represent the ministry team/committee/board at Council meetings. Ministry team/committee/board chairpersons, however, may attend Council meetings at any time.
R 5.07 Each ministry team/committee/board
secretary shall prepare a draft of the minutes of the meeting and deliver it to
the parish Parish administrator Administrator
in a timely manner for distribution to Congregation Council and ministry
team/committee/board members prior to their next regularly
scheduled meetings.
a. Items requiring Congregation Council approval or action shall be stated as motions in the minutes.
b. The scheduled date for the next meeting shall be included.
R 5.08 A member’s place on the ministry team/committee/board shall be declared vacant by the Congregation Council on recommendation of the ministry team/committee/board chair if a member:
a. Ceases to be a member of the congregation, or
b. Is absent from two (2) successive regular meetings without cause, or
c. Resigns, becomes incapacitated or is otherwise unavailable, or
d. Fails to contribute to the work of the ministry team/committee.
R 5.09 Ministries/Ccommittees/boards
are authorized to form subcommittees
sub-organizations to
help carry out their responsibilities.
R 6.01 A charter shall be prepared for each
organization (council, ministry team/committee/, board, ministry
or sub organization), whether standing or ad hoc, detailing its purpose,
responsibilities, authority and relationships and in the case of ad hoc
organizations its dissolution date or event.
R 6.02 Charters shall be reviewed and approved by the Congregation Council.
R 6.03 Approved charters shall be made a part of these Continuing Resolutions by reference in this section and attachment hereto.
R 6.04 Periodically an Organization Review Task
Force shall be formed for the sole purpose of critically reviewing and
evaluating the efficacy of the overall organization and the individual ministries, committees,
and boards
and other their sub
organizations in supporting the mission of the congregation. Particular
attention shall be paid to the work of the sub organizations vis-à-vis
their charters
SECTION 7: RELATIONSHIP OF BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH AND
BETHEL LUTHERAN SCHOOL
R 7.01 A
covenant defining the internal relationship between Bethel Lutheran Church and
Bethel Lutheran School shall be signed jointly by the President of the congregationCongregation,
the Chair of the School Board and the principal of the school and approved by the
Congregation Council.
R 7.02 The current covenant shall be a part of these Continuing Resolutions by attachment hereto.
R 8.01 The appointment of a member as a Deacon of the Congregation shall be recommended by the Lead Pastor to the Congregation Council for approval as the need for an additional appointment arises.
R 8.02 Appointments shall be for a term of three (3) years. Normally, members should not be appointed to more than two successive terms to serve as a Deacon.
R 9.01 A request to the Congregation Council for approval of a period of extended study shall include the following:
a. A summary of the studies to be pursued,
b. Recommendations for coverage of his/her pastoral duties during his/her absence,
c. The acknowledgement of the expectation of the congregation that the requester shall continue to serve as pastor/a pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church for at least one (1) year after return from the sabbatical.
R 9.02 A sabbatical normally shall be taken in the seventh year of service. It may be delayed.
a. If delayed, the study period will be extended by two weeks for each year of delay up to a maximum of sixteen (16) weeks. However, the next six years term will not begin until the sabbatical accrued is completed.
R 9.03 All costs of the study including the cost of tuition and books, travel and living expenses shall be the responsibility of the pastor.
a. The pastor may request reimbursement for amounts expended for tuition and books up to any balance remaining for those line items in the budget at the end of the fiscal year.
R 9.04 The pastor may extend the leave by combining it with that year’s normal vacation and/or continuing education leave.
R 9.04 The pastor shall submit to the Congregation Council within a month of his/her return from a sabbatical a synopsis of the experience.
R 10.01 Funding and leave for continuing education can be accumulated for a maximum period of three years.
R 11.01 Policies and general procedures governing the officers and congregational organizations shall be documented in the Constitution, the Bylaws and these Continuing Resolutions under the direction of the Vice President of the council.
a. The
expertise of the Executive Committee, the Congregation Council and the various ministries,
committees and boards should be used to review proposed policies and
procedures and assure integration with their own.
R 11.02 A
manual of staff policies and congregational policies requiring administrative
support together with any needed supporting procedures to guide the members of
the congregation and the staff through the administrative maze supporting the
life of the congregation.
shall be initiated, prepared and maintained under the direction of the Parish
Administrator.
a. The Parish Administrator is encouraged to utilize the expertise of members of the congregation to prepare and critique proposed staff policies and procedures supporting congregational or staff policies.
b Proposed policies and procedures shall be submitted for review and comment to organizations of the congregation directly interested in a policy or directly affected by a procedure. Comments shall be resolved by the Parish Administrator or his/her designee.
c. Proposed staff policies and all administrative procedures shall be submitted to the Lead Pastor for approval.
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[DHK1]Doesn’t this conflict with the Council Meetings?