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Council of Elder Meeting Report - February 11, 2014

Submitted by abooth on February 18, 2014 - 7:27pm

United Church of God, an International Association

Council of Elders Video Conference

Milford, Ohio

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Chairman Robin Webber called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time. All Council members and administration personnel were present with the exception of Council member John Elliott, who was en route returning after an extended senior pastor visit and leadership training program for east and southern Africa.

After the opening prayer by Council member Bill Bradford, chairman Webber asked president Victor Kubik for his administration report.

President’s Report—Victor Kubik

Mr. Kubik updated the Council about the recent Feast coordinators conference at the home office and about the first conference held here in Cincinnati of a new series of area conferences. He reported seeing great improvement in our local congregation websites via the program started over a month ago. He also spoke about the work of the recently-formed content committee, which analyzes how we’re engaging people with our content, our tone and approach for our speaking, writing, broadcasting and preaching in local congregations. Its work includes coordinating the topics of Beyond Today with The Good News.

Mr. Kubik reported that the administration has been busy working on the new budget for submission to the Council later this month and at the annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders in May. He thanked treasurer Rick Shabi for his expertise in finding ways to economize.

He also explained that Roy Holladay is rapidly settling into the running of Ministerial and Member Services and is in the process of settling into their new housing. He and Mr. Kubik have been working on a few manpower changes in the field ministry.

Regarding the international ministry Mr. Kubik and Aaron Dean have had meetings this week with Earl Roemer here at the office about future plans for the church in the Philippines. Mr. Dean will be making a trip to visit the office and brethren in that area shortly.

Media and Communication Services Report—Peter Eddington

The media update covered the comparison of the newly contracted ION television network with WGN America in broadcasting Beyond Today. ION response numbers are looking good and could be a viable replacement for WGN America after the audience builds up.

Treasurer’s Report—Rick Shabi

The treasurer reported on January financial results, commenting that cash receipts were above budgeted levels (largely due to a sizable estate settlement received during the month) and that expenses continue to be under budget. For the fiscal year-to-date, we have a favorable budget variance in excess of $500,000. In the area of cash management, we have invested $2 million of our cash balances into risk-free interest bearing accounts that at least are providing a nominal amount of interest.

Miscellaneous—Robin Webber

Chairman Webber next reported on a doctrinal paper about worship music submitted by Wyoming pastor Wil Berg. He explained the process by which the Doctrine Committee will properly review and respond to the paper.

Mr. Webber proposed that henceforth the Roles and Rules Committee chairman (presently Roc Corbett) should be the liaison with the GCE Responsibilities Advisory Committee (GRAC). He also stated that the chairman of the Council, who also serves as chairman of the GCE, should always be involved in the loop of communication. No nays or abstentions were offered so the change was passed unanimously.

Constitution Update Amendment—Roc Corbett

Mr. Corbett once again explained the import and the scope of how this major amendment will update and polish the Constitution (and later the Bylaws and Rules of Association). He asked former Council member Bill Eddington, who has been overseeing the project since its inception in 2009, to brief the Council on the Governing Documents Review Team’s (GDRT) progress and explain the details of the proposed amendment. Mr. Eddington pointed out that the amendment’s purpose is to remove ambiguity, obscure wording and impractical procedures, thus making the Constitution a more workable document. The work on the Constitution proposal is complete, and the Bylaws will be ready by the end of the year. Later the Rules of Association will also be reviewed.

He also explained that the changes proposed will make the Constitution significantly more efficient and much easier to read. He referred everyone to the statement of purpose for the process from Mr. Corbett’s recent memo to the Council. It is substantively included in its proposed statement of support:

The Governing Documents Review Team (GDRT) and R & R [Roles and Rules Committee] consider this to be of high importance, and that it will bring needed improvement to one of our most important governing documents, the Constitution of United Church of God, an International Association. Both entities have spent many dedicated hours of thoughtful and prayerful work spanning over three years in fulfilling this phase of the task assigned to us by the Council, to review the Constitution.

