The Board met on August 4 for a planning session. One of our tasks was to develop the Board Covenant, Mission, Vision, and Policies and Procedures for the year. We would like to share these with you, but want you to know that the “Policies and Procedures for Board Meetings” is a work in progress. If you have any thoughts about these, we would appreciate your input.

Board Covenant:
The purpose of having a board covenant is to provide a predictable environment where board members can experience authentic community while working together to serve BBUUC.

In addition to the Covenant of Right Relations that our entire congregation practices, the Covenant for our Board meetings is to:

• Respect each other’s time
• Be present when gathered together
• Practice active listening
• Assume positive intent
• Support and get to know each other
• Stay on topic by forming “Parking Lot”
• Present as one voice
• Keep disagreements within group
• Praise publicly, but criticize privately
• Be humble
• Avoid triangulation in relationships with others

Mission: The Board will keep the church organized and moving forward.

Vision: The Board will practice transparency with the congregation, will make prudent financial decisions for the long term health of the church, and will respect individual points of view while doing what is best for the Congregation as a whole.

Policies and Procedures for Board Meetings:

• Publish Board Meeting agenda prior to meeting.
• If Treasurer can’t attend a Board Meeting, Finance Chair attends.
• Information gathered/learned by each Board will be passed to next Board for smooth transitions.
• Begin meetings with Opening Words, Chalice Lighting, Check-in & Covenant Review.
• End meetings with Closing Words, Extinguishing of Chalice, review of Parking Lot, and evaluation of process of meeting.
• Start meetings on time, end on time, and stay on topic.
• Process Observer encouraged at each meeting.
• Conference call in lieu of Board Member attendance is allowed.
• Vote by e-mail is allowed with results introduced into minutes at next meeting.
• Approve minutes for distribution to Council and Members ASAP.
• Members always welcome at Board Meeting.
• Visiting members sit at table with Board Members.
• Visiting members wanting to speak at board notify Board President prior to meeting and can speak for 2-3 minutes, depending on number wanting to speak.
• Visiting members with more than 2-3 minutes of material to cover are encouraged to send thoughts to board in writing prior to meeting and present main points in person at meeting.