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UUFCO’s rapid growth and occupancy of our new building have accelerated our transition from a pastoral-size to a program-size congregation, creating the need for new teams and committees and inspiring an examination of our organizational structure and governance model. Currently the Board, the Governance Task Force, and other church leaders are studying Governance and Ministry by Dan Hotchkiss, who is consulting with us about the processes of governance by conversation, partnership, and policy. Our new settled minister, Rev. Scott Rudolph, will partner with us in developing a unified structure for making governance and operational decisions.

Board of Trustees

The UUFCO Board of Trustees is the governing body that represents and acts for our congregation. The board ensures that the operations of UUFCO are managed effectively, in collaboration with minister and staff and in accordance with our new UUFCO Bylaws adopted in November 2016. Board responsibilities include oversight of congregational governance and policy, finance and budgeting, facilities, and long-range planning. The Board holds monthly meetings that are open to the membership. As representatives of the congregation, board members are responsive to congregants’ ideas and concerns. Board members model a welcoming and open approach to visitors and demonstrate a high degree of professionalism when interacting with congregants, committees, and staff. The Leadership Development Committee manages the nomination process for open board positions. UUFCO elects incoming Board members at our annual meeting in May. 

 
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Board of Trustees: Paul Bennett, Marty Rudolph, Amy Falkenrath, Mark Hickman, Sylvia McFarland, Max Merrill (president), Erika Beard-Irvine, Greg Byrne (not in photo)

 

Governance Task Force

The Governance Task Force (GTF) was created to help the board understand and implement governance by partnership, by conversation, and by policy. The task force met regularly to study governance issues and engaged the board and committees in thinking about big questions related to delegation and responsibility as well as oversight and accountability. We are fortunate that Rev. Hotchkiss was able to consult online with representatives of the board and task force last year. The GTF created four videos (Introduction, Governance Defined, Framework, & Concerns) based on those conversations. Dan Hotchkiss will continue to consult with us as we work with Rev. Rudolph to agree on some final areas of policy that we intentionally left open to develop in partnership with our new minister. While the Taskforce has been disbanded, its work will deeply help us in our transition this coming year, and in years to come.

Leadership Development Committee

The Leadership Development Committee (LDC) nurtures the health and vitality of the congregation’s leadership pool. They begin working with members in the earliest stages of the membership cycle to help them identify their gifts and interests and find meaningful roles in the shared ministries of our congregation. The LDC is active in identifying resources for and providing ongoing education and development of congregational leaders. They also serve as the nominating committee for open board positions.

Personnel

The Personnel Committee currently assists the board and minister with setting staff salaries and managing staff benefits and relations. Our new settled minister will act as chief of staff, supervising staff, supporting their development, and evaluating their performance.

Safety and Security Committee

The Safety and Security Committee monitors our complex building security systems. The committee conducts fire drills and formulates procedures and protocols for responding to medical emergencies and intrusions. A particular focus is on the protection of children and adults in the religious exploration wing of the building during Sunday services.

Board Documents

BOARD MINUTES & SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS