Scarsdale Congregational Church

Bylaws, Article XII

Our Governance, Bylaws

ARTICLE XII

STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1. Membership, Terms of Office, and Organization

a. The Standing Committees of the Church shall be the following:

i. The Worship and Music, Membership, Parish Life, Pastoral Support, Christian Education, Outreach and Communications Committees shall each consist of a Deacon as Chair and two elected members.

ii. The Finance, Human Resources, Office Administration, Buildings and Grounds, and Resources Committees shall each consist of a Trustee as Chair and two elected members. The Gifts and Stewardship Committee shall consist of the Trustee Chair and two elected members.

iii. Each elected member of the above Committees shall serve for two years or until a successor is elected, the terms of office to overlap so that one member is elected to each Committee each year.

iv. The Clergy Relations Committee shall consist of the Vice-Moderator as Chair, the Chairs of the Worship and Music, Pastoral Support, Christian Education and Human Resources Committees, and two elected members, neither of whom shall be a member of the General Board. Each elected member shall serve for two years or until a successor is elected, the terms of office to overlap so that one member is elected each year.

v. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the Chair and six elected members. Each elected member shall serve for two years or until a successor is elected, the terms of office to overlap so that three members are elected each year, provided that one of the candidates for these offices shall have been nominated by the General Board.

b. Elected members of Standing Committees shall be qualified voters, shall be elected at the annual corporate meeting, and shall take office on the first day of May following their election. With the exception of the Nominating Committee, upon the completion of two consecutive full terms an elected member may not again hold the same office until the first day of May of the following year. Upon the completion of one full term an elected member of the Nominating Committee may not again hold the same office until the first day of May of the following year.

c. Each Standing Committee shall elect from among its elected members a Vice-Chair and a Secretary, shall hold meetings of the full committee membership at least quarterly, shall so report to the Moderator, Clerk and General Board, and shall keep minutes and attendance records of such meetings. Meetings may be held by assembly, conference call, e-mail or other means acceptable to the group which assures all members of full opportunity to participate. With the approval of the General Board, committees chaired by a Deacon or a Trustee may appoint additional voting members, whose terms shall expire on the following May first. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting membership. If the Chair is unable to attend a meeting of the General Board, an elected member appointed by the Chair shall represent the Committee and exercise the Chair's voting privilege. The Chair of each Committee shall prepare for the annual corporate meeting a report of actions taken and decisions made by the Committee during the previous calendar year.

Section 2. Responsibilities

a. Each Standing Committee shall have the responsibilities listed below and such other responsibilities as the General Board or the Board of Trustees may assign to it. In discharging its responsibilities a Committee may use sub-committees, volunteers, authorized staff, or authorized contractors. A staff person employed by a Committee shall report to the Chair of that Committee or, if directed by the Committee, to another staff person in the line of authority. A staff manager employed by the Board of Trustees whose responsibility for staff covers more than one Committee jurisdiction shall report to the Chair of the Board of Trustees. The word "employed", as used above, shall include the responsibility for engaging a staff person, recommending compensation, supervising and evaluating that person's work, and, if necessary, terminating that person's employment. Each Committee shall maintain a description of its operating procedures which shall be passed from Chair to Chair. Each Committee with responsibility for disbursing or raising funds shall submit to the Finance Committee, at its request, an estimate of anticipated expenses and revenues for the following calendar year, including proposed compensation of staff and proposed property improvements.

b. The Worship and Music Committee shall, with the Ministers, have responsibility for the worship and music programs of the Church. It shall:

i. determine, in consultation with the Ministers,

(a) the appropriate use of the sanctuary, and the form of the order of worship,

(b) the scheduling and staffing of services of worship, including provision for ushers and lay participants,

ii. employ the Director of Music and the Music staff, to the extent authorized by the budget, with prior consultation with the Human Resources Committee, and

iii. maintain the Church organ and other musical equipment.

c. The Membership Committee shall take appropriate steps to increase the membership of the Church, shall maintain contacts with members who have become inactive, and shall assist with the visiting and orientation of prospective members regarding Church history and structure. It shall:

i. reach out, with the Ministers, to potential new members,

ii. conduct orientation for Church membership and assist in integrating new members into the fellowship of the Church,

iii. advise the Clerk and the Office Administration Committee of changes in the roll of currently active and inactive members,

iv. authorize the transfer of membership to other churches, and

v. seek to restore inactive members to participation in the life of the Church.

d. The Parish Life Committee shall:

i. schedule and implement fellowship programs and social activities,

ii. arrange official receptions for the Church, and

iii. assist in the assimilation of new members into the Church community.

e. The Pastoral Support Committee shall:

i. assist the Ministers in establishing and maintaining a personal and caring relationship within the fellowship of the Church,

ii. administer the Deacon's Fund for the charitable and spiritual work of the Church, provided, however, that the name of any individual recipient shall be known only to the Chair and the Ministers, and

iii. be responsible for the distribution of flowers after services in the sanctuary.

