Resolu'on #1: Amend quorum number

Be it resolved that every reference to quorum in the Cons6tu6on and Bylaws will be changed to
one-third of ac.ve membership as determined by the Secretary at the beginning of each
calendar year.

Ac6ve membership will include those members who have a=ended worship, contributed
financially or communicated with the church in the last three years. The church administrator
and Secretary will work together to maintain a roll of ac6ve members.

This change affects these ar'cles of the Cons'tu'on:

VI. Membership
E. Removal of vo6ng rights

VIII. Amendment of this Cons6tu6on

This change affects these ar'cles of the Bylaws:

I. The Minister
C. Calling a Minister
D. Termination of a Pastorate

II. Officers of the Church

D. Removal

III. Church Council

F. Removal

V. Standing Committees
F. Removal

VI. Ad Hoc Committees

E. Removal

VIII. Meetings of the Church

E. Voting
2. Quorum
4. To Join a Denomination or Judicatory

X. Amendments
 Resolu'on #2: Officers of the Church, Church Council, Boards and CommiDees

Be it resolved, that as part of a trial governance structure the First Congrega6onal Church of
Evanston, UCC, Cons6tu6on and Bylaws will be amended for one calendar year beginning
February 2024. The following changes will be in effect:

The changes affect these sec6ons of the Bylaws:

Ar6cle II. Officers of the Church
Officers would be changed as follows:
• Officers of the church will be Moderator, Vice Moderator, Secretary, Treasurer,
Assistant Treasurer and Historian.
• Leadership has flexibility to also function co-moderators instead of Moderator/Vice.
• Officer’s term is two years. Limit of 3 consecutive terms; 6 years total.

Ar6cle III. Church Council

Church Council will be changed as follows:
• Church Council will include the officers of the church noted above
• Church Council will include two representatives from each Board (see below)
• The total number on Church Council will be 6 officers, 6 board representatives, plus the
Senior Minister.
• All officers and board representatives will have voice and vote. The Senior Minister will
have voice but will not be a voting member of the Council.

Ar6cle IV. Boards, Ar6cle V. Standing Commi=ees, Ar6cle VI Ad Hoc Commi=ees

Boards and CommiDees will be consolidated into three Boards as outlined below.

Worship, Music and Pastoral Care Board (8-12 people)

● Team responsible for the caring and thougheul execu6on of logis6cal elements
surrounding Sunday morning worship service and the ongoing pastoral care and concern
of church members and friends.
● Responsibili6es include those formerly part of Deacons; Worship, Music and Arts.

Finance and Administra6on Board (8-12 people)

● Team responsible for the prayerful care and stewardship of church finances, facili6es,
and human resources.
● Responsibili6es include those formerly part of Trustees, Human Resources, and
Stewardship.

Community Life Board (8-12 people)

● Team responsible for enriching the community life of its members and sharing God’s
love with the broader community through the work of Jus6ce, Ac6on and Compassion.
● Responsibili6es include those formerly part of Board of Chris6an Educa6on, Mission,
Communica6ons, and Fellowship.
More:
• Terms for Boards would be two years, with a limit of four consecutive terms (8 years).
• Each Board shall set a schedule for meetings, take minutes, and shall report to the
Council on a regular basis.
• Nominating Committee will include two representatives from each Board (6) and be led
by most recent Moderator.

Ar6cles 1 and Ar6cles VII-Ar6cles XII of the Bylaws shall remain in effect and will be unchanged.
 2024 Proposed FCCE Governance Structure

Rationale: The current Constitution and By-Laws calls for 9 Boards and
Committees and roughly 70+ volunteer positions. Under the proposed
governance structure, those Boards and Committees are consolidated into 3
Boards, with a Church Council of 12 people, plus the Pastor.

This structure is proposed as a trial structure for 2024. After a period of

observation and reflection, if the church feels that the structure is serving the
church and its mission, the Church Council may appoint a team to draft a new
Constitution and By-Laws to create an enduring governance structure for the
congregation.

