...a welcoming spiritual community

North Parish Governance

"We encourage all to participate in congregational governance."

Staff

Board of Trustees

Officers

Description of roles and committees

Elected Officers

Board-appointed committees

Elected Officers

For more information, please see the North Parish By-Laws or the North Parish Guide, available in the church office.

The Board of Trustees:

Requirements to serve: Must be a member of the congregation for at least a year; 3 year term; age 18 or older.  

The Board of Trustees is composed of seven voting members who are elected by the congregation.  Board members meet the 3rd Tuesday of each month for a 3 hour meeting to develop, carry out and review policies and long range planning of the church.  This is a working Board, with expectations of liaison work or sub-committee project work done between meetings.

The Board has responsibility for the fiduciary health of the church. The Board has hiring/firing power of all employees except for the called minister(s), who are called and dismissed by congregational vote according to the Bylaws. The Board also is responsible for appointing members to committees and task force groups, including the Personnel Committee, Nominating Committee, and Committees on Ministry (see list under “Board Appointed Committees”).

Clerk:  

Must be a member of the congregation, age 18 or older; one year term. The Clerk is the recording officer of the congregation, and as such gives notice of all meetings of the Parish; takes minutes at the Annual Meeting and any special meetings; annually reviews mailing/membership list with input from staff, Membership Committee and Finance Committee; signs new member certificates and the warrant for Annual Meeting.

Collector:

Must me a member of the congregation, age 18 or older; one year term. The Collector collects all monies from both services; and is responsible for processing, recording and depositing of checks and cash. The Collector oversees the pledge entry, reports to the Finance Committee, and serves as a member of the Finance Committee.

Assistant Collector:

Must be a member of the congregation, age 18 or older; one year term. The Assistant Collectorassists the Collector in collections and other aspects of the Collector’s work.

Moderator:

Must be a member of the congregation, age 18 or older; one year term.  The Moderator presides over all congregational meetings (using Robert’s Rules of Order), and has the powers of a Moderator in town meetings in Massachusetts, as they are applicable. The Moderator calls for votes and states the outcomes for the official meeting minutes.   

Treasurer:

Must be a member of the congregation, age 18 or older; one year term.  The Treasurer collects and collates input for the annual church budget from the committees and staff, gives monthly and annual financial reports to the Board of Trustees, serves on the Finance Committee.  The Treasurer also signs checks weekly for church expenses, and is a non-voting member of the Board of Trustees.

Assistant Treasurer:

Must be a member of the congregation, age 18 or older; one year term.  The Assistant Treasurer assists the Treasurer in various aspects of the Treasurer’s work, including signing checks for church expenses when the Treasurer is out of town.

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Board Appointed Committees

The Board of Trustees appoints the following committees:

Bylaw Review Committee:  The Bylaw Review Committee shall have at least three members with not more than one member currently serving of the Board of Trustees.  They are appointed at least every five years, beginning in 2005, to recommend to the Parish any changes to the Bylaws.  Such changes are voted at an Annual Meeting of the Parish.  

Committee(s) on Ministry:  The Committee(s) on Ministry shall have three members serving staggered, three year terms.  Each minister and the DRE have their own Committee on Ministry. They reflect regularly with the minister or DRE on staff person’s total ministry.  They discuss the staff person’s annual goals with them, and collect feedback for the mid-year and final reviews.  

Investment Committee:  The Investment Committee shall have five members, one of whom is a member of the Board of Trustees and one of whom is from the Finance Committee.  The Committee meets at least quarterly and advises the Treasurer and Board of Trustees regarding maintenance of invested funds and changes in the investment portfolio consistent with the North Parish investment policy.   

Nominating Committee:  The Nominating Committee shall have three members who serve staggered, three year terms, and are not Parish officers of members of the Board of Trustees.  The Committee prepares a slate of candidates to fill vacancies in the elected officers and the Board, and presents the slate to the Board prior to their April meeting.

Personnel Committee:  The Personnel Committee shall have at least three members serving staggered, three year terms.  The Personnel Committee will establish and review Personnel policies, benefits and job descriptions.  They keep the North Parish Staffing Manual, make annual recommendations of staff salaries and benefits according to the North Parish compensation philosophy, UUA Guidelines and North Parish policy.

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Welcoming Congregation

North Parish is a Welcoming Congregation, consistent with the guidelines of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We actively welcome lesbian, gay. bisexual, transgender, and intersex people as full participants in the life of the church. For more information, see our Welcoming Congregation page, or contact our Interweave chapter.