Bylaw No. 5 STANDING COMMITTEES
ITEM 1: The duties of all standing committees not otherwise defined shall be fixed by the Congregation Council from whom they will receive needed instructions and by whom their acts shall be subject to review (ref. C13.07.).
ITEM 2: Members of the standing committees shall serve for one year with an option to serve up to six consecutive years. Each committee shall consist of a Congregation Council member serving as chair and other interested voting members of the congregation. Both the pastor(s) and the president shall have a voice and a vote in all standing committees of the congregation.
ITEM 3: There shall be a committee on WORSHIP AND MUSIC. This committee shall:
ITEM 5: There shall be a committee on CHURCH PROPERTY. This committee shall:
ITEM 8: There shall be a committee on STEWARDSHIP of which the treasurer shall be a member ex officio. This committee shall:
ITEM 1: The duties of all standing committees not otherwise defined shall be fixed by the Congregation Council from whom they will receive needed instructions and by whom their acts shall be subject to review (ref. C13.07.).
ITEM 2: Members of the standing committees shall serve for one year with an option to serve up to six consecutive years. Each committee shall consist of a Congregation Council member serving as chair and other interested voting members of the congregation. Both the pastor(s) and the president shall have a voice and a vote in all standing committees of the congregation.
ITEM 3: There shall be a committee on WORSHIP AND MUSIC. This committee shall:
- assist the Congregation Council in seeing that the services of God’s house are conducted regularly and in accordance with approved liturgies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America;
- see that competent ushers, acolytes, lectors, communion assistants, and greeters are recruited, trained, and scheduled;
- see that hymnals and other devotional materials are provided and properly cared for;
- supervise and strive to advance the welfare and effective service of the choirs of the congregation;
- arrange for the care of paraments, vestments, and musical instruments;
- in consultation with the pastor, the organist, and choir director(s), furnish music supplies appropriate for use in the worship of a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
- develop a comprehensive plan for a variety of educational opportunities for all members;
- oversee the conduct and promotion of the schools and educational activities within the congregation;
- encourage the use of teachers’ and worship materials published or approved by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America;
- seek to introduce spiritual periodicals and books of family devotion into the homes of the congregation;
- bring the call to the ministry of the Gospel and to other full-time church vocations to the attention of qualified individuals of the congregation.
ITEM 5: There shall be a committee on CHURCH PROPERTY. This committee shall:
- see to the proper maintenance and protection of all property of the congregation;
- take care that the same is kept in good repair;
- develop and maintain an on-going maintenance program.
- oversee responsibilities in planning and implementing congregational events and activities of all organizations that encourage and promote fellowship and interaction among the members;
- events may include, but are not limited to, dinners, picnics, coffees, special receptions , and small groups.
- oversee all financial affairs of the congregation;
- coordinate the development of the financial budget and prepare a budget draft for the succeeding year, submitting the draft to the Congregation Council for its action and later presentation at a congregational meeting and using as guidelines and procedures those set forth by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Indiana-Kentucky Synod in making recommendations to the Congregation Council for establishing the budget draft;
- recommend to the Congregation Council and the congregation the salaries and fringe benefits together with basic personnel policies for clergy and lay employees;
- monitor the receipts and expenditures of all funds, including bequests, memorials, and special funds;
- be responsible for the congregation’s investments, its total insurance program, accounting, and banking procedures;
- see that all financial obligations of the congregation are paid promptly and that benevolence monies are forwarded regularly;
- provide for an annual audit of the church’s financial records of the treasurer and financial secretary, investment records, and records of organizations within the congregation;
- issue monthly financial reports, present reports at Congregation Council meetings, and provide information to the congregation;
- schedule offering counters;
- at the conclusion of the calendar year, prepare an annual financial report, showing the actual versus budgeted income and disbursements, and publish it in the periodical of this church.
ITEM 8: There shall be a committee on STEWARDSHIP of which the treasurer shall be a member ex officio. This committee shall:
- evoke and promote the expression of Christian faith in daily living;
- teach the Christian use of time, abilities, and money;
- diffuse knowledge of the congregation’s local, national, and world-wide ministries;
- plan a year-round stewardship program to insure involvement of all members of the congregation in the work, interests, and support of the church;
- lead all its members to higher levels of proportionate giving for the Lord’s work;
- be responsible for the annual Every Member Response and other congregational efforts which lead to informed and grateful giving.
- determine internet technology needs to better inform the community at large learn about this Congregation;
- use technology to increase communication between committees and members of the congregation;
- determine all church office technology needs including software;
- manage church software;
- determine ways to use technology in worship; and
- educate members of the congregation regarding the use of technological advances in church worship, education and evangelism.
- promote the congregation’s vision and opportunities for sharing the Good News;
- develop objectives and strategies for the congregation’s evangelism programs;
- plan, coordinate, and implement outreach to inactive members and the unchurched;
- study and interpret community trends and needs, and determine how the Evangelism Committee and the congregation can strengthen community ties/activities to serve the community and the congregation;
- maintain a list of potential new members in cooperation with the pastor(s).
- work with the board of the school to continue this ministry and
- establish a mutually agreed upon calendar so events are scheduled in advance.
- extend Christian compassion and helpfulness to the ill, the aged, the orphaned, the imprisoned, and, in general, persons of all ages in need of aid in body or soul;
- strive to enlist in these efforts as many as possible of the individual members and organizations of the congregation;
- study social conditions, primarily in the local community, in order to bring the cleansing and healing light of Christian truth to bear upon critical problems through thoughtful Christian discussion of facts and issues.
- maintain communication concerning the attitudes and conditions within the congregation;
- discover early warnings of misunderstanding within the congregation;
- be a listening post for the pastor(s) and the congregation;
- resolve conflict;
- appraise the ministry of the pastor(s) and the congregation;
- be a sounding board for the pastor(s) in time of personal or professional stress;
- identify continuing education opportunities that would assist the ministry of the pastor(s) and the goals of the congregation;
- be concerned for the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of the pastor(s);
- be composed of no more than eight members, of which two shall be members of the Congregation Council and two shall serve by appointment of the pastor(s).