Board #1: Worship Music and Pastoral Care Board (8-12 people)
● Team responsible for the caring and thoughtful execution of logistical
elements surrounding Sunday morning worship service and the ongoing
pastoral care and concern of FCCE members and friends.
● Responsibilities formerly part of Deacons, Fellowship, WMA
o Responsibilities
▪ Worship on Sunday Morning
● Traditional “Deacon” duties: Open and close sanctuary;
welcome and greet guests, ensuring an extravagant
welcome for all, including newcomers and those with
special needs; monitor weekly attendance; take offering;
prepare communion elements, maintain pew contents
and tidy after each service.
● Coordinate lay readers, tech helpers (for A/V and live
streaming), flowers, and candles.
● Coordinate refreshments (see suggested schedule at
end of document) and monitor/supply kitchen inventory
in partnership with Church Administrator
▪ Music Programs
● Liaise with and support Music Director to support music
programming for Sunday worship and special services.
▪ Pastoral Care
● Active engagement with those who are sick, ill, in crisis
or those who are homebound and worship online.
Board #2: Finance and Administration Board (8-12 people)
● Team responsible for the prayerful care and stewardship of FCCE staff,
finances and facilities
● Responsibilities formerly part of Trustees, Buildings & Grounds, Mission,
HR, Stewardship, Nominating, Archives
o Responsibilities
▪ Finances – Lead fiduciary duties including creating and
managing annual budget, managing long-term investment
reserve funds, distributing philanthropic (formerly called
mission) funds, tracking income/expenses and prayerfully
discerning when/how significant investments are required for
the health and wellbeing of FCCE and its community.
▪ Stewardship – Nurture a culture of stewardship and giving
year-round among FCCE members and friends.
▪ Governance - Ensure compliance with our governing
documents. Maintain adherence to state law and fiduciary
duties and confirm there are no conflict of interests among
staff and leadership.
▪ Campaigns – Lead the effort of holding fundraising campaigns
when special funding needs arise.
▪ Facilities – Maintain and care for buildings and grounds,
ensuring safety and accessibility for FCCE members and
guests from the community, i.e., our extravagant welcome
▪ Support church staff in relationship with building partners
▪ Human Resources (HR) – Expand duties in a model of Staff
Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) to oversee HR functions
of the church, including management of personnel matters
(personnel policies, annual performance reviews, recognition,
etc.) to ensure an effective, efficient, healthy and responsive
working environment that attracts and retains exceptional
professionals for each role.
▪ Ensure that the records and the archives of the church are
well-maintained.
Board #3: Community Life Board (8-12 people)
● Team responsible for enriching the community life of its members and
sharing God’s love with the broader community through Justice and Action.
● Responsibilities formerly part of WMA, BOCE, Mission, Communications,
Fellowship
o Responsibilities
▪ Christian Education – Partner with Ministerial Staff on
Christian education programs,
● Sunday School, Confirmation, Programs for youth and
families
● Adult Christian education and programs such as bible
study, book groups, small groups
▪ Cultivating our Spirit and Relationships
● In partnership with Senior Minister, support new
members through orientation and onboarding
● Offer programs to cultivate relationships and the
spiritual lives of members in all phases/stages of life
▪ Justice/Action/Compassion (formerly Board of Mission) –
Work with our partners and organizations and show up in the
public square
● Includes Anti-Racism Task Force, LGBTQ+ efforts,
Immigrant Welcoming and Housing & Food Insecurity,
etc.
● Makes recommendations on partnerships and
philanthropic grants to Finance and Administration
Board
● Flexible to respond to timely issues and world events
(e.g. migrant crisis, wars/conflict, natural disasters)
▪ Events
● Organize potlucks, retreats, and special Sundays
including Rally Day and Celebration Sunday
● Strategically identify and plan new activities that place
FCCE in local community settings as well as host
strategic events to attract a broader audience, e.g.
Evanston Pride Parade, July 4th Parade, Bike the
Ridge, Cookies with Santa, Octoberfest, Easter Egg
Hunt
 ● Leveraging the Sanctuary, re-start music programs
outside of Sunday morning service, e.g. recitals,
▪ Communications – Partner with Minister for Community Life &
Communications on supporting strategies to effectively share
FCCE’s good news through print, digital and social media
channels

Church Council (12 people plus pastor)

● Officers
o Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant
Treasurer, Historian (6)
▪ Leadership has flexibility to function as Co-Moderators vs.
Mod and Vice-Mod
● Members
o 2 from each Board (6)
● Responsibilities
o Act as the Governing Body of the Church between meetings of the
Congregation.
o Receive reports from the Boards of the Church and support their
work.
o Supervise and support the work of the staff of the church.
o Plan, advise and coordinate the programmatic work of the church.
o Establish and direct ad hoc committees as the need arises.
o Coordinate the Nominating process (see below)

Nominating
o 2 from each Board (6), led by most recent Moderator

Special Committees
● As the need arises, allow the Church Council to establish ad hoc
committees to address special concerns, issues or initiatives, e.g.
anniversaries, pastoral search, Becoming the Church, fundraising
campaigns, etc.
Other Issues
● Rotation/Term Limits
o Officers
▪ Term is for 2 years. Limit of 3 consecutive terms. 6 years total.
o Board members
▪ Term is for 2 years. Limit of 4 consecutive terms which will
encourage people to rotate to other teams. Stagger terms.
Elect half of team on even years and other half on odd years.
● All Boards shall schedule regular meetings, take and distribute minutes,
and report to the Church Council on a regular basis.
● Each of the three Boards may establish teams or sub-committees to divide
and better organize the work of the church and may recruit non-board
members to support their efforts.

Proposed Coffee Hour Rotation

Each Board will take three months of refreshments, with summer supported by
choir and Church Council and August is BYOB. For special services (e.g.
Christmas Pageant), consider outsourcing coffee hour to a local catering/delivery
service.

● January – Worship, Music and Pastoral Care Board

● February – Finance and Administration Board
● March - Community Life Board
● April - Worship, Music and Pastoral Care Board
● May – Finance and Administration Board
● June - Church Council
● July - Choir
● August - BYOB
● September - Community Life Board
● October - Worship, Music and Pastoral Care Board
● November - Finance Governance and Administration Board
● December - Community Life Board
 First Congregational Church of Evanston UCC
2024 Proposed Governance Structure

Congregation - Annual Meeting

Church Council + Officers

Board 1: Worship, Music & Pastoral Care Board 2: Finance & Administration Board 3: Community Life

Deacon Team Finance Team Justice/Action Team

Pastoral Care Team Buildings & Grounds Team Christian Education Team

Music Team Stewardship Team Outreach & Activities Team

Other Ad Hoc/Task Forces As Needed Human Resources Team Other Ad Hoc/Task Forces As Needed

Other Ad Hoc/Task Forces As Needed