Governance Report for the Joint Board Meetings Spring 2008
***This document is currently in the process of being re-formatted for easy viewing.
Date: 1 March 2008
2
3 To: The Executive
Council;
4 The Boards of
Directors of the Covenanted Ministries: Justice & Witness
5 Ministries (JWM),
Local Church Ministries (LCM), Office of General
6 Ministries (OGM),
and, Wider Church Ministries (WCM); and,
7 The Council of
Conference Ministers (CCM) of the United Church of Christ
8
9 From: The Governance
Follow-Up Team (GFT)
10
11 Re: Reports and
Recommendations to be considered during the April 2008 joint12
meetings
13
14
15 Blessings, grace and
peace to you from our God the Creator, the Holy Spirit our Counselor,
16 and Jesus Christ,
the head of the Church.
17
18 This document
represents the most current version of a proposed model for possible
19 restructure of the
governance of the national setting of the United Church of Christ
(UCC).
20 Our work as the
Governance Follow-Up Team (GFT) formally started early in 2007. This
21 proposal builds upon
earlier work including the report presented by the 2000 Restructure
22 Evaluation Oversight
Committee of the Executive Council. It is also important to emphasize
23 that, as listed in
our previous written report of September 2007, a number of valued
resources
24 have contributed to
our collective work. These include, but are not limited to:
25
26 • The mission
and ministry of the Church, including the A Mission Framework for the
27 General Synod
Committee on Restructure: Mission as Missio Dei, a report for the
28 Committee on
Structure requested by the Executive Council of the UCC in 1992
29 • The history
of the UCC and its predecessor bodies as expressions of the
particular
30 vocation and ethos
God has called us to embody in various times and contexts
31 • The desire to
strengthen relationships and connections between local congregations
32 and national and
global settings of the Church
33 • The desire to
strengthen communication and accountability between the General
34 Synod and other
institutional structures/entities in the denomination
35 • Financial
Health and Implementation Report, 2003
36 • Final Report
of the Restructure Evaluation Oversight Committee to the Executive
37 Council of the UCC,
2004
38 • The Campbell
& Company Development Assessment report for the Executive Council
39 of the UCC, October
2006, that addresses issues related to unified planning,
40 programming and
fundraising
41 • Reports of
the Collegium of Officers to the Executive Council
42 • Actions taken
and concerns identified by the Executive Council and the boards of
43 directors of Justice
and Witness Ministries (JWM), Local Church Ministries (LCM),
44 the Office of
General Ministries (OGM), and Wider Church Ministries (WCM)
45 • Concerns
identified from conversations with the Historically Underrepresented
46 Groups (HUGs)
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_ Note: As affirmed in
various actions of General Synods, the 47 United Church of
48 Christ seeks to be a
“united and uniting church,” “a multi-racial,
multi49
cultural church,”
“an open and affirming church,” “a church
witnessing to
50 peace with justice,”
and “a church accessible to all.” Seeking this new
51 reality, General
Synod acknowledges a variety of “Historically
52 Underrepresented
Groups,” currently including United Black Christians
53 (UBC), Ministers for
Racial, Social and Economic Justice (MRSEJ), the
54 Council for Hispanic
Ministries (CHM), Pacific Islander and Asian American
55 Ministries, (PAAM)
the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM), the
56 Council for Racial
and Ethnic Ministries (COREM), the Council for Youth
57 and Young Adult
Ministries (CYYAM), the UCC Disabilities Ministries
58 (UCCDM), and the
United Church of Christ Coalition for Lesbian, Gay,
59 Bisexual and
Transgender Concerns (Coalition).
60 • A core value
of the national setting of the denomination to consciously and
61 intentionally
include in decision-making bodies persons from historically under62
represented groups
63 • The desire to
clarify Governance as distinct from Management functions in
64 organizational life
65
66 As a Team we would
like to thank all of you, the members of the Boards of Directors of
the
67 Covenanted
Ministries, Executive Council, Historically Underrepresented Groups
(HUGs)
68 and many others who
shared their concerns and ideas to guide the revisions and the
creation
69 of this current
version of the proposed model for restructure of the national setting
of the
70 UCC. Our Team
listened to, valued, reflected on, took seriously and addressed every
single
71 concern and idea
that was brought forward. It was our deepest intention to respect,
72 acknowledge and
incorporate into this revision all the items that were of importance
to our
73 rich and diverse UCC
community. We believe that the Holy Spirit has honored our prayers
74 by accompanying and
utilizing us as catalysts of God's ongoing work among us. Thus, we
75 offer this draft
document to you for your prayerful and thoughtful perusal, open to
the further
76 influence of the
Holy Spirit.
77
78 Enclosed you will
find the following sections to this report:
79 Page #
80 1) Preamble 4-7
81 2) History of the
Governance Follow-Up Team 7-10
82 3) National Setting
UCC Restructure Proposed Model: Narrative 11-23
83 4) Actions Requested
24
84 5) Proposed Model:
Diagram separate PDF file
85 6) Proposed Model:
Organizational Chart separate PDF file
86
87 We trust that God
will continue to bless us in the United Church of Christ and in this
88 extraordinary
process of helping us to learn, grow and change that we might be
faithful
89 stewards of God's
call upon our lives.
90
91 Respectfully in
Christ,
92 The Governance
Follow-Up Team (active members as of March 2008)
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93
94 Jim Antal, Council
of Conference Ministers
95 Peter Barbosa, JWM
Board of Directors (Council for Hispanic Ministries)
96 Phyllis Baum, OGM
Board of Directors
97 Martha Ann Baumer,
Pension Boards
98 Carol Brown,
Executive Council (United Black Christians)
99 Diane
Christopherson, WCM Board of Directors (Coalition for LGBT Concerns)
100 Barbara Everett,
United Church Foundation
101 Rita Fiero, JWM
Board of Directors (UCC Disabilities Ministries)
102 Yvette Flunder, JWM
Board of Directors (MRSEJ)
103 Jean Golden, LCM
Board of Directors
104 Wyatt Greenlee,
Jr., WCM Board of Directors
105 Edith Guffey,
Associate General Minister, OGM
106 Linda Jaramillo,
Executive Minister, JWM
107 Paul Lance, LCM
Board of Directors
108 Sharon MacArthur,
Executive Council (PAAM)
109 Sara Morse,
Executive Council (Young Adult)
110 Rich Pleva, Council
of Conference Ministers
111 Cally Rogers-Witte,
Executive Minister, WCM
112 Curtis Rueter, WCM
Board of Directors
113 Steve Sterner,
Executive Minister, LCM
114 John Thomas,
General Minister and President
115 Hattie Walker, OGM
Board of Directors (CAIM)
116 Carol Williams, LCM
Board of Directors
117
118 Resource Persons:
119 Don Clark,
Nationwide Special Counsel
120 Kathy Houston, LCM
Treasurer
121 Ann Kiernozek, WCM
Treasurer
122 Don Paterson, Chief
Financial Officer
123 Harold Massey,
Consultant
124 Kimberly Whitney,
Assistant to the Collegium
125
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126 Preamble
127
128 The national
setting of the United Church of Christ, in continuity with its many
honored
129 historical
predecessor instrumentalities, agencies, and societies, carries out
four essential
130 functions for,
with, and on behalf of our Local Churches, Conferences, and
Associations.
