Reorganizing for More Effective Ministry at First Congregational Church
Proposed Amendment to Bylaws
At a leadership retreat in January 2014, there was a consensus that the church was ready to support a transition to a leaner and more nimble system of governance. The intent of the reorganization is to encourage laity and staff to be innovative and serve as better partners in strengthening our life together while doing bold ministry in our community and world.
As a first step, the Board of Trustees has reviewed an amendment to the by-laws. The by-law, which the congregation will be asked to approve at the annual meeting in May, will give us flexibility to experiment with some different approaches to church organization, while keeping in place basic and familiar structures to conduct church business.
Prior to the annual meeting, all are welcome to come to review and discuss the amendment at an All-Church Prioritization and Calendaring meeting on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 from 6:30pm to 9pm (see more details about this meeting below). At this meeting, we will also discuss other interim steps to help us move forward. A more comprehensive plan for experimentation and implementation will be developed at an all church retreat in June.
Your comments and observations are important to us. We invite you to be in touch with members of a Re-organization Task Group (Senior Minister, Peter Cook, Janice Clements, President-Elect, Louise Brewster, and Steve Fuchs), appointed by the Executive Committee to help guide the process. We look forward to your input.