Bylaws
Preamble
Desiring to associate with the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, a California Nonprofit
Corporation, as an affiliate, under the spiritual and ecclesiastical direction and government of the presiding Bishop of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion; adhering to the Constitution, Canons, Administrative, Legislative and Ecclesiastical Norms and By-laws, the faith, doctrine and order of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, we the undersigned adopt the following Articles as the By-laws of this organization, Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community.
Mission Statement
We, the Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community celebrate our Catholic tradition as a reflection of Christ, who calls us to acceptance and unconditional love.
In response to this call, we endeavor to be a welcoming, compassionate and healing presence in or community and in our world.
The people of "Light of Christ" support spiritual growth through Prayer, Ecumenism, Education, Outreach, Justice, Peace and Small Christian Communities.
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Article I: Name and Organization
The name of this nonprofit organization shall be Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community. The principal office of the nonprofit corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of Colorado, is to be located in the City of Longmont, in the County of Boulder, in the State of Colorado.
Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community is organized exclusively for charitable and religious purposes. No part of the net earnings of Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, Council members, or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth above.
No substantial part of the activities of Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles, this corporation shall not, except to an insubstantial degree, engage in any activities or exercise any powers that are not in furtherance of the purposes of this corporation.
Article II: Confession of Faith
Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community, believes and accepts: All of the articles of faith as contained in the Ecumenical Catholic Communion's Constitution and Bylaws dated 10/27/2003.
Should any future revision or amendment to the Ecumenical Catholic Communion's Constitution and Bylaws conflict with the beliefs of Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community, the Community should prayerfully discern these changes. If the changes cannot be reconciled into the Community’s belief system, consideration should be given to withdraw from the Ecumenical Catholic Communion.
Article III: Parish Ministries
The major Ministry categories are Administration, Education, Liturgy, Outreach, Small Christian Communities, Stewardship.
Part A: The responsibilities of these Ministries are:
Administration - The Administration Ministry provides the communications, facility scheduling, advertising, press releases, record keeping (historical, membership, Sacramental) and other office functions.
Education - The Education Ministry is responsible for developing religious education programs for both children and adults. In addition, the Education Ministry is responsible for developing Sacramental preparation programs for the Sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, Reconciliation, Confirmation and Matrimony.
Liturgy - The Liturgy Ministry finds a way to help parishioners experience more meaningful rituals through the use of words, actions, artwork, symbols and the environment in general. This Ministry is responsible for helping the community more fully partake in the celebrations and coordinates the efforts of volunteers responsible for planning, music, lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, sacristans, bread makers, sound ministers, audiovisuals, artwork, preparation of the altar, presenters of the gifts, launders, and others.
Outreach - The Outreach Ministry organizes ways for Light of Christ parishioners to reach out to those in need in many ways. The Outreach Ministry is responsible for finding ways to support many local human service agencies as well as develop parish-wide outreach efforts.
Small Christian Communities - The Small Christian Communities Ministry is responsible for assisting in the creation and support of small groups of people who gather on a regular basis to share prayer, education, outreach and support one another in living the Gospel. The Small Christian Communities Ministry is also responsible for the establishment of middle and high school youth groups.
Stewardship- The Stewardship Ministry is responsible for guiding the parish in the design of appropriate methods to encourage the giving of Time, Talent and Treasure by all parishioners, with the goal to lead the entire parish community into a Stewardship way of life. The Stewardship Ministry is also responsible for establishing administrative and fiscal policies to make the best use of parish resources for parish goals, to implement and monitor the parish budget.
Part B: If and when new Ministries develop within the parish, the Ministry Council will have the power to approve formation of the new Ministries. All new Ministries will be a subset of the Ministry categories listed in "Part A" of this section.
Article IV: Parish Organization
The business and affairs of this Parish, a nonprofit organization, shall be managed by the Ministry Council.
Part A: The Ministry Council is comprised of a representative from the following Ministries: Administration, Education, Liturgy, Outreach, Small Christian Communities, Stewardship; two (2) Parish Representatives (an Adult representative and a Youth Representative); and the Pastor. All representatives shall be 18 or older. All positions have voting rights.