131
132 1. The national
setting is a sign of unity, convening biennially as the General
Synod,
133 and proclaiming a
unifying vision for the whole United Church of Christ -- a vision
134 informed by our
Statement of Faith, the Preamble to the Constitution, and the ever
135 present voice of
the Stillspeaking God. This vision is summarized in God’s call
to the
136 United Church of
Christ to be a “united and uniting church,” “a
multi-racial, multi137
cultural church,”
“an open and affirming church,” “a church
witnessing to peace with
138 justice,” and
“a church accessible to all.”
139
140 2. The national
setting nurtures relationships within and beyond the United Church of
141 Christ, including
relationships among United Church of Christ ministries and
142 institutions in all
settings, and with ecumenical, interfaith, and global partners.
143
144 3. The national
setting equips and strengthens vital and faithful ministries of Local
145 Churches, leaders,
and other settings of the church.
146
147 4. The national
setting, in partnership with all other settings, demonstrates God’s
148 transforming love
and justice around the world through social justice advocacy and
149 public witness, and
by sharing life and resources through critical presence with God’s
150 people and creation
at the point of deepest need.
151
152 These four roles
have been shaped by a rich historical legacy reaching back far beyond
the
153 fifty years of the
United Church of Christ and have been embodied in varied ways in
154 structures that
have sought to be the faithful stewards of that legacy. Our
Reformation
155 heritage reminds us
that we are “reformed, yet ever reforming.” As a result,
our past shapes
156 and educates us,
but does not finalize who and what we are becoming to a
Still-Speaking
157 God.
158
159 The current
national structures of the United Church of Christ have evolved over
many years.
160 The earliest
ecclesiastical structures, founded long before there were anything
like today’s
denominations, were
founded in the 17th 161 century to provide oversight to the ordained
162 ministry, give
doctrinal order to the church, and offer some means for congregations
to relate
to each other. By the
early 19th 163 century these ecclesiastical bodies were joined by
mission
164 societies,
organized apart from the ecclesial structures by individuals in
response to particular
165 passions, callings,
or needs. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission,
166 the American Home
Mission Society, and the American Missionary Association are
167 prominent examples.
Some of these societies began as ecumenical ventures and were not
168 under the control
of any ecclesiastical bodies. Indeed, in many cases ecclesiastical
control
169 was resisted in
order to allow the mission societies more freedom to pursue their
particular
170 vision. Over time,
as each of our predecessor denominations evolved, the patterns of
171 relationship
between the ecclesial structures and the mission societies also
evolved -- a
Page 5 of 24
process of development
and change that continues to this day. Slowly, 172 the separation
173 between the mission
societies and ecclesial structures (like the General Synod or the
General
174 Council) began to
diminish.
175
176 When the United
Church of Christ was established, a General Synod was created which
177 “recognized”
some of the former mission societies, allowing them to retain
considerable
178 independence, and
“established” other instruments of mission more directly
accountable to
179 the Synod. These
“recognized and established instrumentalities” carried
out mission in
180 response to their
historical mandates or to contemporary mandates given by the General
181 Synod, and were
supported by a combination of historical endowments, annual
182 apportionments from
Our Church’s Wider Mission, and individual gifts. They were
183 governed by boards
of directors, each having differing relationships to the General
Synod
184 and the Executive
Council ranging from direct to very limited accountability.
185
186 The restructure of
2000 represented a further evolution of the relationship of the
187 ecclesiastical
bodies and the mission societies, creating four autonomous
“Covenanted
188 Ministries”
related to the General Synod, the Executive Council, and each other,
but retaining
189 legal autonomy as
separately incorporated bodies. The Pension Boards and the United
190 Church Foundation
retained a special relationship to the General Synod. Other bodies
created
191 over the years to
serve particular ecclesial or missional needs each have their own
distinctive
192 relationship to the
General Synod or other ecclesial bodies. These include the Council
for
193 Health and Human
Service Ministries, the Cornerstone Fund, the United Church of Christ
194 Insurance Board,
etc.
195
196 The background
theological documents for the 2000 restructure, including the Missio
Dei
197 paper, were already
calling into question the continued separation of church and mission
198 structures, arguing
that mission belongs to God, not to mission societies or ecclesial
199 structures in
isolation, and that the whole church is called to participate
together in God’s
200 mission. The 2000
restructure consolidated some of the national instrumentalities into
four
201 Covenanted
Ministries. It also attempted to honor both the conviction that
mission belongs to
202 God and is the
calling of the whole church, while retaining some separation between
the
203 church (the General
Synod and its Executive Council) and the current expressions or
204 instruments of the
original mission societies now known as our Covenanted, Associated,
and
205 Affiliated
Ministries. By seeking to integrate our national structures while
maintaining the
206 historical
separation in some form, we were left with a kind of “hybrid”
represented by
207 autonomous
covenanted ministries with all the ambiguity about relationship and
208 accountability such
a phrase suggests. The current proposal is, in large part, an effort
to
209 address the
inherent governance challenges such a hybrid presents, as well as the
stewardship
210 of resources
required to sustain a large and complex governance structure at a
time when
211 relatively scarce
dollars need to be supporting mission. Additionally the current
proposal will
212 facilitate the work
of the national setting in supporting and strengthening the whole of
213 mission and
ministry in the local church. More foundationally, it poses the
question of
214 whether it is time,
theologically and historically, to fully integrate the ecclesial and
missional
215 structures under
one United Church Board accountable to the General Synod.
216
Page 6 of 24
Autonomy and covenant
are cherished principles in the United Church 217 of Christ. In the
218 context of
covenant, autonomy is not “freedom from” but rather
“freedom for.” In the United
219 Church of Christ
Constitution and Bylaws the principle of autonomy is most clearly and
fully
220 articulated in
relation to Local Churches, though each of the “settings”
– Local Church,
221 Association,
Conference, and National – relate to each other in a manner
that is both
222 covenantal and
autonomous. At its heart, autonomy is a responsibility rather than a
privilege.
223 Affirming that
“Jesus Christ is the sole Head of the Church,” the United
Church of Christ
224 subordinates every
other authority to Christ and grants to no one person or one setting
of the
225 church a privileged
authority in relation to Christ or a privileged access to Christ.
226
227 Covenant embodies
and honors the United Church of Christ’s conviction that all
members
228 and all settings of
the Church are called by God into a relationship with God, and
therefore
229 with one another,
which depends upon God’s grace and which confers both identity
and
230 purpose upon the
covenant partners. All “walk together” in a journey
toward faithfulness,
231 often without
knowing exactly what the outcome will be. Covenant assumes the
autonomy of
232 each partner to
commit one’s self to the relationship and the journey. Covenant
requires that
233 each be responsible
to the others and for the self. It assumes that all partners regard
234 themselves and one
another in their wholeness and integrity as bestowed upon them by
God.
235
236 Autonomy has been
described as “the non-transferable responsibility of the
church, in each
237 of its settings, to
discern, in consultation with all other settings, God’s will
and way for its
238 time and place.”
This suggests that we honor autonomy not so much through the
protection
239 of corporate and
historical prerogatives, but through the most effective exercise of
our
240 responsibilities as
a setting of the church to discern God’s will and way for our
time and
241 place. This
governance proposal does recommend a significant change in governance
at the
242 national setting.
