New Leadership Structure at Hope:

As we roll into 2024 we’re changing our leadership structure here at Hope. There will be two governing bodies charged with overseeing different areas. The first is the “Single Board” which oversees the areas of PPR, Trustees, and Finance. The other is the “Program Council” which oversees the areas of Praise, Witness, and Community. Hope UMC is transitioning to this leadership structure at the beginning of the year and the list of those who are serving will be published and we will have a service of blessing over them.  Here’s the layout of each.

The goal for this transition is so that we can reduce the number of meetings that we have AND create more opportunites for persons to plug into the mission of Hope. This leadership structure will encourage us to ask persons to take on limited tasks and areas of responsibility within the broad tapestry that is Hope. Removing many of our weekly meetings and instead having comprehensive planning meetings with long range calendars will allow us to see areas of overlap and develop clear timelines to ensure strong participation and work.

Single Board:

The Board becomes one group of Nine People acting in various capacities by wearing different hats in the same meeting. For the purposes of appointment or needed communication with the DS the liaison/point of contact for the DS and Board is the chair of the board. The meetings are open to all in the church to attend, but only those on the board would have votes. During the part of the meeting in which PPR matters may be discussed only those on the board may remain in the meeting with the rest of the persons attending taking a break. The Board consists of nominated representatives established by nominated leadership. The exact breakdown is listed below.

Structure of the Board List:
1. Chair – named by nominations
2. Lay leader – (could be chair)
3. Lay member to AC (Could also be chair)
4. Member
5. Member
6. Member
7. Member
8. Member
9. Member

Single Board Guiding Rules
• A term of service on the board is 3 years, no one may serve more than 2 consecutive terms.
• The initial board shall be staggered terms to get us on schedule.
o Three Three year terms
o Three Two year terms
o Three one year terms
• A person is eligible to serve again on the board after a 1 year break from serving on the board. They do not need to stop serving on a discipleship committee for that 1 year period.
• The board shall meet at least 9 times per year, and can do so utilizing any of the following options: in-person, hybrid, online only.

Voting on the Board
What does the board vote on?
• Any major property matters: building projects, remodeling projects, land sale, land acquisition, endowments utilization and investment (trustees)
• Annual recommendation of budget and ppr salaries (finance and ppr)
• Annual consultation (district forms and recommendation of whether or not to have current pastor appointed back to the church)
• All charge conference reports
What does the board NOT vote on?
• Every detailed expense already budgeted for.
• New ministry programs (pastor)
• Worship details
• Most other miniscule details (what day is the grass mowed, carpets cleaned, kitchen stocked, etc.)

Single Board Responsibilities
• Establish the church’s yearly budget
• Work with the Pastor and Staff to cast vision and establish yearly goals for the church
• Work with the Pastor to hire, supervise, and assess Church Staff
• Work in partnership with programs and ministries to ensure they fulfill the mission and vision
• Work with the District Superintendent with regards to pastoral appointments and accountability
• Filling out the charge conference reports

Stewardship – tending to the fiduciary responsibilities and alignment of God’s people and resources
Generative – discerning God’s dream and working to set congregations next steps
Strategic – leveraging resources to be aligned with congregational priorities
Accountable leadership – setting a culture of well aligned leadership within the church

The board shall establish the budget of the church and set out guidelines for the groups and/or programming committee that it entrusts with tasks and the mission/life of the church.

Hope UMC shall establish a property manager, either paid or delegated to an organization, to be the point of contact for tenants of church held properties not including the main facility utilized by the congregation.

 

Programming Council:

The “programming” committees of Hope UMC shall be combined into a single program council. This council shall be comprised of nine members who will oversee the areas of Hope’s ministry and mission. This shall include witness (mission/evangelism), praise (worship/education), and community (hospitality/communications). The board shall be established beginning January 1, 2024.

The board shall oversee the programming functions of Hope UMC within their purview to do so. Budgets shall be set by the Single Board, but budgetary requests shall be made by the Programming Council to the Single Board prior to the formation of the budget each year. The programming board shall delegate out task groups or leaders for individual focus areas of ministry, examples include but are not limited to: Soup’s On, Sunday School, and Church Gatherings. The goal being that the programming board does not become a micromanagement structure but one that looks at the big picture of the mission and vision of Hope and ensures all efforts are working in concert with one another towards that mission and vision.

Programming Council Responsibilities:
• Establish plans for the use of the programming portion of the budget
• Work with the Pastor and Staff to ensure that programs are provided for and resourced as needed to be successful.
• Work with the Pastor to organize and coordinate the various areas of ministry that Hope is engaged in.
• Work with the Pastor and staff to ensure a cohesive and organized worship service takes place, including special services throughout the year.
• Work in partnership with the Single Board to ensure adequate resources and support are being given to the mission work of the church.

The programming council shall contain the following “officer” positions.
1) Chair
2) Vice Chair
3) Secretary
The members of the programming council, and the officer positions, shall be nominated and filled by the lay leadership committee of the church. The programming council must consult with the single board in instances of overlap with the mission and vision and ministry of the church. This includes things such as hiring/firing of staff for worship or other church ministry functions and budget overages and allotments for further funds. Designated funds controlled by the programming council (funds designated for ministries and areas under their oversight) are used and controlled by the programming board as long as they are utilized within the purview of their designation. The single board cannot tell the programming board how to utilize their designated funds, unless it becomes apparent that the designated funds are not being used for their designation or adjacent ministry and/or are being misused in some capacity.
Members of the programming council serve on 3 year terms, with the initial slate of leaders serving on reduced terms depending on their year. 3 serve 1 year, 3 serve 2, and 3 serve the full 3 year term. A person serving is eligible to serve a second 3 year term, however after 2 terms on the board (regardless of whether full or shortened time of service) a member must take a year off of the programming board.