f. The Christian Education Committee shall promote programs to transmit the Christian heritage and foster development of the Christian experience. It shall:

i. employ staff or independent contractors to the extent authorized by the budget, with prior consultation with the Human Resources Committee,

ii. administer the educational programs of the Church for adults and for youth, including the instruction of the confirmation class, in consultation with the Ministers and authorized staff,

iii. maintain the Church's audio-visual equipment and the Church Library.

g. The Outreach Committee shall have responsibility for focusing and enlisting the concern of the Church fellowship for human needs. It shall:

i. encourage support for the work of the United Church of Christ at the metropolitan, state, national, and international levels,

ii. recommend and administer the Outreach Budget and other funds for Church benevolences,

iii. sponsor activities that enable members to exercise their Covenant commitment to peace, justice, and human community, and

iv. maintain liaison with interfaith and community groups and undertake cooperative programs where appropriate.

h. The Communications Committee shall:

i. help church staff and volunteers identify what needs to be communicated to whom, by what means and on what timetable,

ii. reach out to the fellowship to encourage individuals to share their ideas and concerns with those who can act upon them,

iii. identify technical resources for those who may wish help in writing, photographing, editing, producing communications about the Church,

iv. recommend to the General Board policies with respect to communication, consistent with our open and congregational practices yet preserving the privacy of those in the fellowship.

i. The Finance Committee shall:

i. employ staff or independent contractors to the extent authorized by the budget, with prior consultation with the Human Resources Committee,

ii. be responsible for the recordings of receipts and disbursements of cash and other assets of the Church,

iii. be responsible for the preparation and distribution of financial statements,

iv. prepare the annual budget for current operations, outreach, and property improvement, balanced as to expenditures and revenues from all sources, after consultation with Committees and organizations requesting or supplying funds,

v. oversee compliance during the year with the current operations, outreach, and property improvements budgets,

vi. establish a two-member Investment Committee, whose Chair will serve as an ex officio member, with vote, of the Finance Committee and report to the Trustee for Finance, and

vii. designate a Committee member, elected or appointed, as overseer of insurance coverage for the Church, including but not limited to property and liability insurance.

j. The Gifts and Stewardship Committee shall insure that:

i. all gifts are acknowledged,

ii. gifts which are restricted in any way as to investment or use comply with such restrictions, and

iii. gifts are utilized in the manner requested by the donor/honoree and/or the donor/honoree's family, with approval of the Board of Trustees in consultation with the General Board.

k. The Human Resources Committee shall:

i. recommend to the General Board equitable and non-discriminatory personnel policies with respect to practices affecting hiring, compensation, working conditions and dismissal, applicable to all employees and to the ministerial staff of the Church,

ii. provide Church Officers and Committees with information regarding regulations and legislation affecting the employment of staff and independent contractors,

iii. maintain personnel records, including a file of job descriptions provided by the Board or Committee employing staff, and

iv. consult regularly with all Committees and Boards authorized to employ staff.

l. The Office Administration Committee shall be responsible for all matters pertaining to the administration of the Church Office. It shall:

i. employ staff or independent contractors to the extent authorized by the budget, with prior consultation with the Human Resources Committee,

ii. provide a schedule of the office services that are available to authorized Church personnel and organizations,

iii. maintain data relating to members of the Church fellowship, and

iv. approve requests for the use of Church facilities in accordance with the authorized schedules.

m. The Buildings and Grounds Committee shall have responsibility for the care and maintenance of the Church properties. It shall:

i. employ staff or independent contractors to the extent authorized by the budget, with prior consultation with the Human Resources Committee,

ii. maintain in clean condition and good repair the properties of the Church, and recommend needed property improvements, and

iii. recommend categories and priorities of authorized uses and users of Church facilities and the schedule of suggested donations.

n. The Resources Committee shall:

i. organize an ongoing effort to secure the resources needed for current operations, outreach, and property improvements,

ii. coordinate all fund raising events and special Church offerings,

iii. advise the Finance and Outreach Committees as to anticipated receipts from pledges, and

iv. promote planned giving.

o. The Clergy Relations Committee, as a confidential forum, shall:

i. consider goals for the clergy, the Minister or the Director of Music, and other designated professional staff, with periodic review and evaluation,

ii. coordinate relations among staff and lay leadership,

iii. answer questions from the congregation pertaining to the professional staff, and

iv. prepare and administer the budget for the compensation of the Ministers and other designated professional staff.

p. The Nominating Committee shall:

i. prepare a slate of nominees for offices to be filled at the annual corporate meeting that complies with the requirements of these bylaws and is balanced, as far as possible, with respect to age and sex, such slate to be published in the issue of the Church Bulletin immediately preceding the meeting, and available at the Church Office and at the service of worship on the two Sundays preceding the meeting,

ii. propose nominees to fill vacancies in office, who shall serve until the first day of May of the following year, such nominees to be approved by the Board of Trustees with respect to Trustees, and by the General Board with respect to other offices, and

iii. propose nominees for Special Committees and for a Search Committee, if requested,

iv. assist in the orientation of newly-elected members by providing background information and facilitating relations and connections that may help build effectiveness in the new position.