It will honor the intentions of donors across the decades, fulfilling
our moral
243 and legal
responsibilities as fiduciaries of these historic endowments. It will
continue our
244 historic commitment
to prophetic justice ministries and education, to being a global
mission
245 church and to
proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ through ministries of
evangelism,
246 church development,
and communication. It will allow freedom for the United Church Board
247 to change over time
in response to new occasions and new duties. It will encourage
further
248 programmatic
collaboration and creativity unhindered by more static governance
249 arrangements.
250
251 To accomplish this,
the negotiated arrangements by which we have previously tried to
252 covenantally relate
our current autonomous corporate bodies (the Covenanted Ministries
and
253 the Executive
Council) in the national setting to one another call for a deeper
covenantal
254 relationship. This
national governance model will evolve into a single United Church
Board
255 accountable to the
General Synod. This relationship will, thereby, integrate within and
under
256 the General Synod
the responsibility for discerning God’s will and way as an
autonomous
257 setting of the
church in covenantal relationship to Local Churches, Associations,
and
258 Conferences and
representative of the rich diversity that is our church. In so doing,
the
259 historical pattern
separating ecclesial and missional structures, maintained, albeit in
a
260 significantly
altered way by the current Covenanted Ministries and Executive
Council, will
261 be largely replaced
by a common governance location of discernment and decision-making.
262 We believe this
will be more appropriate for current financial realities, more nimble
in
Page 7 of 24
addressing and claiming
ever changing mission opportunities, and more capable 263 of altering
264 its own internal
life to deal with rapid change within and beyond the church. The
reality that
265 our current
autonomous corporate bodies still legally exist but have each agreed
to consider
266 restructure as a
single common board is a significant and courageous step in our
covenantal
267 life together. This
step further speaks to the prophetic spirit of our forebears and our
268 willingness to
respond to the call to go boldly together into our bright future.
269
270 While this proposal
deals exclusively with recommended changes to the governance of the
271 national setting of
the church, it is clear that restructure of governance is not an end
in itself.
272 Only as the
national setting is able to carry out its four essential roles
effectively and
273 creatively in
relation to Local Churches, Conferences, and Associations will any
governance
274 model be deemed
faithful. While we believe a change in governance is crucial, we are
also
275 clear that it must
be accompanied by sustained programmatic efforts to encourage vital,
276 faithful,
effective, and prophetic ministries in each setting. Members of our
Local Churches
277 may not have deep
interest in these governance questions. But they do expect the
national
278 setting to be
marked by faithfulness, courage, excellence, relevance, and
responsiveness.
279 These expectations
must be the horizon against which all our governance discussions take
280 place.
281
282
283
284 A Brief History of
the Governance Follow-Up Team
285 United Church of
Christ
286
287 The current
structure of the national setting of the United Church of Christ took
effect in July
288 2000, following
years of work by structural committees authorized by the Executive
Council
289 and the General
Synod, a series of votes by those bodies and the governing bodies of
the
290 several
Instrumentalities of the church, and ratification of constitutional
changes by the
291 Conferences of the
United Church of Christ.
292
293 A stated
expectation within the restructure actions was that the new structure
would be
294 evaluated a few
years into its life. This was undertaken in 2003 by a Restructure
Evaluation
295 Oversight Committee
of the Executive Council. Its report, based on wide-ranging
interviews
296 and surveys
throughout the church, was presented to the Executive Council in
October 2004.
297 Among the concerns
it identified were the difficulty of engaging in strategic planning
across
298 the Covenanted
Ministries, the ambiguity about relationships among – and lines
of
299 accountability
between – the Executive Council and the Covenanted Ministry
boards, and the
300 need for clarity
and strengthening of the distinctive role of the General Minister and
301 President.
302
303 In April 2006,
during a joint meeting of the Covenanted Ministry boards in Hartford,
304 Connecticut, and at
the Executive Council meeting immediately thereafter, the Collegium
of
305 Officers presented
a report calling attention to those same concerns and others. Adding
306 urgency was news in
early 2006 of a sharp drop in National Basic Support dollars in 2005,
307 raising questions
about the future sustainability of governance, management and program
308 structures in their
current size and configuration. The Collegium sought and received
Page 8 of 24
authorization from the
Executive Council to “proceed in ways consistent 309 with the
missional
310 commitment of the
restructure process, to develop recommendations for a significant
311 streamlining and/or
reshaping of management and governance structures for the national
312 setting in order to
enhance capacity for strategic decision making, improve
effectiveness, and
313 achieve cost
savings. This includes, but may not be limited to: a) The size,
number and role
314 of Covenanted
Ministry Boards and the Executive Council; b) The size and design of
the
315 Collegium of
Officers; c) The design of national work and staffing levels; d) The
role of the
316 General Minister
and President.”
317
318 In October 2006,
after weeks of intensive work, the Collegium completed that
assignment
319 by presenting a
report addressed to the Executive Council and the Covenanted Ministry
320 boards. Among its
recommendations was that the United Church of Christ “bring the
current
321 responsibilities
and authority of the Boards of the four Covenanted Ministries and the
322 Executive Council
into a single “Governing Body.” It also recommended a
smaller,
323 streamlined
management and program structure and the continuance of a collegial
model of
324 leadership with a
smaller Collegium. The report suggested a timeline anticipating the
need in
325 January 2007 for a
“meeting of a ‘conference committee’ of Executive
Council and Board
326 leadership to
reconcile comments, concerns and recommendations” that would
likely emerge
327 from their separate
fall 2006 meetings.
328
329 The need for such a
“conference committee” turned out to be even greater than
anticipated in
330 view of the
divergent actions taken in October and November 2006 by the Executive
331 Council and the
four Covenanted Ministry Boards. The Collegium decided in November
332 2006 to expand a
January 2007 meeting into a larger “Conversation on Structure.”
In
333 addition to the
Collegium and the chair- and vice-chairpersons of the Covenanted
Ministry
334 Boards and of the
Executive Council, each of those governing bodies was invited to
bring
335 three additional
Board members. The Affiliated and Associated Ministries and the
Council of
336 Conference
Ministers were invited to send representatives as well. A consultant,
Dr. Harold
337 Massey, facilitated
the meeting, and National Special Counsel Donald Clark was invited to
338 attend as a
resource person.
339
340 This “Conversation
on Structure” was held on January 5 & 6, 2007, in the
Meeting House
341 Room at the Church
House in Cleveland. (Its results are summarized on Page 2 of the
342 Collegium’s
March 2007 Status Report.) The participants agreed that the work of
the meeting
343 should be continued
by a smaller group and entrusted its appointment to the Collegium,
the
344 chairs of the
Boards and of the Executive Council, and a Conference Minister. This
was done
345 by conference call
on January 8, 2007, with the agreement that the members of the
follow346
up team would be asked
to make themselves available until the completion of the team’s
347 work –
possibly as late as 2008 or even 2009. The team would consist of the
Collegium, two
348 representatives
from each Covenanted Ministry Board, two representatives from the
349 Executive Council,
two representatives of the Council of Conference Ministers, one
350 representative each
from the Associated and Affiliated Ministries, and such other
“additional
351 members” as
would be needed to ensure representation of historically
underrepresented
352 groups. These
“additional members,” though coming from among the
membership of the
353 governing bodies,
were appointed by the Collegium to serve in an “at large”
fashion. Again,
Page 9 of 24
Dr. Harold Massey
facilitated the meeting and National Special Council 354 Donald Clark
was
355 invited to attend
as a resource person.
