i-church is a charitable company under UK law and as such it has a board of trustees. The trustees are nominated by the Bishop of Oxford according to the rules of the company. The trustees have the ultimate say in the running of i-church, as is the case in any charity.
In practice, the trustees concentrate on certain areas of i-church's life. They oversee the provision of proper, accountable, pastoral care; they make sure we remain at core an Anglican community, while being inclusive and welcoming; they watch over the financial and legal ramifications of what we do. As you can see, the board of trustees is central. What the trustees don't do is concentrate on the front-line, day-to-day running of i-church.
The Council is, as you know, elected by the i-church membership. (Technically speaking, the membership of the Council must be ratified by the trustees.) The role of the Council is formally to "support and advise the Trustees and the Web Pastor in the mission of i-church."
What the Council does
Terms of reference:
- The role of Council is to formally support and advise the Trustees and the Web Pastor in furthering the mission and ministry of i-church.
- Council members discuss i-church policy and develop working documents for the day-to-day operations of i-church.
- Council plans i-church events, oversees development of new features and the overall ongoing development of i-church.
- Council identifies the assets and talents of i-church members and suggests potential candidates to fill various roles in i-church such as forum moderators, publicity, communications and other areas.
- Council members identify issues that arise in i-church and bring to Council's attention any questions or concerns from the membership.
- Council manages the i-church finances
- The Council is not primarily here to respond to particular situations that may arise from day-to-day that fall under the auspices of forum moderators, pastors, conveners of various groups, etc. Council may discuss a situation after the event if one of our policy documents needs to change, but Council is not here to second guess the work of each moderator, pastor, group, etc.
Standing Orders:
- Council members, once elected by the membership, must be approved by the Trustees. In order to receive that approval they must confirm that they will act within the rules of behaviour for Council members as outlined here.
- Council holds continuous discussions in the Council Forum as well as regularly scheduled meetings in Live Chat. Council members are expected to be active in discussions. When a Council member expects to be absent for more than three days, they should post in the Apologies for Absence thread in the Council Chamber.
- At times discussions may reach a point where action may be taken by a formal motion and second. Formal discussion will continue for a set time at the discretion of the Lay Chairman. On the closing date, the Lay Chairman will set up a poll with a set time for votes to be cast. Discussion will cease while polling is underway.
- Once a decision is made by Council, members are expected to uphold that decision in their interactions with members, even if they personally did not support the course of action finally decided upon. This is the essential corporate responsibility expected to be exercised by Council members.
- Council members are expected to be respectful of others' opinions, within Council as well as on the general discussion boards, even when disagreeing. They should make it plain that they are speaking for themselves and not officially for Council in their posts, if it appears that this could be misinterpreted. Being a Council member inevitably limits individual freedom as any action by a Council member will be seen as setting the tone of i-church.
- Council members are to respect the confidentiality of Council discussions. What happens in Council stays in Council until such time as an approved working paper, decision or report is issued, unless an exception to this is agreed by Council.
- Should a Council member behave in a way which is unbecoming of their position, the Lay Chairman will discuss this with the member. Should resolution not be reached in this way, the Grievance Procedure will be used and the member may be suspended for a period of time if this is considered to be in the best interests of reaching a fair decision. The Trustees will be informed if the Lay Chairman considers it necessary to use the Grievance Procedure for a Council member.
- As Council members are approved by the Trustees, they may only be excluded from Council in the final instance by the Trustees. It is the responsibility of the Lay Chairman to ensure the Trustees receive the necessary information to enable them to make their decision.
- Each Council member will be expected to head up at least one aspect of Council operations, for example, membership statistics, development of a proposal for a working paper, liaison with heads of other i-church groups, etc., as assigned by the Lay Chairman recognizing each individual Council member's talents and particular interests, and report back to Council on a regular basis.
- Council members should be supportive of others who are charged with a particular task and should offer help or information if this would be useful, however they should be aware of boundaries. If the job belongs to someone else, they should be allowed to get on with it without interference from other Council members.
