General Information

Board Committees

The Committees of the Board of the Grace United Church congregation offer an opportunity for you to be directly involved in the continuing life of the church and to help shape our direction. There are a variety of ways to be involved across the spectrum of church life. These committees are generally elected to serve by the congregation or by the Board. If you would like to get involved in one or another of the Committees, please let us know and we will tell you more about the responsibilities of that group.

2024-2025 Board Members and Committees

GRACE UNITED CHURCH BOARD GOVERNANCE MODEL (updated May 2022)

Grace United Church is expected to align to the governance requirements as outlined in Bylaws B: Community of Faith of the United Church manual

The Manual, 2024 (united-church.ca)

UNIFIED BOARD GOVERNANCE MODEL

Guiding Principles

Following are recommended guiding principles in determination of an updated governance model for Grace United Church:

Principles of Grace-FULL conversations and Holy Manners will be adhered to at all times.
“Levels” of governance should be minimal – a “relatively-flat” organizational model should work the best in terms of overall effectiveness.
Every aspect of governance & leadership should be as open & transparent to the Congregational membership as possible – except, of course, for certain personnel matters which are mandated as confidential.
Emphasis should focus on a structure that encourages and enables all members to participate in one or more meaningful ways in areas where they feel comfortable contributing.
To the extent feasible, all members should participate in one or more of the Board Committees, working Teams or Task Groups — whichever best suits their talents & interests.
In all cases, committee and group ‘chairs’ and leaders can be either singular (eg: “Chair”) or plural (eg: “Co-Chairs”).
In every aspect of governance and leadership, we must always remain flexible.

Congregational Meetings

Congregational Meetings are scheduled as needed when a major consideration or decision is required. It is chaired by the Congregational Board Chair(s) and proceedings are recorded by the Congregational Secretary. All Grace United Church members are encouraged to attend and participate.

Congregational Board

Congregational Board meetings are scheduled monthly – or more frequently, if needed to deal with major issues, recommendations, or cross-committee decisions. To be effective, the Congregational Board should not deal with routine issues and decisions that properly belong with the committees, teams and task groups. All members of committees and the congregation are invited to attend Board meetings. Board meetings are generally held on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month and announced on the Sunday rolling announcements and/or in the church’s weekly e-mail newsletter on the week preceding the meeting, including the Zoom link if the meeting is available virtually.

Everyone present at Board meetings is encouraged to share their views and opinions but when a vote is required, only the Official Board has voting privileges.

The Official Congregational Board consists of the chairs or co-chairs of the following committees. (When voting there can be 2 votes from each committee (chair/co-chairs or representative):

Committees

Care Network @ Grace (part of the Ministry of Care)
Communications Committee
Endowment Committees
Emergency Response Committee
Faith Formation Committee
Finance Committee
M & P Committee
Nominating Committee
Outreach Committee
Property Committee
Stewardship Committee
Welcoming & Membership Committee (part of the Ministry of Care)
Worship Committee
Trustees
Other positions as required by the United Church of Canada

The Co-Chair, in attendance, who is not chairing the meeting may vote.

The Congregational Board also includes the

Congregational Board Chair(s)
Congregational Secretary
Congregational Treasurer
Regional Council Representatives
Members-at-Large to a maximum of 3
Minister(s) (must be present but does not have voting privileges)

Congregational Directors

Some congregational reports, transactions, and practices require the listing of the directors of the organization. At Grace United Church, Directors will generally be named by virtue of their roles and elected positions. The following are deemed to be the Directors of Grace United Church:

Congregational Board Chair(s)

Congregational Secretary(s)

Finance Committee Chair(s)

Property Committee Chair(s)

Trustees Chair

Congregational Treasurer

Committees & Teams

Working within Congregationally approved budgets & guidelines, Committees, and their Teams plan and carry-out the duties & responsibilities associated with their area of contribution and responsibility at Grace United Church. They make all routine decisions and plans for their areas within the guidelines set. They form task-groups and sub-groups as needed to carry-out their responsibilities effectively. They meet as often as needed to accomplish their goals. They keep records of their actions and activities and provide regular reports about their plans & accomplishments to the Congregational Board. Committees, Teams, & Task Groups are the “go-to” and “get-it-done” members and leaders of the Congregation. They are the “basic ingredient” or “backbone” of our organizational model. It is sincerely hoped that virtually all active members of Grace United Church (depending, of course, on their ability) will be on one or more Committee(s), Team(s) or Task Group(s).

The Board may also commission a team or ad-hoc committee on a temporary basis, to address a specific event, issue or mandate.

Interest Groups

There are a variety of interest groups that are not committees of the Official Board, but they enhance the work of the church and provide much needed fun, fellowship and caring within and outside of the church community. As such, their concerns and ideas are always welcomed by the Board but all new ideas and motions must go through an Official Board member. Interest groups can channel these through any Member-at-Large but as previously stated, all members are welcome to attend meetings to discuss.

Pop Up Teams

Pop Up Teams are groups of individuals who have a common interest in an area of the ministry and come together to test new ideas by asking questions within their small group. When they have a proposed direction, they widen the circle to include stakeholders within the congregation to test their idea and make improvements before taking the final decision the Board or initiating the event or activity. They liaise with the Board:

At the beginning to initiate the conversation
Updating the Board and seeking feedback
Presenting a final proposal, if necessary

Reporting back the result of an event activity

For more info, please contact the church office.

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Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.

Join us for coffee and fellowship following service

General Information

Board Committees