356
357 The resulting
group, now known as the Governance Follow-Up Team (GFT), met on
358 February 5 & 6,
2007, in the New York/Philadelphia Room at the Radisson Hotel at
359 Gateway in
Cleveland. Results and recommendations of that meeting were delivered
to the
360 Executive Council
and the Covenanted Ministry boards in a March 2007 Status Report from
361 the Collegium of
Officers.
362
363 In March 2007 the
Executive Council formally authorized the Governance Follow-Up Team
364 to continue its
work. This was affirmed in actions taken by each of the Covenanted
Ministry
365 boards in March and
April 2007. The Collegium, at its meeting of April 25-26, 2007,
366 identified another
“additional” or “at large” member for the
purposes of diversity.
367
368 In May 2007 the
Governance Follow-Up Team met at the Radisson Hotel at Gateway in
369 Cleveland,
including two new members who had been elected by their boards. After
370 examination and
analysis of all the concerns expressed by the Executive Council and
the
371 Covenanted Ministry
boards, various concepts were presented, discussed and analyzed. A
372 total of seven
possible re-structure concepts were discussed. The primary focus of
the
373 gathering
culminated in a digest and summing up of elements that could address
the concerns
374 expressed by the
Executive Council and the Covenanted Ministry boards. A subcommittee
375 composed of five
members (Jim Antal, Peter Barbosa, Diane Christopherson, Paul Lance,
376 and Hattie Walker)
was selected and charged to draft one or more governance structural
377 models for the
national setting of the United Church of Christ out of the seven
possible
378 models presented.
The outcome of this drafting was to be brought to the September 2007
379 meeting of the
entire Team for discussion.
380
381 In August 2007 the
subcommittee met in Framingham, MA, to develop one or more of the
382 proposed models.
The subcommittee’s first joint action was to pray for God's
Spirit to infuse,
383 lead and guide
their individual and collective intuitive promptings, thoughts, words
and
384 decisions in the
course of its collaborative, creative work. After considerable
deliberation, its
385 second joint action
was to decide that they would attempt to spend their limited time
together
386 drafting one
governance structural model that, as much as possible, addressed the
varied
387 interests, concerns
and values of people in multiple settings of the denomination, rather
than
388 developing several
of the previously described models. As a result of this meeting a
model
389 was developed and
presented to the entire Governance Follow-Up Team via email two weeks
390 prior to the
scheduled September 2007 meeting.
391
392 In September 2007
the Governance Follow-Up Team met in Cleveland to discuss, modify
393 and determine if
the proposed model answered the concerns expressed by the Executive
394 Council and the
four Boards of Directors of the Covenanted Ministries. After much
reflection
395 and consideration,
the proposed model was modified to accommodate strongly-held
396 concerns. It was
decided to share the proposal with the Executive Council and the
Boards of
397 Directors of the
Covenanted Ministries during their respective fall 2007 meetings to
explore
398 if further
conversation and action were desired.
Page 10 of 24
In November 2007,
following the discussions that took place during the fall 399
meetings of the
400 Executive Council
and four Boards of Directors of the Covenanted Ministries, the
401 Governance
Follow-Up Team met by conference call to discuss all the concerns
raised
402 during these
meetings. After a lengthy discussion about addressing the concerns
regarding
403 the perception of a
diminished role of people of color, it was decided that the proposal
would
404 be “tested
broadly” with the many and varied constituencies of the United
Church of Christ.
405 The proposal would
also be scrutinized by a panel of polity teachers and would again be
406 reviewed Church
attorneys.
407
408 Between November
2007 and January 2008 one Collegium member and one representative
409 from the Governance
Follow-Up Team were paired to engage in telephone conference calls
410 with leaders from
the Historically Underrepresented Groups (HUGs), among other
411 constituencies of
the Church. Each of the HUGs was allowed to select their respective
412 leaders to
participate in the conversation. Feedback was collected, including
ideas, concerns
413 and/or support
statements along with written reports.
414
415 In addition, a
group of polity teachers met in August of 2006 and January 2008. Dr.
Harold
416 Massey, the GFT
facilitator, spoke with a number of elders and long-term pioneers
within the
417 UCC to document
their personal opinions, ideas and concerns regarding the proposed
418 governance model.
419
420 Between February
1-3, 2008, almost exactly one year to the day after their first
formal
421 meeting as the
“Governance Follow-Up Team,” the group met again in
Cleveland to
422 collectively
report, evaluate, reflect upon and address all the various concerns
and comments
423 raised by the
Executive Council and the Boards of Directors of the Covenanted
Ministries
424 during their fall
2007 meetings, as well as all the collected comments from the series
of
425 meetings and
conversations that took place between November 2007 and January 2008.
The
426 Team committed
itself to value and respond to all raised concerns; therefore all
comments
427 and concerns were
discussed As a result, a significant number of modifications and
additions
428 were made to the
then current draft of the governance model. Written assignments were
429 divided among the
entire team and this draft is the outcome of this work.
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
Page 11 of 24
Governance 442
Follow-Up Team
443 Proposed National
Governance Model: Narrative
444
445
446 Rationale for the
Model
447
448 The primary
rationale for the developed model is the necessity for more
accountability,
449 cooperation, and
communication between Covenanted Ministries, as well as improving the
450 resourcing and
financial stewardship of the national setting of the UCC. We believe
the
451 proposed model
takes into account the expressed concerns by the Boards of the
Covenanted
452 Ministries,
Executive Council, United Church Foundation, Pension Boards,
Historically
453 Underrepresented
Groups, and the Council for Youth and Young Adult Ministries.
454
455
456 Basic Premise of
the Model
457
458 The primary
elements that serve as basis for this model are described as follows:
459
460 • A governing
body named the United Church Board (working title) will be created.
461 The United Church
Board of 85 members will serve all of the functions of the current
462 Executive Council
and will incorporate all of the functions of the Office of General
463 Ministries. In
addition, all of the members of the United Church Board will also
serve
464 the corporations
which include:
465 _ Local Church
Ministries
466 _ Justice and
Witness Ministries
467 _ Wider Church
Ministries
468 The impact of this
revised governance is that one group of people will have the
responsibility
469 to develop policy
and have oversight of all aspects of the national setting; all
officers of the
470 church will report
to one common Board.
471
472 Within the United
Church Board:
473 • There will
be covenanted ministry groups that are consistent with our current
474 covenanted
ministries (local church, justice and witness, and wider church).
Each of
475 these covenanted
ministry groups will have the responsibility for oversight and
476 monitoring of the
programmatic functions of these areas and will be standing
477 committees of the
United Church Board.
478
479 As a result of the
creation of the United Church Board:
480 • The
incorporated body of the Executive Council will be merged into the
United
481 Church Board. This
new body will be elected by the General Synod and represent the
482 General Synod ad
interim.
483 • The
incorporated body of the Office of General Ministries (OGM) will be
merged
484 into the United
Church Board. Its functions will be incorporated into the standing
485 committees of the
new United Church Board.