- Council members who have more than one role to perform should be careful to wear the right ‘hat’ at any given time.
The role of the Lay Chairman
The Lay Chairman is elected annually by i-church Council members once elections for Council are completed (usually in April) and any new members have been admitted to the Council forum. Anyone who is not already an officer is eligible to stand. The Lay Chairman once elected by Council, is approved by the Trustees.
The Lay Chairman enables the i-church Council to carry out its role of planning the ongoing development of i-church. This involves the day to day running of the Council forums, setting the agenda, facilitating discussion, calling polls, and implementing Council procedures. In polls the Lay Chairman has a casting vote.
Currently, in the absence of a Web Pastor and with no Standing Committee, the Lay Chairman may make emergency decisions on behalf of the Council, consulting with others if there is time but acting alone if necessary and then reporting back on action taken.
The Lay Chairman handles the Grievance Procedure of i-church as published in Docs.
The Lay Chairman also handles discipline within Council. Should a Council member behave in a way which is unbecoming of their position, the Lay Chairman will discuss this with the member. Should resolution not be reached in this way, the Grievance Procedure will be used and the member may be suspended for a period of time if this is considered to be in the best interests of reaching a fair decision. The Trustees will be informed if the Lay Chairman considers it necessary to use the Grievance Procedure for a Council member.
As Council members are approved by the Trustees, they may only be excluded from Council in the final instance by the Trustees. It is the responsibility of the Lay Chairman to ensure the Trustees receive the necessary information to enable them to make their decision.
The Lay Chairman acts as the voice of the Council in conveying Council decisions to the membership and in consulting members about the development of the community. S/he delegates tasks to sub-committees and working groups as appropriate to carry out the work of Council. The Lay Chairman helps each Council member to use their talents and interests in their work in Council by assigning them tasks to take forward and report back on.
The Lay Chairman works with the Council Secretary to ensure that internal record keeping is in accordance with Council procedure and that the membership receives a monthly report on Council activity. S/he hosts a quarterly meeting in chat with members where questions can be asked and suggestions received. S/he also hosts a monthly Council meeting in chat.
The Lay Chairman works with the Web Pastor and other officers to further the mission and ministry of i-church as directed by the Trustees. S/he fulfils the Council’s duty to report to the Trustees and to implement any policies and procedures required by the Trustees. S/he attends Trustee meetings as required.
The Lay Chairman, along with the Web Pastor, Deputy Lay Chairman and PR officer may act as the public face of i-church at conferences etc and give presentations or interviews on behalf of i-church as agreed by Council and Trustees.
The Role of the Deputy Lay Chairman
The Deputy Lay Chairman carries out the duties of the Lay Chairman in their absence and supports the work of the Lay Chairman on a day to day basis. In addition, the Deputy may be asked to chair a discussion where there might be a conflict of interest if it was chaired by the Lay Chairman.
The Structure of the Council Area
- Forum: Council Chamber
This is for formal Council business with an agenda managed by chairman/deputy in the manner decided by Council and with voting or consensus decisions as agreed by Council. This is the priority area for all Council members to attend to.
* Future Agenda Items is a pinned topic. This contains topics posted by Council members, topics from previous discussions, and topics that need revisiting at a given time. Posts in this area will be moved in order to start topics for discussion or sections will be deleted as their contents are formed into discussion starters.
* Apologies for absence is pinned here.
* The Agenda is pinned here.
* Formal agenda items will be discussed here, voted on, and implemented.
* All financial matters would be discussed here.
* Emergency topics from council members will be raised here. - Forum: Council Discussions
This is the informal area where any member may raise any idea or question with no restrictions on time or number of topics.
Should a topic in Council Discussions move in such a way that it needs formal discussion, it may be added to Future Agenda Items. Discussion can continue in Council Discussions until the item is moved in its entirety to the Council Chamber.