The specific purpose that the Council gave for this extensive review of all our governing documents was to identify articles and clauses in the documents that were:

ambiguous;
obscure or poorly constructed;
unnecessarily complex;
impractical;
inconsistent with, and/or in conflict with other articles and clauses.

In addition to the GDRT and R & R, the entire Council has, on two major occasions, extensively and carefully reviewed the Constitution. The latest revised draft, attached, incorporates all of the edits suggested by the Council at its meeting in December.

He then reviewed a new section 4.5 of the Constitution and explained some edited wording, to which the Council tacitly agreed.

Council member Scott Ashley asked about some edits and amendments he had sent to Mr. Corbett this week. After Council discussion of those items, Mr. Corbett referred Mr. Ashley’s amendments to our regular amendment process for submission at a later date. He explained that the scope of the GDRT was not to address substantive issues within the governing documents, but rather to seek and propose improvements for any awkward or inefficient wording within them. Mr. Ashley’s proposed, minor edits did not concern the Fundamentals of Belief section of the Constitution.

Since some of Mr. Ashley’s proposed edits were substantive, it was decided that such should be submitted through the usual governing documents amendment channels.

Mr. Corbett next read the resolution for the Council to approve the proposed major amendment to progress it to the GCE for balloting upon at the annual meeting in May:

RESOLUTION:

Whereas, the Council of Elders, in February, 2010, requested the Council’s Roles and Rules Committee to review the Constitution of the United Church of God, an International Association, and

Whereas, the Council of Elders approved a Governing Documents Review Team recommended by the Roles and Rules Committee to conduct the review, and

Whereas, the Governing Documents Review Team has completed its review and has presented a proposed amended version of the UCGIA Constitution to the Council, and

Whereas, the Council approves of the proposed amended version of the UCGIA Constitution,

Now therefore, it is hereby resolved that, the proposed amended version of the UCGIA Constitution be placed on the agenda of the 2014 Annual Meeting of the General Conference of Elders to be balloted upon in accordance with the provisions of Article 5.1 of the present UCGIA Constitution “Amendment of Governing Documents,” and in accordance with the provisions of Article 12 of the UCGIA Bylaws “Amendments”, and

It is further resolved that, the appended Statement of Justification accompany the proposed amended Constitution when it is submitted to the General Conference of Elders.

After discussion the Council moved by a ballot of 11-0, which is unanimous for the quorum. This major amendment will now be sent to the General Conference of Elders.

Statement of Support for GDRT Amendment—Roc Corbett

The next item discussed was the Council’s Statement of Justification and support for the major amendment. He emphasized the fact that the Fundamentals of Beliefs were not in any way included in the major amendment. The Statement of Justification is:

STATEMENT OF JUSTIFICATION:

In February, 2010, the Council of Elders approved and delegated to the Roles and Rules Committee the task of reviewing the three principal governing documents of UCGIA. In making that decision, the Council took into account the time period of 15 years since the creation of the documents, and the fact that a number of documentation issues that needed to be addressed had arisen in recent times.

The purpose of the review was to identify articles and clauses that were:

ambiguous;
obscure or poorly constructed;
unnecessarily complex;
impractical;
inconsistent with, and/or in conflict with other articles and clauses.

A review team comprising Gary Antion, Roc Corbett, Rainer Salomaa, Gerald Seelig, Larry Darden, Bob Dick and Mark Rorem, has been working on the project under the coordination of the former chairman of the Roles and Rules Committee, Bill Eddington. So far, only the Constitution has been completed.

A draft of a proposed amended Constitution was reviewed by the Council in August and December 2013, and again in February 2014. The final document recommended for presentation to the General Conference at the 2014 Annual Meeting was endorsed by the Council.

The Council and the Review Team strongly support the proposed amended Constitution which is submitted in accordance with Article 5.1 of the present Constitution and Article 12 of the Bylaws. The Council and the Review Team consider that the proposed amended Constitution effectively addresses all of the points listed in the “purpose” and will be a greatly improved and more relevant document.

Note: “Article 2-FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS” is untouched. No changes of any kind are being considered for any of the Fundamental Beliefs in the Constitution. Amendment of the Fundamental Beliefs is subject to an entirely separate process outside the Review Team’s terms of reference.