Page 12 of 24
• The Associate
General Minister position will be eliminated as an elected 486
position of
487 the General Synod,
and many of its duties will be accomplished by a Chief
488 Administrative
Officer (CAO) selected by and reporting directly to the General
489 Minister and
President.
490 • The General
Minister and President, as well as the three Executive Ministers
(JWM,
491 LCM, and WCM), will
each be accountable to the General Synod through the United
492 Church Board.
493 • A Collegium
of peers will continue to be the model by which the Officers of the
494 Church function.
This new Collegium will be comprised of four Officers of the
495 Church: the
Executive Ministers for LCM, JWM and WCM, and the General Minister
496 and President
(GMP).
497
498 Why the changes to
the Office of General Ministries (OGM)?
499
500 The current
structure of the UCC includes OGM as a separate Covenanted Ministry.
While
501 the majority of the
functions of OGM directly relate to the overall settings of the other
three
502 Covenanted
Ministries of the Church (LCM, JWM, WCM), the current structure
contributes
503 to the perception
of OGM as a separate ministry. As a consequence, some OGM initiatives
504 have struggled to
come to fruition, while they are intended to serve the whole Church.
This
505 new model proposes
the merger of OGM into the United Church Board. This allows for an
506 equal and
intentional “ownership” of all current OGM functions and
responsibilities within
507 the national
setting.
508
509 Since the Associate
General Minister serves as the executive of OGM, it follows that this
510 position will be
eliminated as a member of the Collegium. The critical roles that this
position
511 currently serves
will be accomplished by a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) selected
by
512 and reporting
directly to the General Minister and President (GMP). This change
also assures
513 that the CAO has
singular skills required for the position rather than dual identities
as an
514 Officer of the
Church and a CAO. This change will also strengthen the role of the
GMP,
515 which is a
consistent concern expressed in many preceding evaluations of the
national
516 governance
structure.
517
518 An Office of the
General Minister and President (OGMP) will be established, but not as
a
519 separate
corporation. This office may include, but not be limited to, the
various staff
520 positions currently
lodged in the OGM Corporation. These staff will be supervised by the
521 CAO and will be
guided by some of the governance standing committees of the United
522 Church Board (see
below under “Standing Committees of the United Church Board”).
523
524
525
Page 13 of 24
The United Church Board
526 (working title)
527
528 All members of the
United Church Board will be elected by General Synod (GS). The United
529 Church Board will
consist of a total of eighty-five (85) members. Sixty-eight (68) of
the
530 board members will
go through the “standard” nomination process (similar to
the nomination
531 process of our
current model) in which each group being represented submits three
(3)
532 nominations to the
GS Nominating Committee for selection and vote by GS. Seventeen (17)
533 additional members
will be nominated by virtue of their respective positions.
534
535 The 68 positions
following the standard nomination process shall be as follows:
536
537 • Thirty-eight
(38) members, one representing each UCC conference
538 • Ten (10)
members, two (2) from each of the following groups: 1) Council for
539 American Indian
Ministry, 2) Council for Hispanic Ministries, 3) Ministers for
540 Racial, Social and
Economic Justice, 4) Pacific Islander and Asian American
541 Ministries, and, 5)
United Black Christians
542 • Nine (9)
at-large youth and/or young adult members (2-year term; eligible for
543 reelection)
544 • Three (3)
members from the UCC Disabilities Ministries
545 • Two (2)
members from the Council for Youth and Young Adult Ministries - CYYAM
546 (2-year term;
eligible for reelection)
547 • Two (2)
representatives from the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns
548 • One (1)
representative from the Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries
549 • One (1)
representative from the Council for Theological Education
550 • One (1)
representative from the Council for Higher Education
551 • One (1)
representative from the Historical Council
552
553 In reference to the
nominations for these positions, HUGs will make their own
nominations.
554 The conference
positions will be nominated by conferences. In the case of the nine
(9) at555
large youth and/or
young adult positions, the invitation to submit names will come from
556 those conferences
and HUGs that do not have vacancies that particular year. CYYAM will
be
557 invited to submit
nominations for every term for these nine (9) At-large youth and/or
young
558 adult positions.
559
560 [Note: In the case
where HUGs have submitted names for vacant positions that particular
561 biennium and one of
them was a youth not selected for their group’s vacancies,
those names
562 may be considered
for an at-large position.]
563
564 Addressing a
consistent concern for diversity, the composition of these 68
positions will
565 closely follow the
guidelines modeled by the current JWM Corporation Bylaws, including
566 the following
distribution:
567
568 • Fifty
percent or more (≥ 50%) shall be persons of color
569 • Fifty
percent or more (≥ 50%) shall be women.
Page 14 of 24
• One-third of the
members will be ordained ministers or persons 570 with ordained
571 ministerial partner
standing
572 • One-third
laywomen, and one-third laymen
573 • Twenty
percent of the members are to be under 30 years of age at the time
elected.
574 When possible,
under-30 representation shall include both (a) youth, persons of high
575 school age, and,
(b) young adults, persons graduated from high school or over 19
576 years of age.
577
578 In addition to the
68 members who will go through the standard nomination process
579 described above,
the following seventeen (17) positions will be nominated and elected
by
580 virtue of their
respective positions, with consideration of the above-noted diversity
581 guidelines:
582
583 • Six (6)
Conference Ministers, each from one of the UCC regions (2-year term,
584 renewable for up to
six years)
585 • One (1)
representative from the United Church Foundation, Inc.
586 • One (1)
representative from The Pension Boards
587 • One (1)
representative from the Council of Health and Human Services (CHHSM)
588 • The
Moderator and the two Assistant Moderators of General Synod (3)
(2-year term)
589 • One (1)
representative chosen by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
590 • The
Executive Ministers, one each for LCM, JWM, WCM (3)
591 • The General
Minister and President of the UCC (1)
592
593 The terms of office
of the members of the United Church Board, elected through the
standard
594 nominating process
unless otherwise designated, shall be for six years. Terms shall
595 commence at the
close of the General Synod at which members are elected and qualified
and
596 shall terminate at
the close of the General Synod in which their successors are elected
and
597 qualified. Members
shall be divided into three classes. No elected member who has served
at
598 least half of a
full term shall be elected again until at least two years have
elapsed. Terms for
599 Council for Youth
and Young Adult Ministries as well as the 9 At-large Youth &
Young
600 Adult members shall
be two years, with eligibility for re-election twice more for a total
of six
601 (6) years maximum.
A person elected from a Conference shall resign when moving to
602 another Conference.
603
604 The United Church
Board will be incorporated and carry on the work of its predecessor
605 bodies: the
Executive Council of General Synod and the Office of General
Ministries. The
606 members of the
United Church Board will also serve as the Boards of Directors of the
three
607 continuing
Corporations: JWM, LCM, and WCM. The United Church Board will serve
as
608 General Synod ad
interim. It will reflect in its membership the commitment of the UCC
to be
609 an inclusive
church, and will relate covenantally to our Seminaries and Colleges,
Associated
610 and Affiliated
Ministries, Conferences, Associations, and Local Churches.