Items in Council Discussions that result in consensus may be implemented without a formal vote. The member starting the topic should summarise it and note the number of members who agreed to the decision. Implementation can then take place.
Any topic which requires a decision on money must go to Council Chamber for a final decision. - Forum: Council Records
This forum comprises several sub-forums. The list is not exhaustive but represents what seems to be needed currently.
- Sub-forum: Council Decisions
Topics that are completed in the Council Chamber or that have come to a decision in Council Discussions are moved here.
All topics will have a Topic Summary as the last post.
These summaries will form Council minutes to be gathered by the secretary in a pinned topic. - Sub-forum: Council Correspondence
This contains letters etc to and from parties outside council. - Sub-forum: Small group applications
Each small group will be listed as a separate topic with their answers to the questions needed for setting up and any other important details. - Sub-forum: Reports
Much of this will also be in Docs. The list is not exhaustive. Reports should go straight into this forum.
Treasurer’s reports
Secretary’s reports
Small group reports (3 monthly)
Other group reports (Publicity etc)
Annual reports
Community profile
Reports from the vision day and preparation for it (maybe as links) - Sub-forum: Procedures
Some of this will also be in Docs. the list is not exhaustive.
How council works
Financial policy
Copyright and copying policy
Moderation guidelines - Sub-forum: Job descriptions
- Sub-forum: Grant applications
- Sub-forum: Council Decisions
- Forum: Special discussions
- Sub forum:Web pastor appointment process
- Sub forum: Council-Trustees
- Sub-forum: Interviewers
Voting
When the Council votes, all members of the Council have one vote, including co-opted members and ex officio members. If necessary the Chairman of that discussion has an additional, casting vote. A vote is carried when the number of votes in favour is greater than the number of votes against a motion, providing always that the number of council members participating in the poll is greater than 50% of the current full Council membership.
Timeline for Council action
- A topic opens either as a discussion or as a proposal.
- Discussion takes place (up to 14 days usually but variable at the discretion of the chairman).
- Summary and draft proposal posted (by the topic starter or chairman).
- Discussion of draft takes place (up to 7 days but variable at the discretion of the chairman).
- Amendments of wording should be agreed in this period by consensus or friendly amendment.
- Final proposal is posted (by Chairman only) including agreed changes.
- Proposal is seconded (if not seconded in 7 days the motion fails and alternatives may then be proposed by the chairman or the topic may be abandoned).
- Vote begins immediately after the proposal is seconded (vote runs for 4 days with the result being declared once a majority is achieved but voting continues for the full term).
- All discussion ceases during the vote.
- Once a result is declared an amendment may be discussed immediately if there is a majority of council in favour of this. Alternatively the amendment may be added to Future Agenda Items.
- Agreement on a proposal may be reached by consensus if appropriate without the use of a formal poll.
The Agenda
- There is a pinned agenda in the Council forum, showing topics currently under discussion.
- Any item which a council member would like to be formally discussed by council should be posted in 'Future Agenda Items'. It should be written as an opening post for the topic with a suggested topic title at the top of the post.
- If items come from non council members and are sent to any member of council they should be posted in 'Future Agenda Items' and will be given priority wherever practical.
- Usually all topics will be dealt with (if possible in the order of arrival). However, it may be that there is a delay if something has only just been discussed. If a topic is unsuitable in some way then the member will be contacted to discuss this.
- Once the chairman deems that enough current business has been concluded or is sitting in the background, an item or items from those waiting will be opened for discussion by moving the post into a new topic of its own with the title suggested by the poster. Any new item opened will be added by the chairman to the top of the agenda list maintained by the secretary.
- If a current item has a poll added to it, the chairman will add this to the list of polls in the agenda.
- If an emergency topic arises, a council member can post it immediately.
- If a council member has suggested a topic but thinks it has been delayed too long, they may post a topic in Council Discussions Forum stating this and asking any other members to indicate if they wish to discuss it anyway. If a majority of the council (not including the chairman) indicate that they wish the topic to go ahead it will be posted.
