Application for Board of Directors at MCC of the Spirit

Name _____Barbara Canter_____________________________________________________________________

Year you were received into membership: ______1997_____________________

As a Board member you are called to offer leadership in our congregation. Do you covenant to grow spiritually,
demonstrate regular church attendance, offering your talents, and pledge for the 2010 budget year? _Yes______

Have you prayerfully reviewed the BOD application materials including The Roles and Responsibilities of the
Board, and Laying Foundations- Working Together? __Yes_____

What do you see as the most pressing issues for MCC of the Spirit?

Unifying the Church as the body of Christ doing the work of Christ in the world.

What unique skills and talents do you bring to the Board of Directors?

I currently work as the Finance Director of a non-profit agency with an annual budget of $8
million. I manage a staff of four employees/volunteers and serve as part of the management
team. Spiritually, I was baptized Lutheran, raised in an EUB/United Methodist church, graduated
from Messiah College (Brethren in Christ), belonged to an UCC church, attended retreats at the
Jesuit Center, and made my spiritual home here at MCC. I would bring an open mind, years of
experience, and a heart seeking the will of God.

Please state how you understand your call to serve on the Board of Directors.

I've not been available for an ongoing position of ministry for the past several years due to family
and job responsibilities. However, now the children are grown, and I recently hired a staff person
at work. I feel called to give back to the Church and to use my time and talents in this very
intentional way.

Please detail your ministry involvement and ways you feel committed to leadership at MCC of the Spirit.

I've been involved in worship – holding communion, reading Scripture, and special services. I've
helped in the kitchen to prepare, serve, and clean up for the fund raising dinners. I helped with
youth activities and retreats. I attended MCC regional conferences (most recently in Pittsburgh)
and plan to go the the general conference this summer. I've attended other MCC churches in
Washington DC, Rehobeth, and Norfolk. I was involved in some of the small group planning and
transitional meetings.

I make sure to support MCC of the Spirit financially by having my tithe automatically transferred
every two weeks on payday.

I'm committed to leadership at MCC of the Spirit through good times and bad because it's God's
church – not mine, not the Pastor's, but God's church. I'm committed to doing my part in God's
work in this place.

The term is two (2) years starting January 2010, with Board meetings beginning November 2009.
From the By-laws:
Article VI – Local Church Administrative Body
A. Name – The local church administrative body shall be the Board of Directors, which is authorized to
provide administrative leadership for MCC of the Spirit, subject to approval of the Congregational
Meeting.

B. Responsibilities – The Board of Directors shall be responsible for providing the church with a set of
Bylaws, which are subject to approval by Congregational Meeting and the Elder serving the Region and
for submitting the approved Bylaws to the Elder serving the Region. The Board of Directors shall also
have charge of all matters pertaining to the documents of legal organization and [incorporation or
registration], church property, risk management, and physical and financial affairs of the church. The
Board of Directors shall also be responsible for collecting and disbursing funds, keeping adequate church
records, and making timely reports to the Congregation and UFMCC.

C. Qualifications – Members of the Board of Directors must be Members in good standing of MCC of
the Spirit.

1. Conflict of Interest – More than one person from a household, family, or committed relationship;
someone who is a church employee; or someone who is a Clergy Candidate shall not be eligible
to serve on the Board of Directors.

D. Composition – There shall be seven (7) members, including the Pastor who shall serve as Moderator.
When membership exceeds 200, two (2) lay members shall be added.

E. Term of Office – The term of office for members of the Board of Directors, except the Pastor, shall be
two-year staggered terms, with half being elected at each annual Congregational Meeting. Term of office
shall commence on January 1 of the following year.

F. Meetings – The Board of Directors shall meet at least once a month no fewer than ten (10) times a
year. Except for executive sessions, meetings shall be open to the congregation and to the public to
attend as Observers without voice or vote.
1. Minutes – Minutes and financial reports shall be available to Members of the church within two
(2) weeks after each meeting. Minutes shall include a record of those present and decisions
made. A copy of the minutes shall become part of the permanent church records.

G. Quorum – No less than a majority of the members of the Board of Directors must be present in order
to transact business.

H. Official Officers – The official officers of the church are Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Clerk, and
Treasurer.

1 Election of Officers – During the first meeting following elections to the Board, the Board of
Directors shall elect persons to fill the positions of Vice-Moderator, Clerk, and Treasurer.
a. Moderator – The Pastor shall serve as Moderator of the Board of Directors.
b. Vice-Moderator – The Vice-Moderator shall serve as Moderator of the Board in the absence
or upon the request of the Pastor.
c. Clerk – The Clerk shall be responsible for ensuring the maintenance of official
correspondence and church records, and for ensuring that accurate records are kept of all
meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Congregation. The Clerk is authorized to receive
petitions submitted to the Board of Directors. The person selected need not be a member of the
Board of Directors.
d. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall be responsible for ensuring the preparation and maintenance
of all financial records. This shall include a monthly financial report to the Board and an annual
 financial report to the Congregation. The monthly and annual financial reports shall reflect
receipts, disbursements, and outstanding financial obligations. The person selected need not be a
member of the Board of Directors.