RESOLUTION:

Whereas, the Council of Elders has approved sending the amended Constitution to the General Conference of Elders for possible ratification,

Now therefore, it is hereby resolved that, the Statement of Justification, a copy of which is attached and made part of this resolution, is approved by the Council of Elders to be sent with the amended Constitution to the General Conference of Elders for their consideration.

The Statement of Justification passed by a ballot of 11-0.

Council Nominee Questionnaire—Roc Corbett

Next on the agenda Mr. Corbett presented a new Council Nominee Questionnaire, which contains seven questions covering time commitment, analysis of Mission and Vision Statements, short-term challenges facing UCGIA, long-term challenges, Council committee preferences, previous experience on other governing boards, and other matters the nominee considers important.

He reviewed the new proposed questionnaire that will be given to Council nominees and then read the wording of the proposed Personal Integrity Statement. After discussing the wording of parts of the questionnaire, Council discussion centered on the timing of when nominees would fill it out.

COUNCIL OF ELDERS RESOLUTION

NOMINEE QUESTIONNAIRE

Whereas, the Roles and Rules Committee is also the Nomination Committee required by Article 8, Section 8.1 of the Bylaws, and

Whereas, the Roles and Rules Committee proposes updates to the Council of Elders Nominee Questionnaire,

Now therefore, it is hereby resolved that, the updated Council of Elders Nominee Questionnaire, a copy of which is attached and made part of this resolution, is approved and replaces the previous Nominee Questionnaire.

The resolution to adopt the Council nominee questionnaire also passed 11-0.

When questionnaire and statement were satisfactorily edited and reviewed, the following resolutions were balloted upon and each passed 11-0:

COUNCIL OF ELDERS RESOLUTION

PERSONAL INTEGRITY STATEMENT

Whereas, the Council of Elders desires to include a “Personal Integrity Statement” in the nomination process for Council of Elders nominees,

Now therefore, it is hereby resolved that, the Council approves the “Personal Integrity Statement,” a copy of which is attached and made a part of this resolution, which statement will be included among the documents sent to potential nominees to the Council of Elders, and

It is further resolved that, for the nomination process in 2014, the “Personal Integrity Statement” will be included in the Affirmative Response Letter or Nominee Questionnaire, and, in future years, may be included at an earlier stage in the nomination process.

The Personal Integrity Statement was reviewed by the Council and finally remanded to the Roles and Rules Committee for further development but will not be included in the process this year.

Guidelines for Electing a Council Chairman and Deputy Chairman—Roc Corbett

On behalf of the Roles and Rules Committee, chairman Roc Corbett presented guidelines for the election of the Council chairman and deputy chairman after the GCE annual meeting at the end of each term of office. Essentially, the new process would require the reading of a chairman’s qualifications on the first day of the final Council meeting of the year (after the GCE meeting in May). This will allow Council members more time for prayer and consideration before selecting the new chairman and deputy chairman. Discussion centered on the value of the extra time to facilitate a wiser decision about who to choose for chairman. The extra time would also allow Council members and incoming Council members to either withdraw their names or let them remain under consideration.

The proposed resolution carefully follows the Bylaws, which require the final meeting of the Council year (May to May) to adjourn. Then a new meeting for the sole purpose of electing of the chairman and deputy chairman will be called to order. According to our on-going practice, the secretary will conduct the election in open session since the chairman and deputy chairman are chosen by secret ballot.

Scott Ashley suggested adding wording to allow a Council member to return his name for consideration just before the ballot even if he had taken it off initially. Considerably more discussion followed as the Council refined the details of the selection process. At the end of which they balloted and passed 11-0 the following resolution:

RESOLUTION:

Whereas, the Council of Elders desires to establish guidelines and a process for nominating and electing the Council chairman and deputy chairman in years when regular terms for these offices expire, and

Whereas, the Roles and Rules Committee proposes guidelines and a process for this purpose,

Now therefore, it is hereby resolved that, the GUIDELINES AND PROCESS FOR NOMINATING AND ELECTING COUNCIL CHAIRMAN AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN IN YEARS WHEN REGULAR TERMS EXPIRE, a copy of which is attached and made part of this resolution, is approved as the guidelines and process for nominating and electing the Council chairman and deputy chairman in years when regular terms for these offices expire.

