Revised On

Revision

10/20/01

Revised strategic plan.

2/2/02

Revised table and changed some wordings, moved ET composition back here from Limitations

1/27/03

Fixed Formatting: consistent font, fix section numbering.

  1. BOARD-EXECUTIVE LINKAGE
  2. The Board will hold the Executive Team accountable for the operational organization, its achievements and conduct, and for operating under an annual strategic plan approved by the Board.

    1. THE EXECUTIVE TEAM: The Executive Team shall consist of all called ministers and either two senior lay leaders, or one senior lay leader and an Executive Administrator.
    2. UNITY OF CONTROL: Only decisions of the Board acting as a body are binding on the Executive Team.
      1. Decisions or instructions of individual Board members, officers, committees or Church members are not binding on the Executive Team except in rare instances when the Board has specifically authorized such exercise of authority.
      2. In the case of Board members or Board committees requesting information or assistance without Board authorization, the Executive Team is expected to decline such requests that require, in the Executive Team’s opinion, a material amount of staff time or funds, or are disruptive.

    3. ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE EXECUTIVE TEAM: The Executive Team is the Board’s only link to operational achievement and conduct. Accordingly, all authority and accountability of volunteer and paid staff (including non-employee consultants) is considered by the Board to be the authority and accountability of the Executive Team.
      1. The Board will never give instructions to persons who report directly or indirectly to the Executive Team.
      2. The Board will refrain from evaluating, either formally or informally, any staff other than the Executive Team and all ministers.
      3. The Board will view Executive Team performance as identical to organizational performance, so that organizational accomplishment of Board-stated Ends and avoidance of Board-proscribed Means will be viewed as successful Executive performance.

    4. DELEGATION TO THE EXECUTIVE TEAM: The Board’s job is generally confined to establishing top-level policies, leaving implementation and subsidiary policy development to the Executive Team. Accordingly, the Board will instruct the Executive Team through written policies that prescribe the organizational Ends to be achieved and proscribe Means to be avoided, allowing the Executive Team to use any reasonable interpretation of these policies.
      1. The Board will develop policies instructing the Executive Team to achieve certain results, for certain recipients, within a specified budget. These policies will be developed systematically from the broadest, most general level to more defined levels, and will be called Ends Policies.
      2. The Board will develop policies that limit the latitude the Executive Team may exercise in choosing the organizational Means. These policies will be developed systematically from the broadest, most general level to more defined levels, and they will be called Executive Limitations Policies.
      3. As long as the Executive Team uses any reasonable interpretation of the Board’s Ends and Executive Limitations policies, the Executive Team is authorized to establish all further policies, make all decisions, take all actions, establish all practices, and develop all activities. Should the Executive Team deem it necessary to violate Policy, it shall inform in advance the Board President or another Board member if the President is not available. Informing is simply to guarantee no violation may be intentionally kept from the Board, not to request approval. Response from the Board President or individual Board members, either approving or disapproving, does not exempt the Executive Team from subsequent Board judgment of the action, nor does it impede any Executive Team decision.
      4. Nothing in this policy, however, requires the Executive Team to report Policy violations that arise in the course of the Church’s ministers performing their pastoral duties.
      5. The Board may change the Ends and Executive Limitations policies, thereby shifting the boundary between Board and Executive Team domains. By doing so, the Board changes the latitude of choice given to the Executive Team. But as long as any particular delegation is in place, the Board will respect and support the Executive Team’s choices.

    5. MONITORING EXECUTIVE TEAM PERFORMANCE: Systematic and rigorous monitoring of Executive Team job performance will be solely in light of the expected Executive Team job outputs: organizational accomplishment of Policies on Ends, and organizational operation within the boundaries established in Policies on Executive Limitations.
      1. Monitoring is simply to determine the degree to which Policies are being met. Data that do not do this will not be considered to be monitoring data.

        The Board will acquire monitoring data by one or more of three methods:

        1. By internal report, in which the Executive Team discloses compliance information to the Board
        2. By external report, in which an external, disinterested third party selected by the Board assesses compliance with Policies
        3. By direct Board inspection, in which a designated Board member or members, or the Board as a whole, assess compliance with the appropriate policy criteria.

        In every case, the standard for compliance shall be any reasonable Executive Team interpretation of the Policy being monitored.

      2. All policies that instruct the Executive Team will be monitored at a frequency and by a method chosen by the Board. The Board can monitor any policy at any time by any method, but will ordinarily depend on a routine schedule.
      3. EXECUTIVE TEAM SCHEDULE OF REPORTS

        Item

        Method

        Frequency

        Treatment of Congregants

        Internal

        Annually

        Treatment of Staff

        Internal

        6 months

        Program Review

        Internal

        Annually

        Financial Planning and Budgeting

        Internal

        Quarterly

        Financial Condition and Activities

        Internal

        at least Quarterly

        External

        None

        Grant Activities

        Internal

        at least Quarterly

        External

        None

        Contract Activities

        Internal

        At least Quarterly

        External

        None

        Asset Management

        Internal

        Quarterly

        External

        None

        Emergency Executive Team Succession

        Internal

        ?? To Do

        Compensation and Benefits

        Internal

        Annually

        Communication and Support to the Board

        Direct Inspection

        Annually

        Executive Teamwork

        Internal

        6 months

        Ends

        Internal

        Annually

        Annual Plan Progress

        Internal

        Quarterly

        Reconstruction and Renovation

        Internal

        Quarterly

    6. MONITORING BOARD PERFORMANCE: The Board systematically will monitor its own performance, relative to its Governance Process and Board-Executive Linkage policies, by including a portion of these policies for review semi-annually.
    7. TABLE OF LIMITS SET ANNUALLY BY THE BOARD (TO BE UPDATED FEB. 8, 2003)

      Type

      Limit

      Date of Board Vote

      "Grant Award Limit" referenced in Policy II.H.1

      $0 (any award requires Board approval)

      February 26, 2002

      "Contract Limit" referenced in Policy II.J.1

      $2,000

      February 26, 2002

      The limit above which a single purchase or commitment requires a competitive bid, as outlined in Policy II.J.2.

      $10,000

      February 26, 2002

      The asset allocation ranges for Church funds. The asset allocation will be designed to balance risk and return, as outlined in Policy II. L. 6.

      To Do – this entire section

      25%-35% of the total funds in cash, bonds, or the equivalent

      15%-25% of the total funds in a broad market index mutual fund

      15%-25% of the total funds in growth mutual funds

      25%-35% of the total funds in individual stocks.

      February 26, 2002

      Date the Executive Team shall not fail to provide to the Board a balanced budget proposal, as outlined in Policy II. F. 1.

      December 15, 2002

      February 26, 2002

      Date the Executive Team shall not fail to provide the Board a review of the programs of the church as outlined in Policy II. F. 4.

      June 1, 2002 (Board to finalize Annual Plan for 2003 year by October 1, 2002 to drive canvass)

      February 26, 2002

      Date the Executive Team shall not fail to provide the Board a balanced budget proposal.

      December 10, 2002

      February 26, 2002