List of Issues Raised at HUGs Meeting

Issues about Restructuring Raised by HUG Representatives 
at Mystic Lake Meeting June 16-18

1. What processes will be put into place to address and heal the pain, anger, mistrust and broken relationships between [some HUG organizations] and the collegium that have been exacerbated over the course of the restructuring process?

2. What procedures will be put into place in the new proposed structure to ensure transparency of programming necessary for the board to carry out its fiduciary and supervisory responsibilities?

3. HUGs have been felt that the process of considering restructuring has not been sufficiently transparent.  

a. What are the specific rationales for restructuring? How does the proposed restructuring address each rationale?

b. What have been the costs to date for the restructuring process? What are the estimated costs by specific line item for the process of developing and implementing a restructuring?

c. What cost savings will be achieved by the restructuring process?

d. What procedures will be set in place to ensure fair and accurate reporting of board meeting discussions about restructuring and discussions with the HUG organizations?

4. What effect will restructuring have on the management and distribution of unrestricted funds?

5. What specific protections are in place to protect historic legacy funds?

6. What are the biblical and theological rationales underpinning the particular structure proposed? How does the proposed structure arise from these rationales?

7. How will the responsibilities of and reporting relationships for the GMP change under the proposed restructuring?

8. How will the responsibilities of and reporting relationships for the executive ministers change under the proposed restructuring?

9. How will the proposed new structure ensure that the executive ministers will be able to better coordinate their ministries with one another?

10. What will the reporting relationships between the GMP and executive ministers be?

11. What will the budgetary authority or control of the GMP and each of the executive ministers be? Over what areas of the budget? Will the GMP and executive ministers have independent budgetary control over the spending of any restricted or unrestricted endowment funds?

12. What specific programs will be set up to facilitate the continued engagement of local churches at the national setting if the number of persons serving on national boards decreases? How will these programs be funded?

13. What are the expectations of the time commitments required for members of the boards in the proposed restructuring?

14. How will the restructuring process ensure that voices from outside the GFT will be considered and incorporated?

15. How will the function of the Mission Council be filled in the proposed new structure?

16. What is the underlying mission and vision for the church that the governance structure carries out? How does the governance structure relate to the stated mission and vision?

17. How will the role of conferences, associations, and local churches in setting policy for and participating in the life of the national setting be affected by the proposed restructuring?

18. If an Executive Committee in the new proposed structure has extensive authority as in previous restructuring proposals, how will its composition, role and processes be consistent with anti-racist principles? What bylaw or constitutional provisions will be in place to ensure that its membership is racially and ethnically inclusive?

19. How will the proposed plan address the problem of racism within the church and adequately lead us to becoming the anti-racist, multi-racial, and multi-cultural church to which we aspire?

20. How will the policy and priority setting role of General Synod be affected by restructuring?

21. How will the composition of General Synod be affected by restructuring?

22. What is the plan for ensuring that we will continue to be a board-driven not a staff-driven church, as called for in the unanimously passed 2002 Covenanted Ministry board resolutions?

23. If board members are expected to have broader responsibilities in the new structure, what procedures will be established to prepare them for those responsibilities?

24. How will the proposed new structure ensure that people with a passion for a particular area of ministry serve on a program committee or area that reflects their passion?

25. If the amount of work to be done by each board member increases due to board responsibilities being divided among fewer people, how will the proposed new structure ensure that students, workers, and other persons with limited available time can continue to serve on a board in the national setting and that the diversity of persons serving on a national board will not thereby be reduced?

26. How will the proposed new structure ensure that the racial and ethnic diversity within each HUG organization is represented at the national setting if the number of total persons representing HUG organizations on national boards is reduced?

27. Why won’t less radical measures including more frequent joint board meetings address the problems that a new structure is intended to address? What administrative measures have been put into place to date to address these problems?

28. How will the proposed new structure contribute to the concern over the sharing of OCWM and other funds between the national setting, conferences, and local churches?

29. If the proposed new structure maintains separate programming corporations, what plans will be made to ensure that those separate corporation will be more effectively governed by three subcommittees of a single board than by three separately constituted boards?

30. How will the proposed structure ensure that there is representation on the board of both members of historically underrepresented groups and the organizations that advocate on behalf of those persons?

31. How will the proposed structure better equip local churches, conferences, and the national setting to address our ministry priorities within our own communities and beyond?

32. How will the proposed structure facilitate coordinated planning, programming, and funding of programming among local churches, conferences, and the national setting.

Statements of Affirmation of Single-Board Structure by HUGs

- Separate boards make it hard for executive ministers to coordinate fully
- Current structure does not require boards to negotiate over priorities