611
612 The planning and
work of the United Church Board will be guided and use as a
foundation
613 the following
primary principles:
614
Page 15 of 24
The United Church
Board– in furtherance of God’s mission, rooted 615 in the
gospel of
616 Jesus Christ,
honoring our Statement of Faith and the Preamble to the Constitution,
617 faithful to the
Constitution and Bylaws, and in consultation and collaboration with
618 national, global,
local churches, Conferences, and ecumenical partners – will
619
620 Proclaim a unifying
vision for the whole United Church of Christ. This vision
621 for the present and
the future will be informed by the UCC’s historic faith,
values, and ethos, and
by the Stillspeaking God’s call to be a 21st 622 century
623 church.
624
625 Nurture
relationships within and beyond the United Church of Christ. These
626 include
relationships among UCC ministries and institutions in all settings,
627 and with
ecumenical, interfaith, and global partners.
628
629 Equip and
strengthen vital and faithful ministries of Local Churches, leaders,
630 and other settings.
631
632 Demonstrate God’s
transforming love and justice around the world through
633 social justice
advocacy, public witness, and sharing life and resources through
634 critical presence
with God’s people and creation at the point of deepest need.
635
636
637
638 Committees of the
United Church Board
639
640 A. Covenanted
Ministry Groups (JWM, LCM and WCM)
641
642 The United Church
Board will be divided into three Covenanted Ministry Groups: Local
643 Church Ministries
(LCM), Justice & Witness Ministries (JWM), and Wider Church
644 Ministries (WCM).
Members of the United Church Board will be elected by the GS and
after
645 their election; the
United Church Board itself will divide its entire membership into
three
646 working groups,
each representing one Covenanted Ministry Group. The selection into a
647 particular group
will take into account the particular individual’s experience,
expertise,
648 personal passion
and spiritual calling. In addition, issues related to diversity and
equal
649 representation will
be taken into account when assigning members of the United Church
650 Board into each of
the three Covenanted Ministry Groups. Each Covenanted Ministry Group
651 will honor the
diversity of commitments of the United Church of Christ and work in
652 covenant with one
another. Individuals selected to WCM will also need to consider the
role
653 that WCM
representatives may need to perform with the Common Global Ministries
Board
654 (CGMB), the UCC’s
mission partnership with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
655
656 Each of the three
Covenanted Ministry Groups will elect its own Chair and Vice-Chair.
657 Reflecting the
church’s value for diversity, at least one of these two
positions for each of the
658 groups will be a
person of color. This also assures diversity at the level of the
Executive
659 Committee of the
United Church Board (see description below).
660
Page 16 of 24
661
662 B. The Executive
Committee of the United Church Board (working title)
663
664 The Executive
Committee will consist of the following 15 positions:
665 • The Chair
and Vice-Chair of the United Church Board who will be elected by the
666 United Church Board
itself from among its members (2)
667 • The Chair
and Vice-Chair of each of the three Covenanted Ministry Groups (LCM,
668 JWM, and WCM) who
will be elected by each Ministry Group itself from among its
669 members (6)
670 • The three
Executive Ministers, one each for LCM, JWM, WCM (3)
671 • The General
Minister and President (1)
672 •
Representatives of the United Church Foundation and Pension Boards
(2)
673 • One of the
six Conference Ministers serving on the United Church Board (1)
674
675 The Executive
Committee shall have the responsibility to ensure that visioning and
strategic
676 planning be done on
behalf of the national setting of the church.
677 • The
Executive Committee will lead the United Church Board in developing
and
678 articulating
comprehensive and integrated strategies and goals for the national
setting.
679 • It will
facilitate the Board’s identification of concerns and ideas
related to
680 communications,
identity, fundraising, fund development, strategic planning,
681 evangelism, and
other critical issues for the life of the whole Church.
682
683 To fulfill its
responsibilities, the planning and work of the Executive Committee
shall be
684 guided by the
following primary principles:
685 • Rooted in
the Gospel of Jesus Christ;
686 • Honoring our
Statement of Faith and the Preamble to the Constitution;
687 • Faithful to
the Constitution ad Bylaws;
688 • In
consultation and collaboration with national, global, local churches,
Conferences,
689 historically
underrepresented groups, and ecumenical partners.
690
691 The decision-making
power and authority of the Executive Committee of the United Church
692 Board will be
governed by the standing rules of the United Church Board.
693
694
695 C. The Finance and
Budget Committee
696
697 The Finance and
Budget Committee shall consist of the following 12 people:
698 • The Chair or
the Vice Chair of the United Church Board (1)
699 • Two (2)
representatives from each of the Covenanted Ministry Groups (6 total)
[these
700 will be selected by
each of the three groups individually]
701 • The Board
member representing the Pension Boards (1)
702 • The three
(3) Executive Ministers, one each for LCM, JWM, WCM (3)
703 • The General
Minister and President (1)
704 • The Chief
Financial Officer (CFO) of the United Church of Christ shall meet
with the
705 committee and have
voice without vote
Page 17 of 24
706
707 The duties and
responsibilities of the Finance and Budget Committee will include:
708 1) Review the
annual available resources and be responsible for financial planning.
709 2) Review the
proposed Annual Budget recommended by the Collegium in consultation
710 with the CFO and
other key staff and mission partners such as Common Global
Ministries.
711 The proposed budget
may be modified to better advance the goals of the strategic plan
712 developed by the
full board.
713 3) Recommend the
Annual Budget to the full Board.
714 4) Receive and
review regular financial reports.
715 To fulfill these
duties, it is anticipated that the Finance and Budget Committee will
require a
716 lengthy working
session(s) prior to the meeting of the United Church Board.
717
718 D. Standing
Committees of the United Church Board
719
720 In addition to the
proposed standing committees listed below, the United Church Board
shall
721 create other
committees as needed. These committees will be filled as much as
possible with
722 equal
representation from each of the Covenanted Ministry Groups. It will
be at the
723 discretion of the
United Church Board to combine, add or remove committees (unless
724 otherwise noted)
based on the emerging issues of the Covenanted Ministry Groups and
the
725 national church
setting as a whole. Some of these committees will work closely with
the
726 CAO and various
staff and teams of the newly-formed OGMP.
727
728 In response to
concerns expressed about financial oversight, we offer the following
detailed
729 description of two
of the standing committees that directly relate to financial matters:
730
731 The Investment and
Endowment Committee:
732
733 The Investment and
Endowment Committee will consist of the following people:
734 • Two (2)
representatives from each of the Covenanted Ministry Groups (6 total)
[these
735 will be selected by
each of the three groups individually]
736 • The three
(3) Executive Ministers, one each for LCM, JWM, WCM (3)
737 • The General
Minister and President (1)
738 • The Board
representative from the UC Foundation with voice without vote
739 • Up to 3
non-board members (who must be UCC members) with particular
investment
740 expertise may be
added to this committee with voice and vote
741 • The CFO of
the United Church Board shall be a member with voice without vote
742 • An
investment manager designated by the United Church Board on
recommendation
743 by the Investment
and Endowment committee shall meet with the committee and
744 have voice without
vote.
745
746 The Investment and
Endowment committee will be responsible for assuring:
747 1. Assure that the
legacy/historic restrictions on the use of restricted funds and the
748 intended use
restrictions of the unrestricted funds of each of the historic
ministries is
749 monitored,
accounted for, maintained and reported out to the United Church
Board.
