So many thanks to the Stewardship Team and to every single person who has made a pledge so far in our FY 22-23 Pledge Campaign (to fund our Fiscal Year July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023.) Board members all pledged before the kick-off and appreciate all who are making their pledge decisions now. Every spring, the Board spends a lot of time reconciling the Budget and we can tell you that Every. Single. Pledge. Matters! Whatever you can do, our church needs you!
Looking at Bylaws
At its last meeting, the Board came back to what is now a significantly overdue by-laws review. Our bylaws mandate a review every five years, and we are well past that deadline. The pandemic has shifted a lot of our modes of operation, in some cases accelerating changes that were already underway. It is time for a thorough look at the bylaws, which define the structure of our congregational governance.
Among the questions to be addressed in bylaws are:
- Name and purpose
- Elections
- Roles and Responsibilities of Board of Trustees members and officers
- Roles and Responsibilities of governance committees (e.g. personnel, finance, and stewardship)
- Membership categories and responsibilities
- Meeting guidelines
Such a look will require time, a small team of volunteers, and opportunities for engagement with our membership. Because the current Board simply doesn’t have the bandwidth at this time for a deep dive into the bylaws, we decided to do some simple clean-up of language to present to this year’s annual meeting. We will address items where we expect universal agreement about a proposed change. The new Board, including members elected at our May 15 annual meeting, will recruit and empower a task force to look at the bigger questions which have arisen since the last complete review. If you are interested in being part of such an effort, please contact Boardoftrustees@northparish.org.