Our Governance

Shared Ministry

In our Shared Ministry model of governance, leadership is shared between staff and lay leaders. The model is built on trust, collaboration, and clarity in roles. Shared ministry is not a new concept in this church; this model takes it to a new level. The congregation is the church’s foundation, electing the Board, which crafts the mission of the church. The congregation calls a minister, who works with the Board to carry out the mission as head of staff. Staff work in liaison with lay leaders to carry out the work of the church, in service to the mission.

When a church joins the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, we agree to affirm and promote “…the use of the democratic process within our congregations…”. Our congregation is self-governing; we create our own dreams, make our own decisions, and turn those dreams and decisions into reality.

Board of Directors 2018-19

The church is governed by a Board made up of nine Directors. Church members are nominated for the Board by our Nominating Committee, and elected by the church members at our annual meeting held in June each year. Officers serve a 1-year term for a maximum of 4 terms. Directors serve a 2-year term for a maximum of 2 terms. The duties of the Board are described in Article VII of our Church Bylaws.

Board meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the 3rd Wednesday each month.

Our current Board members are:

Board Member	Position	Term Ends
Gail Bishop	President	June 2020
Ann Hutton	Vice President	June 2020
Greg Turosak	Secretary	June 2020
Rob Harveland	Treasurer	June 2020
Molly Dingel	Director	June 2021
Sarah Hayes	Director	June 2021
Joe Lobl	Director	June 2020
Kim Reid	Director	June 2020
David Siljenberg	Director	June 2020

Councils and Committees

Much of the work of the church – internal and external – is performed by teams of people who gather in councils, committees, and task groups. Church staff members have operational responsibilities and work collaboratively with committees to ensure the smooth operation of the church and its programs.

Listed below are links to the Council and Committee descriptions describing their purpose, functions, organizational structure, and reporting requirements. Most often, subcommittees and task groups do not have separate descriptions but perform a distinct part of the work of the larger committee under the direction of that committee.

Committees Reporting to the Board of Directors

Endowment Committee
Finance Committee
Nominating Committee
Personnel Committee

Councils

Religious Education Council for Children & Youth
Social Justice Council
Hospitality and Growth Council

Committees

Caring Congregation Committee
History Committee
Memorial Garden Committee
Property Committee
Religious Education Committee (Adult)
Sophia Lyon Fahs Library Committee
Worship Committee

Bylaws, Policies, Procedures & Forms

Our Bylaws have been adopted by the congregation and the Board of Directors to establish predictable and efficient ways to work together and make sure we operate in an ethical, legal, and safe manner.