Procedure for appointing a Lay Chairman and Deputy
The Council shall appoint a member of the Council to be Lay Chairman and one to be Deputy Chairman to serve until the next Council convenes.
Nominations for the Chairman and Deputy will be sought from within the membership of the Council, and will be open to any council member who does not hold another office.
The Secretary of the Council or the Web Pastor will nominate a date not less than seven (7) days from the notification of an election when nominations must be received. Nominations will take the form of members indicating if they are willing to stand for either/both positions.
If more than one nomination is made then voting for Lay Chairman will take place immediately following the deadline for nominations.
Voting shall be by poll. Voting shall take place over a seven (7) day period. Should there be a tie a second poll will take place. Should all votes have been cast before the seven day period expires, the result may be declared.
Once the Lay Chairman is elected, a poll to elect the Deputy Chairman will be held if there is more than one nomination. Voting will take place over a seven (7) day period. A second poll will take place in the event of a tie. Should all votes have been cast before the seven day period expires, the result may be declared.
Reporting of activities
The process for reports on Council business to members should be as follows:
The council report is posted in 'How i-church works' in the second week of the month (8th-14th). Reports from groups (currently Finance, Publicity, Engine Room, Worship Leaders) should be received in the first week of the month (1st-7th) and a brief precis of group activity should be included in the report to members. The secretary should publish the report in council first and this way it can be proofread or briefly checked. It should be posted in 'How i-church' works 24 hours later incorporating any adjustments for typos etc.
The Treasurer's report should be published separately as it's a significant document in its own right. This should also be in the second week of the month and should go in 'How i-church works'.
Reports from groups can take the form of 'Nothing to report' if necessary but should be substantive at least quarterly.
The monthly Council and Treasurer's reports are collected for future reference in Docs.
Every three months (November, February, May and August) there will be an Open House for members to ask questions of council members about the reports or any other matter of concern to them.
Election Procedure
These rules are to be read in conjunction with Policy Po8 in i-church Docs.
Council will appoint a Returning Officer to oversee and conduct the election.
The Returning Officer shall not be eligible to stand for election nor shall he/she be entitled to vote in the election save in the event of a tie for any vacancy, whereupon the Returning Officer shall vote in such a way as to break the tie.
The Returning Officer shall announce (as directed by Council):
- the date and time when nominations must be received
- the date and time of the commencement of voting
- the date and time when voting will cease
There shall be at least a 24 hour period between the period of nomination and the commencement of voting. Voting will commence within 72 hours of the close of nominations.
The Returning Officer will provide the Trustees with a complete list of all nominated candidates within 24 hours of the close of nominations. The Returning Officer will validate and certify that all candidates, nominators and seconds are enrolled members of i-church.
All discussion and debate regarding matters relating to candidates in the election shall not be permitted once voting commences. The Returning Officer shall have power to delete any and all such postings immediately at his/her absolute discretion.
The Returning Officer shall publish the list of valid nominations received no later than 7 days after nominations commence and maintain the list as further nominations are received.
The Returning Officer will send copies of the raw election data to two members of i-church not involved in the election to verify that the data processed in the STV software is correct. These verifying members will be agreed with Council. Technical Admin will have to arrange for these verifying members to have access to the raw data as processed by the voting application.
All candidates will be sent a full copy of the results and the results sheets as soon as practicable and no later than 3 days after voting ceases.
The results of the election will be published in i-church Times (or the equivalent) in alphabetical order of first name and in the following manner.
- Albert A - eliminated in round 3
- Bertha B - 21 votes
- Charlie C - eliminated in round 5
- David D - 21 votes
- Elizabeth E - 20 votes
- Fred F - eliminated round 4
I declare that Bertha B, David D and Elizabeth E are duly elected to Council to serve until yyyy.
The result of the election will be posted as soon as is practical after the Trustees have approved the successful candidates.
Correspondence
All substantive communications with any person or organisation outside council are recorded in the Correspondence forum for future reference.