750
Page 18 of 24
The duties and
responsibilities delegated to the Investment and Endowment 751
Committee by
752 the United Church
Board include:
753 1. Recommend to the
United Church Board investment policies including investment
754 screens that
reflect the commitment of the UCC to Corporate Social Responsibility.
755 2. Manage the
investment of the endowed funds and other assets including real
property
756 in accordance with
investment policies approved by the United Church Board.
757 3. Monitor and
report on the management of invested funds to the United Church
Board.
758 4. Recommend to the
United Church Board the annual draw rate on invested funds that
759 may be used to
carry out the mission entrusted to the Covenanted Ministries. Care
760 shall be given to
developing a mechanism to assure the thoughtful and serious
761 consideration of
the draw rate and any proposed changes in the rate.
762 5. To review,
monitor and recommend to the United Church Board the allocation of
the
763 annual dollar
amounts resulting from the application of the spending rate to each
of
764 the restricted
endowment funds and to each of the historic donor intended uses of
765 each of the
unrestricted endowment funds.
766 6. Provide Board
representation to the Investment Committee of the United Church
767 Foundation.
768
769 Audit Committee:
770
771 The Audit Committee
will consist of the following people:
772 Members of the
Board with audit expertise representing each Covenanted Ministry
Group.
773 Non-board members
may be co-opted, if necessary, in order to achieve the required
774 expertise, but may
never be more in number than the Board members on the committee.
775
776 The duties and
responsibilities of the Audit Committee will include:
777 1) Select the audit
firm to perform the annual financial audit.
778 2) Receive and
review the audit report from the auditors and report to the Board.
779
780
781 Additional proposed
standing committees of the United Church Board include:
782 • Development
783 • Community
Life
784 • Nominating
785 • Personnel
786 • Covenantal
Relations
787 • General
Synod Planning
788 • Common
Services
789 •
Organizational Life.
790
Page 19 of 24
Transition of Current
Entities to 791 New Model Entities
792
CURRENT ENTITY NEW
MODEL ENTITY
LCM, JWM and WCM
separate
corporations
Will continue as
ongoing corporations
Current separate Boards
of Directors for
LCM, JWM and WCM
_ Program functions
will be dealt
with by the Covenanted
Ministry
Groups
_ Administrative issues
will be dealt
with by specific
committees of the
United Church Board
_ Authorization,
decisions, and
actions will be voted
by the United
Church Board as a whole
OGM corporation Merged
into the United Church Board
OGM corporation
responsibilities Included within the United Church Board
and a newly formed
Office of the General
Minister and President
(OGMP)
Associate General
Minister _ Eliminated as an elected position
_ Duties to be served
by a Chief
Administrative Officer
(CAO),
selected by and
reporting directly to
the General Minister &
President
Executive Council
corporation United Church Board
Executive Council GS ad
interim
responsibilities
United Church Board
Executive Council GS
additional
responsibilities
United Church Board and
its committees
Common Services
Corporation Could be maintained
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
Page 20 of 24
Role of the General
Minister 807 and President &
808 Continuing a
Collegial Model
809
810
811 Continuing a
Collegium of Officers
812
813 This proposal calls
for the continuation of the Collegium model of leadership in the new
814 governance
structure. Leadership, management, and oversight of the national
ministries of
815 the church will be
shared by the Collegium of Officers, consisting of a General Minister
and
816 President and three
Executive Ministers who will oversee the work of each covenanted
817 ministry group. A
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) will serve in a similar capacity
as the
818 current Associate
General Minister. The CAO will be a senior staff person in the Office
of
819 the General
Minister and President, selected by and reporting directly to the
General Minister
820 and President.
821
822 The four Officers
of the Church will be elected by the General Synod and be accountable
to
823 the General Synod
through the United Church Board. They will function as a team of
peers
824 that model
collegiality, coordination, collaboration, open communication,
transparency, and
825 mutual support.
They will reflect the commitment of the UCC to be an inclusive and
diverse
826 church.
827
828
829 The Role of the
General Minister and President
830
831 Spiritual Leader of
the Church:
832 The General
Minister and President is the spiritual leader and pastor of the
church, charged
833 with the care and
nurture of the spiritual life of the church.
834
835 Theological
Interpreter:
836 The General
Minister and President is the primary interpreter of the theological
perspective
837 of the United
Church of Christ. In consultation with the Collegium, the GMP will
develop
838 the foundation of
UCC theological values as guided by the General Synod.
839
840 The General
Minister and President is the chief representative of the UCC in the
public
841 square and at
ecumenical, interdenominational and interfaith tables.
842
843 Convener:
844 The General
Minister and President is responsible for guiding the development of
visioning
845 and planning that
will enable the United Church of Christ to be more effective in
carrying out
846 God’s
mission.
847
848 The General
Minister and President will convene and preside at the meetings of
the
849 Collegium. He/she
has particular responsibility for coordinated communication, fund
raising
850 and planning in
collaboration with the Executive Ministers.
851
852 Chief Executive
Office/Administrator:
Page 21 of 24
The General Minister
and President is the Chief Executive Officer of the 853 General Synod
and
854 is its principal
spokesperson. The General Minister and President serves as the
president of
855 the corporations
(United Church Board, JWM, WCM, LCM).
856
857 The General
Minister and President oversees the administration of the national
setting offices
858 and is responsible
for selecting a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief
Financial
859 Officer (CFO) in
consultation with the Collegium. Both the CAO and the CFO report
directly
860 to the General
Minister and President, who is accountable to the United Church
Board. The
861 CAO will assume
many of the functions of the current Associate General Minister. The
CFO
862 will oversee the
financial functions of the ministries including supervision of the
financial
863 staff. The CFO will
serve as Treasurer of all corporations.
864
865 The General
Minister and President serves as an ex-officio member with voice and
vote in all
866 meetings of the
Associated Ministries and as a member with voice but not vote in all
867 meetings of the
Affiliated Ministries. He/she shall have voice, but not vote in the
meetings of
868 all Commissions,
Councils, and Committees of the United Church of Christ.
869
870
871 The Role of the
Executive Ministers
872
873 The Executive
Ministers will oversee the program of each ministry group (JWM, LCM,
874 WCM).
Responsibilities include program development and implementation and
managing
875 the budget and
personnel. With the General Minister and President, they will be
involved in
876 the overall
functions of the national setting including visioning and planning,
as well as
877 communications,
budget, personnel and implementation of policies.
878
879
880 Checks and Balances
/ Points of Accountability
881
882 One of the primary
places of “check-and-balances” for this model has been
built within the
883 structure of the
model by virtue of broad representation, the continued existence of
884 Covenanted Ministry
Groups, and setting working modes of operation where individual
885 Covenanted Ministry
Group meetings in conjunction with plenary meetings that include
all886
church programs. The
model was designed to significantly increase the lines of
887 communications
among all ministries of the church and to improve the way in which
the
888 whole church works
as a single united entity.
889
890 One of the clear
elements described in previous analytical reports of the current
structure
891 included the
breakdown of relationship and lines of accountability between the
Executive
892 Council and the
Covenanted Ministry Boards. The described structure of the proposed
United
893 Church Board
ensures that all Covenanted Ministry Groups work together and in
covenant
894 taking care of the
programmatic elements while attending to the needs of the whole
Church.
