I’m a strong advocate for making all group decisions in live meetings, whether in person or by phone. This is a basic principle of parliamentary law, and it is even more important in the context of a religious organization that invites divine guidance through individual participants in decision-making. But some groups and some situations simply do not allow for that live meeting. What to do? Act by written consent. Continue reading “How (and whether) to act without a board meeting”
Tag: parliamentary procedure
Who should adopt minutes for an annual members’ meeting?
When a religious organization holds large annual meetings, the method of approving the minutes can vary depending on the organization’s governing documents. But where those documents don’t address the question, the answer can be a little difficult to find. The best answer is to delegate the authority to adopt minutes to a committee to avoid a long interim without an adopted record of actions taken. The next annual meeting can revise if necessary. Continue reading “Who should adopt minutes for an annual members’ meeting?”
Ex Officio Committee Members
Committees with ex officio members should include those people in their notices of meetings, but when someone is a member ex officio of all committees, the ex officio member is not counted when determining a quorum. (Typically, this is the president, but in the model constitution, this is the president and senior pastor.) These ex officio members are only different from regular members in their obligation to attend committee meetings. In other words, they have all the privileges of a member, but they are usually exempted from the responsibilities. On the other hand, when someone is an ex officio of a specific committee, that person has all the rights and obligations of another member, so the only difference is the method of selection (member due to office rather than other means of selection).
Make decisions in live meetings, which doesn’t mean in person
The modern age seems to have brought us two things: more meetings and more ways to meet. But what are the limits of how we can or should use technology to help us make decisions more efficiently? Deciding that means thinking about why we meet and what we give up when using technology to make decisions. The short answer is that teleconferences and Skype are acceptable means to make a decision, e-mail and chat rooms are not. And none of these is permitted unless your organization’s governing documents expressly allow for electronic meetings. Continue reading “Make decisions in live meetings, which doesn’t mean in person”
Don’t vote on minutes—It’s a waste of time!
Every religious organization I’ve ever been a part of has meetings. And inevitably there are minutes for those meetings. And for some reason we feel like we should vote on them, which means we ask for a motion, and a second, and then the vote. It turns out that this not only feels like a waste of time, it is a waste of time. Continue reading “Don’t vote on minutes—It’s a waste of time!”