COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY (COM)
Goals
2001-2002
1) To strengthen the quality of ministry in our church by helping the Minister, Church Board, Coordinating Council, and the Congregation define and monitor its effectiveness.
2) To assist both the Minister and the Congregation in maintaining the professional character of the ministry and helping to make sure the needs of both are met.
3) To serve as counsel for the minister.
4) To make recommendations to the Church Board that are intended to improve the effectiveness of the ministry and enhance its quality.
5) To proactively promote understanding of the church ministry amongst UUCR members and friends.
6) To serve as a communication channel between the minister and the congregation.
1) Our first allegiance is to the Congregation. Our job is to support the minister by helping to make the minister’s work easier and more effective, but not at the expense of the congregation.
2) The committee should meet monthly, with an agenda for each meeting so that during the church year, each aspect of the ministerial-congregational relationship is reviewed. Either the committee chairperson or the minister may request special meetings on an as needed basis.
3) The committee may hold one or more meetings without the minister being present, but the minister will be informed in advance of any such meetings and the committee chairperson should promptly report to the minister to share the substance of that meeting.
4) The committee may also find the need to designate subcommittees or workgroups to meet outside the normally scheduled committee meetings, and all committee members will be kept informed of their activities by the chair or designated leader of the subcommittee or workgroup.
5) Committee decisions will be based on consensus. Individual members may defer to the majority if they do not wish to have their opposition on a particular matter block committee action. The committee should review and define its method of reaching consensus whenever the committee membership changes.
6) The committee chairperson will be responsible for meeting agendas. Minutes will be recorded and reviewed with respect to confidentiality. The committee will then provide copies of the minutes to the Church Board prior to the next scheduled board meeting.
7) The committee should decide early in the church year how and when to evaluate the many functions and components of the ministry. It may be practical to designate a specific month for an annual review of a particular ministerial-congregational relationship. For example, one month might be chosen to annually review the minister’s compensation package at a time that is effective for church budget planning.
8) Ministerial functions that the committee should address each year, should include:
a. Helping the minister carry on an effective ministry by being available for counsel;
b.
Keeping the minister advised about conditions within the
congregation as they affect relations between minister and members, with the
aim to strengthen and improve relationships;
c. Interpreting to the congregation the nature and scope of the work of the minister, including role expectations and realistic priorities for minister and members. In areas identified as requiring clarification, the committee will facilitate understanding of the church ministry through newsletter articles, small group discussions or workshops or other means of communication judged appropriate for the occasion.
d. Reviewing and assisting the minister with the planning of his or her continuing education program, sabbatical planning, or other professional development needs, and to advocate such plans to the church board and congregation, including the identification of appropriate funding requirements.
e. Consulting with the minister and submitting an annual compensation recommendation to the Finance Committee and the Church Board.
9) Each year; the committee will submit a written summary of its activities to the Church Board in April, along with any recommendations the committee believes would strengthen or enhance the quality of the church's ministry – lay or professional.
10) There will be regular communication to the Congregation by the means of the Church Newsletter and Annual Report.
1) When a new minister is called the initial committee membership will be comprised of 2 or more current or former Board members and two or more Search Committee members. They will serve a term of at least 6 months from the minister’s starting date to facilitate the transition to the committee’s regular membership.
2) To begin initiating staggered terms, sometime after the first 6 months this initial committee will transition to the following membership:
· The Minister;
· One member appointed by the Board, that is not a member of the Board, to serve the remainder of that church year;
· One member appointed by the Minister to serve the remainder of that church year;
· One member chosen by the Board from two or more names provided by the Minister to serve the remainder of that church year and one year following;
· One member chosen by the Minister from two or more names provided by the Board to serve the remainder of that church year and one year following.
To aid in
continuity, anyone serving on the initial committee can be considered eligible
for either appointment or nomination to serve during the transitional period.
3)
Beginning the second
year with a new minister, the committee membership will be comprised of:
·
The minister;
·
One incumbent member
that was selected by the minister and is beginning to serve the second year of
their term;
·
One incumbent member
that was selected by the Church Board and is beginning to serve the second year
of their term;
· One new member to begin their 2 year term that was chosen by the Board from two or more names provided by the Minister;
· One new member to begin their 2 year term that was chosen by the Minister from two or more names provided by the Board.
To provide liaison communication both to and from the Board along with the minister, it is recommended that the committee chairperson regularly attend Church Board meetings. Or, the committee may request that the Board designate one Member At Large from the Board to serve this liaison function and attend both Board and COM meetings as a voting member of the COM.
4)
With the exception of
the initial and transitional periods, committee members will normally serve
two-year terms. Terms are staggered to
insure that no more than one half of the selected members are replaced
annually. If an At Large Member of the
Board is appointed, it will be by consensus among the Board Membership
(including its At Large Members) and the Minister. They will serve only a 1-year term but may serve consecutive
terms.
5)
It is recommended that
no members except the minister serve more than 2 consecutive terms.
6) With the exception of the creation of the transitional committee, all selections by the Board or Minister will normally be done during the May Board meeting and new members will begin their terms with the start of the church year on July 1.
7) Should one of the appointed members resign or fail to complete his or her term, they will be replaced in the same manner by which they were originally selected and the new member will complete the term of the original member they are replacing.
8) Under normal circumstances, its members will select the chairperson of the committee. It is recommended that the chairperson be a member who has served on the committee during the previous church year. Neither the minister nor an At Large Board Member will be eligible to chair the committee.
These guidelines will need
to change as more effective evolve.
Revisions will require the consensus of the committee members and
approval by the Church Board.
Approved by:
_________________________________ ___________________________________
Committee on Ministry Chairperson President, UUCR Board of Directors
_________________________________ ___________________________________
Date Date