895 The model will
provide a foundation of operation that allows for a holistic function
of the
896 national setting of
the Church.
897
Page 22 of 24
The duality in the role
of the members of the Collegium is eliminated. In the 898 proposed
model,
899 each of the four
members of the Collegium will be accountable to the one single United
900 Church Board.
901
902 In addition, the
role of the General Minster and President is also strengthened by
having the
903 CFO and CAO
positions report directly to him/her and by his/her role as president
of the
904 corporation of the
United Church Board.
905
906 Additional Items of
Intent
907 • The proposed
model includes affirmation of the Common Global Ministries Board
908 (CGMB), a
partnership of the UCC with the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ).
909 The UCC will
continue to provide an equal number of representatives to the CGMB
910 as the Christian
Church (this number is currently 20). Because of the unique
911 covenantal
commitments embodied by CGMB, the additional level of care that must
912 be given to
nurturing the partnership, and CGMB’s requirement for
additional Board
913 meetings beyond the
United Church Board of Directors, the proposed model includes
914 flexibility for WCM
representatives to 1) serve as the CGMB representatives; 2) elect
915 representatives
from the broader church to the CGMB; or 3) some combination of 1
916 and 2, depending on
a particular individual’s availability to serve.
917 • We
anticipate no wholesale national staff resignations will be required
nor the need to
918 reapply for
currently held positions. In a new board, however, visioning,
strategizing
919 and prioritizing
may increase, decrease or shift program emphases.
920 • The model is
presented with the understanding that the intent of donors of current
921 funds will be
honored with respect to both designated and undesignated funds.
922 • The United
Church Board will determine the exact structure and frequency of its
923 meetings. It is
expected, however, that both the Executive Committee and the Finance
924 and Budget
Committee will meet at least one day in advance of the entire
85-member
925 United Church Board
to complete preliminary work to be presented in plenary
926 sessions.
927 • It is
proposed that while the entire 85-member United Church Board is
meeting
928 together, it will
be in one of three possible formats: the entire group in plenary as
the
929 United Church
Board, the 85 members divided into the three Covenanted Ministry
930 Groups (LCM, JWM
and WCM), or the 85 members divided into various standing
931 committees.
932 • Attention
will be given to continuity of membership, bringing forward some
number
933 of the current
Covenanted Ministry Boards (JWM, LCM, WCM) into the United
934 Church Board to
ensure continuity of knowledge, skills and experience.
935 • When
Covenanted Ministry Groups meet, the role of the chair, meeting
management,
936 and minute taking
are procedural decisions that will need to be addressed.
937
938
939
940
941 Future Structure
Evaluation
In accordance with the
Stillspeaking God’s call to be a 21st 942 century church, we
recognize the
943 need for regular
and intentional self-assessment and evaluation. We recommend that
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attention be given to
creating a culture of ongoing evaluation within 944 the United Church
945 Board so that
openness to change is not only expected, but fully embraced. Concepts
and
946 ways of doing
business need to be constantly evaluated and when it is determined
that
947 previously tried
concepts no longer work or have simply outlived their usefulness,
change
948 may be seen as a
matter of course, rather than a threat to an entrenched system. Even
in the
949 context of a spirit
of ongoing evaluation, we recommend that an intentional evaluation of
the
950 structure be
incorporated and implemented no later than four (4) years after the
new structure
951 has been in effect.
While there are not clear predictions that indicate what areas might
need
952 attention, we
encourage a continued look at the role of the General Minister and
President,
953 the Collegium, the
relationship of the United Church Board to the General Synod and an
954 overall assessment
of the ability of the national setting to do strategic planning that
better
955 supports the whole
Church to proclaim the gospel message of the Stillspeaking God.
956
957
958 Possible Timeline
959
960 April 2008 Approval
of the model and authorization to proceed
961
962 May-September 2008
Draft proposed constitutional changes
963
964 October/November
2008 Present proposed draft constitutional changes to
965 boards for feedback
966
967 December2008
–February Revise proposed constitutional changes based on
968 feedback
969
970 March 2009 Present
proposed constitutional changes to Boards
971 for approval
972
973 April 2009 Post
proposed constitutional changes for churches
974 and Synod delegates
as required (60 days in
975 advance of Synod)
976
977 June 2009 At the
2009 Synod:
978 • The proposed
model is presented and discussed
979 (i.e. first
consideration by Synod);
980 including changes
that will be requested to
981 the articles of
incorporation of the
982 Covenanted
Ministries.
983
984 ●
Discuss and vote on constitutional
985 changes…include
language that states such
986 changes are to
become effective September or
987 October 2011
following General Synod
988 2011. 2011 would be
the second
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presentation to the
General 989 Synod of the
990 concept/changes to
bylaws, etc.
991
992 July 2009-July 2010
Votes by conferences on constitutional changes
993 with the following
note:
994 Ratified changes go
into effect ONLY after a
995 second consultation
and approval of the overall
996 plan by the 2011
Synod and approval of proposed
997 Bylaw changes in
2011. This 2nd consultation at
998 the 2011 General
Synod would fulfill the
999 requirement of
“consultation with 2 regular
1000 meetings of the
General Synod.”
1001
1002 March 2010 Present
proposed bylaw changes to boards and
1003 Executive Council
for feedback
1004
1005 Fall 2010 Present
revised bylaws based on feedback
1006
1007 Spring 2011
Proposed bylaw changes approved by Boards
1008 and Executive
Council and posted for Churches
1009 and Synod
delegates, (60 days in advance of
1010 Synod)
1011
1012 June 2011 General
Synod hears the plan once again, with
1013 attention to the
required changes in the articles
1014 of incorporation.
(2nd consultation) Bylaw
1015 changes presented
and voted. Assuming that the
1016 constitutional
changes were ratified by
1017 Conferences, this
would be reported out at
1018 Synod
1019
1020 June 2011 Boards
meet following Synod to take action on
1021 the changes to
their articles of incorporation
1022
1023 Sept/October 2011
New Governance becomes effective
1024
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Recommended 1025
Actions
1026 The Board of
Directors of (insert name) [or Executive Council] thanks the
Governance
1027 Follow-Up Team for
their continued work on the proposal to develop a restructure model
to
1028 streamline
governance structures of the national setting of the United Church of
Christ. We
1029 affirm the
proposal as has been presented and commit our support to continuing
work toward
1030 implementation of
the proposed model. Using the model as defined in this document, we
1031 authorize
continuing work that will result in the following:
1032 • Draft
proposed Constitution and Bylaw changes to be presented to the Boards
of
1033 Directors of the
Covenanted Ministries and Executive Council in the fall of 2008 for
1034 initial comment
and feedback.
1035 • Revised
Constitution and Bylaw changes to be presented to a joint meeting of
the
1036 Boards of
Directors of the Covenanted Ministries and the Executive Council in
the
1037 spring of 2009.
These changes, affirmed by each of the Boards of Directors of the
1038 Covenanted
Ministries and the Executive Council will be sent to the General
Synod
1039 for action at the
June 2009 meeting in Grand Rapids, MI.
1040 The Collegium of
Officers is now charged with the staff responsibility of ensuring the
work
1041 needed to complete
the tasks named above. The Governance Follow-up Team is discharged
1042 with thanks and
appreciation for their commitment to this important and difficult
work.
1043
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