At the Congregational Meeting on December 17, the Board of Trustees will ask the congregation to approve a change to the bylaws updating the way we define our ministry and executive teams. We would like to be clear about the intention and impact of these changes before we cast our votes.
The board and ministers have been vocal about our preference for co-lead ministry and we have successfully adopted this model during our interim period, which started in August 2022. However, the vote on Sunday is not a referendum on co-lead ministry.
The bylaws changes we have proposed would allow for co-lead ministry, but they also allow for a number of other ministry and executive team arrangements. We would not be locked into co-lead or any other specific ministry model. Instead, the board, the congregation, and the ministers in collaboration would have the ability to define our ministerial and administrative approaches to meet the needs of the congregation as they evolve.
Specifically, today we only have the option to call one minister, identified as the senior minister. Having the option to call a second minister is required in order for us to pursue co-lead ministry long term, but we could optionally call a minister who does not fill the lead role if that arrangement better suits our needs.
Additionally, the changes explicitly entrust the definition of the executive team to the board. (The executive team is responsible for all activities of the church, like a CEO.) Currently this authority is granted as an exception when a senior minister is not serving as executive. Updating this language brings our bylaws in line with the practical responsibilities of the board and makes clear that the congregation ultimately decides how our church is managed, through their representatives on the board.
Finally, the board is committed to engaging with the congregation to determine our needs and preferences before taking further steps to define our future ministerial team. An affirmative vote on the bylaws change signals willingness to engage in a conversation about co-lead ministry and other ministerial arrangements, not necessarily a firm commitment to the co-lead model. We expect to begin conversations on this topic in January 2024 so that we are clear about the composition of our Executive Team prior to initiating a search for a second minister.
Thank you for being active participants in our evolution as a congregation and helping us to discover our best reality together.