I. Vacancies – In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Directors, the Board may appoint a qualified
Member to fill the vacancy until the next Congregational Meeting, when an election shall be held to fill
the unexpired term.

J. Discipline – The church cannot condone disloyalty, unbecoming conduct, or dereliction of duty on the
part of any member of the Board of Directors. Therefore, the Board of Directors may remove by a
majority vote of the full Board of Directors any of its members guilty of the above, with the exception of
the Pastor who must be disciplined in accordance with the UFMCC Bylaws. A petition submitted to the
Clerk and signed by twenty-five percent (25%) of the Members in good standing of the congregation may
also initiate such a procedure.

1. Right to appeal – A disciplined member of the Board of Directors may appeal the action to the
congregation at its next regular Congregational Meeting or at a Special Congregational Meeting
which may be called for this purpose. The decision of the Congregational Meeting is final. Until the
Congregational Meeting to consider the appeal, the position held by the disciplined member of the
Board of Directors shall be considered vacant.

K. Limitation of Liability – No director or officer of the church shall be liable for any act or failure to act
by any other director or officer of the Church or by any employee of the Church. No director or officer of
the Church shall be liable for any loss arising from any fault in the title to any property acquired by the
Church. No director or officer of the Church shall be liable for any loss arising from any fault in any
security in which the Church might invest, or from bankruptcy, insolvency, or wrongful act by any person
to whom the Church might entrust any of its property. No director or officer of the church shall be liable
for any loss due to error of judgment or oversight on his/her part, or for any other loss whatsoever
occurring in the carrying out of the duties of his/her office, unless this loss arises from the director’s or
officer’s own willful neglect or fraudulent or criminal actions.

L. Indemnity – The church shall protect every director and officer of the church against all costs arising
in relation to his/her relations with the Church, unless they are occasioned by his/her own willful neglect
or fraudulent or criminal actions.
From the Standard Operating Procedures:

Article VI – HOW WE ORGANIZE TO DO MINISTRY

Section 601 - Board of Directors Job Description

Duties of the members of the board of directors include, but are not limited to the following:

(a). Raising funds to support the ongoing ministries of the church.

(b). Collecting and disbursing funds in accordance with the bylaws and standard operating
procedures of the local church.
(c). Keeping adequate church records regarding membership and financial activities, as well
as minutes of all board meetings.
(d). When necessary and/or appropriate, reporting board actions to the congregation, and
UFMCC.
(e). Being accountable to the people served by the church.
(f). Being sensitive to the needs of members of the larger community.
(g). Setting policies to insure uniformity and consistency of action throughout the church
through the adoption and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures.
(h). Establishing goals for the church in conformance with the church's mission statement,
prioritizing the goals and objectives of the church and delegating the
responsibility to get the work of the church done.
(i). Representing the church to the public.
(j). Establishing reporting procedures to hold paid and volunteer staff accountable.
(k). Evaluating the pastor's performance.
(1). Conducting periodic evaluations of program services.
(m). Overseeing special fundraising activities.
(n). Developing and approving the church's budget for presentation to the congregation.
Conducting periodic budget reviews.
(o). Managing the assets of the church responsibly.
(p). Establishing personnel policies, for persons other than the pastor, including benefits and
leave, and reviewing them periodically.
(q). Reviewing the church's bylaws, standard operating procedures, incorporation papers and
tax exemption papers periodically.
(r). Executing and overseeing all insurance policies and contracts entered into by the church.
(s). Fulfilling all Internal Revenue Service and state nonprofit organization reporting
requirements.
(t). Doing all other things necessary for the management of the church's business.
(u). Commitment – including regular attendance at monthly meetings.

Board members should be sensitive to the danger of giving off the appearance of exercising
authority on their own initiative, especially toward newer people who may not understand that the board's
authority can be exercised only as a whole body.

Section 602 - Committees of the Board of Directors

To accomplish the work of the Board of Directors, the Board may form committees to oversee the
work of the Board Each committee is to report monthly to the Board of Directors. The following may be
considered committees of the Board:
(a) Trustee Committee - This committee would be responsible for the care and maintenance
of the church's property.
(b) Finance Committee - This committee would be responsible for budget preparation,
overseeing a yearly audit, ongoing monitoring, and the receipt of special gifts
(e.g. memorial gifts, Wills, etc.)