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| REASONS FOR TERM LIMITS |
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We’ve had some recent inquiries about term limits for officers,
board, committee, and team leaders in local Churches. There is
no “congregational” guideline. But here are some reasons
Churches have term limits:
- It tends to create a freshness of approaches to issues,
ideas, and a Church’s vitality.
- It conveys a more “open” attitude about new leadership.
- It greatly increases a Church’s leadership recruitment.
- Many Churches have added the words “up to” to their
by-laws allowing for some leaders to say yes to a leadership
position who might have said no to a full-term position.
- Along with term limitations, many Churches are turning
to short-term teams which tackle projects in the Church,
allowing people to help with a specific need who might not
otherwise volunteer for a board or committee position.
- Terms also offer Churches an opportunity to balance
those who have a history with the church wit those who
recently joined. With this mix, some old traditions are
respected and some new ones are created.
Churches that are bound by specific numbers on boards or
committees often find themselves trying to fill positions with
warm bodies, rather than seeking the people most gifted for the
position, task, or assignment. The perception of newcomers or
new members to Churches which keep re-electing the same people
year after year is that the Church is “closed” to them. We are
all ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and should practice
good stewardship of people as the Church’s greatest resource.
This whole topic would be a good one for your state or regional
meeting(s).
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ONCE-PER-YEAR APPEAL TO OUR MEMBER CHURCHES |
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Starting in September, 2005, we are going to begin a new way of
appealing to our Churches for the funds that are necessary to
keep our many programs running and that are needed to provide
the staff that creates the programs and serves our member
Churches.
Each Church will receive an “Estimate of Giving Form” timed to
arrive during the budget-planning phase of the Church. There
will be spaces on the form for the Church to indicate intended
gifts for the year for The General Operating Fund (Fair Share),
each of our Divisions, The Congregationalist and the
Congregational Foundation. Quarterly reminders will be sent to
each Church to let it know where it stands in the process of
fulfilling its stated intention. There are special separate
appeals that will stay in place, i.e., Division for the
Ministry’s Ministerial Assistance Christmas Appeal, Missions,
and Pilgrim Club.
The reasons for this change are many. One is to end the practice
of sending separate appeals to the Churches as often as we have
in the past. The most important reason for this change is to
help the Budget Sub-Committee of the Executive Committee more
accurately prepare a budget based on the funds we will be
receiving. We are moving toward greater fiscal responsibility.
We need your help and cooperation in this endeavor. Please be
sure that the “Estimate of Giving Form” is given to those
responsible for determining your Church’s budget. And, please,
prayerfully consider moving your church into the “Fair Share
Church” column. We can only be as strong and vital as you help
us to be.
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Faithfully,
Rev. Alice D. Murphy
Interim Director of Development
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