Simple Governance at LOUMC

Simple Governance at LOUMC

Our church leadership has been studying and considering the Simple Governance structure since 2016 when first introduced to the concept. We have interviewed the author of the book “Simple Governance”, met with several churches who have transitioned to single board structures and consulted our District Superintendent who recommends this change. And, lest we forget, Pastor Clay shepherded his church in Hillsboro to this form of management!
Our Church Council unanimously voted to take the necessary steps to move to this structure by July 1st, 2023. We have formed a task team to develop this new LOUMC leadership model.

Read the full letter to the church from the Simple Governance Task Force from March, 2023.

See below the timeline and proposed structure of the board, along with a description of each board position, guidelines for selection and “job descriptions”.

Lake Oswego United Methodist Church Board – Slate of Officers
The following individuals have expressed their willingness to serve and, therefore,
have been nominated for the following positions:
Elected Board Positions:

1. Board Chair

• Deb Gice

1. Finance Chair / Investments

• Jeff Mattern

1. Treasurer / Finance Operations

• Jeff Moxie

1. Staff Parish Relations

• Mary Anne Lewis – Chair
• Judy Cushing – Operations

1. Trustees

• Ken Kramer – Chair
• Jenny Cook – Operations

1. Lay Leader #1

• Alaina Kuehn (9:00)

1. Lay Leader #2

• Kay Lutze (10:30)
  Elected Non-Board Positions:

1. Trust Administration #1

• Wade Mosby

1. Trust Administration #2

• Susan Schwartz

1. Nominations #1

• Marty Stiven

1. Nominations #2

• Pat Moffitt

1. Nominations #3

• Jeanie Mattern

Board Structure:

• The new Church Board structure will consist of 7 to 12 elected board members plus an additional six elected non-board positions. It was decided to initially form a Board of nine positions, giving the board the flexibility to increase the number of positions if necessary.
• The term of service will be three years, with one-third of the board rotating off after the third year, and 1/3 of the board rotating off every year thereafter. Since the new structure is beginning in the middle of the year, members will serve 18 months for the initial term only.
• Board members shall serve no more than 2 consecutive 3-year terms (not necessarily in the same position).
• The Board will not have more than one family member (members within a single household) serving at the same time, and the Board should not have an SPR member who has a family member on staff.
• All present committees will become “Ministry Teams” with no elected positions. It is assumed, but not necessarily so that current committee chairs will continue to lead the Ministry teams. Anyone wanting to serve on a team may join without election. It is hoped that members may see the need for other Ministry teams and will reach out to the Board, communicating their willingness to begin a new team.

Elected Board Positions & Responsibilities:

Board Chair

• Overall responsibility for the policy-making and visionary direction of the board
• Ensures the board fulfills its capacity as fiduciary Trustees
• Provides direction for the board and, with the Pastor, ensures focus on the mission of the church
• Conducts board meetings and partners with Lay Leadership on leadership development

Finance Chair / Investments

• Overall responsibility for financial matters of the church including compliance and taxation
• Point of contact for Conference and District matters
• Oversight of all trust accounts
• Provide direction to two elected positions (collectively managing bequests and endowments)

Treasurer / Finance Operations

• Overall responsibility for development of budget and financial reporting
• Overall responsibility for banking, cash management, and accounting functions
• Responsible for stewardship and identifying new revenue sources
• Provide direction to Bookkeeper and Financial Secretary
• Will treat giving information with appropriate sensitivity and confidentiality for donors

Staff Parish Relations Chair

• Responsible for staff supervisory work with Pastor(s) including evaluations
• Responsible for Appointment Request Form, Pastoral Compensation Form, SPR input for Charge
  Conference Reports, and Church Profile
• Primary point of contact for District Superintendent (DS), and will work with DS/Cabinet on pastoral
  changes

Staff Parish Relations Operations

• Responsible for review and update of Employment Handbook, including Job Descriptions
• Coordinate with Pastor for staff salaries and benefits, including annual Employee Payroll Form, and
  personnel file management
• Responsible for ensuring policies follow legal employment issues
• Responsible for Staff budget preparation
• Partner with Trustees on Parsonage Team

Trustees Chair

• Accountable for church property, buildings, equipment, and gifts
• Responsible for arranging annual finance review and insurance review
• Responsible for the management of all physical assets
• Maintain Articles of Incorporation
• Compile Charge Conference Reports

Trustees Operations

• Responsible for the coordination of the maintenance of church campus, buildings, and property
• Partner with SPR Operations on Parsonage Team
• Conduct annual accessibility audit

Lay Leader #1

Lay Leader #2

• Foster awareness and development of the role of laity within the congregation
• Meet regularly with the pastor and Board Chair to discuss the state of the church and the needs for ministry
• Participate in study and training opportunities and types of ministries that will most effectively fulfill the
  church’s mission
• Inform and encourage laity of training opportunities provided by the District Annual Conference
• Help to coordinate the recognition and celebration of ministries within and outside of the church
• One Lay Leader will serve as Delegate to the District Annual Conference (Delegates are elected by Charge
  Conference)
  In addition, an elected Board Member will be chosen to serve as Reporting Secretary during each Board term. Those
  responsibilities will include:
• Take minutes at each Board meeting, record action taken and discussion pertinent to that action
• Distribute minutes to Board chair for review and then to Board members for approval at the next meeting
• Serve as communication conduit to the staff for communication to the congregation through publication in
  appropriate medium, i.e., newsletter, mass mailing, website, etc.
• Serve as custodian of all records not specifically assigned to other staff or offices, including minutes. officer
  reports, board, and ministry reports, with special attention paid to items of a sensitive or confidential nature
  Elected Non-Board Positions:

Trust Administration #1

• Liaison with Bequest Funds investment managers

Trust Administration #2

• Liaison with Endowment and Trust Funds investment managers

Nominations & Leadership Development Positions

• Nominations will consist of Pastor as Chair, the two Lay Leaders, and three additional members
  Considerations for Candidates / Guidelines for Nominations
  The Task Force agreed that in addition to the board position responsibilities, which suggest skills and experience that would
  suit that position, all nominated candidates for church board positions should emulate faith in action with the suggested
  following qualifications as minimum requirements for consideration:
• Church membership
• Sacrificial giving
• Active in spiritual growth ministry
• Active in service/outreach ministry
• Regular church attendance
  The criteria for nominated non-board (skill-based) positions could be less stringent but candidates would be expected to
  demonstrate most of the same qualities.
  
  Transition Plan
  
  The Task Team is drafting a transition plan to assist the board in its early work. The plan will contain deliverables and items to be addressed in the first six months of the initial board term (through December 2023). The transition plan will be available to the new board before July 1st.