The new guidelines for electing a Council Chairman and Deputy Chairman thus adopted by the above resolution are as follows:

GUIDELINES AND PROCESS FOR NOMINATING AND ELECTING COUNCIL CHAIRMAN AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN IN YEARS WHEN REGULAR TERMS EXPIRE:

On the first day of the last regular meeting of the current Council, in years when terms for chairman and deputy chairman are to expire, either the chairman of the Roles and Rules Committee or the Secretary shall read these guidelines and this process for nominating and electing the next Council chairman and deputy chairman.
Newly elected members may be present as observers, and may ask questions during any discussion period.
Information to be covered is to include the following:
Reading of the qualifications and responsibilities of the chairman and deputy chairman as outlined in the Bylaws.
Reading (and explaining, where necessary), the process that will be followed.
Reading of the following statement:

“Are there any prior or current personal matters in your life that might hinder your ongoing ability to serve as the chairman of the Council of Elders of United Church of God, an International Association, or that might cause harm to the Church’s reputation? This is a question for each Council member to ask himself, and settle in his own mind and heart, if he expects his name may be placed in nomination for chairman or deputy chairman. A written response is not necessary, but if nominated, by agreeing to allow his name to remain on the ballot, each nominee will be affirming to the Council of Elders that he has prayerfully considered this question and may, with integrity, allow himself to be considered. It is also understood that a man may decline nomination for reasons that are of a completely different nature, and that declining nomination in no way implies concerns about integrity. You may confer privately with others of your choice if you would like some counsel in this area.”

An exhortation to prayerfully consider prior to the meeting whether to agree to being considered to serve as chairman or deputy chairman, and/or who to nominate for these positions.
An opportunity to withdraw one’s name from consideration.
Other information as seems appropriate.
Council discussion may occur, if there is a need, with the presenter mentioned above moderating.
[The following steps must be in a different meeting, which according to Bylaws 8.2.1 and 8.2.2 can only have one item of business.]

The Secretary will then call for nominations for chairman (and later for deputy chairman), from the names remaining. Nominations must be written and secret. Only Council members may nominate. Each Council member may place only one name in nomination, from the list of those who agreed to allow their names to be considered.

The Secretary will read, in alphabetical order, without reference to the number of nominations, the names that have been nominated.
If there is more than one nominee, the Secretary will call for a recess of thirty minutes to allow time for discussion.
When the Council returns from recess the Secretary will offer each nominee the opportunity to make a statement.
A prayer is to be asked before each election is conducted (chairman and deputy chairman, in turn). The Secretary shall choose who is to lead the prayer.
The Secretary will then conduct the ballot, according to Bylaw 8.2.1, which stipulates that “The chairman of the Council is to be elected by a two-thirds (2/3) secret ballot of the Council. If after three (3) ballots no candidate is elected, the top two (2), or more where a tie exists for the first and/or second position, candidates will be balloted on and the chairman shall be elected by a simple majority of the Council.”
On the fifth ballot, and for each subsequent ballot, if there are three (3) or more candidates remaining, the name or names if there is a tie, with the fewest ballots will be dropped, so long as this step does not reduce the candidates to one name.
The Secretary will announce the result, when known. The newly elected or reelected chairman will take the floor to conduct the remainder of the meeting, although the Secretary would still be the one to conduct the election for the deputy chairman. The process to elect the deputy chairman shall also conform to Bylaws 8.2.1 and 8.2.2, and will be picked up at step 4, above, although there may not be the need for another recess.
After the deputy chairman is elected, the newly elected or reelected chairman shall close the meeting. (8.2.1)

Satisfied that they had accomplished as much as this video meeting allowed, Chairman Webber proposed to hold the final agenda items for the next video meeting or the regular, quarterly, face-to-face meeting during the final week of this month of February. All responded in the affirmative, and the meeting ended at 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

-end-

Randy Stiver

Council Reporter

Council of Elders - United Church of God

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Council of Elder Meeting Report - February 11, 2014