Proposed By-Law Change FAQ
At the December Session meeting, Session voted to add to the January 28, 2024 Annual Meeting agenda a congregational vote on a proposed change to Article VI.A of our by-laws. The proposed change would read:
Article VI. The Session.
A. Members and Officers
The voting members of Session shall consist of a minimum of 5 elders, who are active members of the church, elected by the congregation, and the minister(s). The officers of the Session are the moderator and the clerk. The nonvoting, ex officio members are the vice moderator, the treasurer, the assistant treasurer, and the president of the Board of Deacons.
The BOLD “5 elders” are the only words that change from the current by-laws. It currently reads "a minimum of 15 and up to 21 elders.”
Q: Why change the Session size?
A: We learned from our Creating Our Future Assessment, that our current Session minimum of 15 is more 10% of our average Sunday attendance. With a congregation our size a session of half the size is common and should be sufficient. This would help us focus resources more on ministry than on meetings, another recommendation out of the assessment.
Q: Why go from 15 to 5 session members? That is more than half.
A: We want to allow room for flexibility. Five Session members is not the required number, just the minimum number. In addition to a minimum of five elected Session members, we have our two ministers and four officers that are part of Session: Vice Moderator; Clerk of Session, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. So, the leadership team would be 11.
Q: How will the changes happen?
A: We want people to be involved in helping making changes that affect them.
The Create Our Future Vision Team is working on the overall strategy and tactics.
The Ministry of Involvement (Nominating Committee) is taking the first crack at how our structure may change. Many people will be involved in deciding what the change is and how it will get implemented.
Session will be involved and make the final decision on the size and structure for Session and Committees.
Q: When will changes happen?
A: We expect changes will happen over the next year and likely will not happen all at once. We want to authorize the smaller Session size now so that the Session can get smaller as they figure it out.
Q: What does this mean for the slate of new Session Elders we are about to elect at the Annual Meeting?
A: We are grateful for their willingness to serve. Since the changes will not take place immediately, they will begin their terms of service as planned. Then, they will be part of reviewing and implementing these changes including defining what it means for them.