Part B: All positions (other than the Pastor, Clergy and Lay Pastoral Associate) are volunteer. The Ministry Representatives will normally come forward out of the volunteers within that Ministry. The Ministry Council may seek volunteers from the congregation, if volunteers are not forthcoming. The Parish Representatives will volunteer from the congregation. If there are multiple volunteers for a position, the Ministry Council will put the choice to a vote of the Parish. In addition to the voting members of the Ministry Council, there will be a high school Youth Advisor/s which will assist the Parish Youth Representative (see Part C). All positions, with the exception of the Pastor, will serve a maximum of two years, with a maximum of two consecutive terms. All terms will begin and end with the regularly scheduled meeting in September of each year (if more than one meeting is scheduled than the first meeting in September). Ministry Council may remove a Council member for just cause by consensus of the full Ministry Council.
Part C: The Youth Advisor/s shall be at least 15 years of age and will be a non-voting member. This position may be shared, allowing for conflict due to other activities.
Part D: The Pastor will be an equal voting member except in those cases where the Council is discerning matters where there is a conflict of interest on the part of the Pastor.
Part E: The Ministry Council is responsible for the governance of the Parish. This shall include but not be limited to:
I.Vision
II.Coordination of the individual Ministries
III.Pastoral direction
IV.Hiring and firing
V.Financial accountability
The Ministry Council shall maintain a sense of Christian unity and fellowship while carrying out their responsibilities.
Part F: Meetings will be conducted by a consensus process. In taking the consensus of the members of the Ministry Council, the presiding Facilitator may call for a "vote."
Part G: Consensus decision making requires a Facilitator. The Facilitator will be chosen by the Ministry Council as needed.
Part H: The Ministry Council acts as the "board of directors" for legal purposes. The "board" will have two officers "President" / Facilitator and the Secretary. The "President" / Facilitator and the Secretary will be chosen by the Ministry Council. Parish decisions will still be made by consensus.
Part I: A recording secretary may be assigned from within the Council or a non-member may perform this duty.
Part J: The Ministry Council shall meet at least once a month or more frequently as needed.
Article V: Parish Decision Process
Part A: Ordinary parish decision making authority is distributed as follows:
I.Pastor - Subject to the approval of the Bishop, that Pastor is the decision maker in these areas:
A.Management of the Parish Clergy. The Pastor shall have authority to dismiss any Parish Clergy, and shall make recommendations to the Bishop and Ministry Council for priest and deacon candidates.
B.Supervision of Parish volunteer administration personnel.
C.Oversees liturgical programs and initiatives within the Parish.
II.Ministry Council - The ordinary decision making responsibilities of the Ministry Council are specified in Article IV of these Bylaws.
III.Special decision making provisions - Under extraordinary circumstances special decision making processes are required.
A.To seek membership in the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, join a particular diocese, or separate from either of these, the following conditions must be met:
1.Consensus of the full Ministry Council, in favor
2.Assent of the Pastor
3.Approval of the Congregation
Part B: Selection of a Pastor
I.The Ministry Council seeks volunteers for a Selection Committee from the laity.
II.The Selection Committee performs a search for and interviews potential candidates.
III.The Selection Committee presents their recommended candidate to the Bishop for approval.
IV.After approval, the candidate is presented to the Ministry Council. A simple majority vote of the full Ministry Council is required.
V.The approved candidate is presented by the Ministry Council to the Parish at a special meeting. A majority vote of those parishioners present is required.
Part C: Removal of a Pastor - The Ministry Council, with the Bishop as an observer, will conduct proceedings to remove the Pastor. Should there be a deadlock, arbitration may be used. When it is concluded that the Pastor is to be removed, the Bishop will remove the Pastor from his position.
I.Criteria / Grounds - In the event that all attempts at reconciliation have failed, the following criteria may be considered valid reasons to pursue removal of the Pastor:
A.Incompetence
B.Unconstitutional behavior
C.Abuse of power
D.Doctrinal misconduct
E.Criminal misconduct
F.Physical, mental, or emotional problems that prevent a pastor from performing the duties outlined in the Bylaws.
I.Condition - To remove a Pastor, all of the following conditions must be met:
A.A consensus of the full Ministry Council, in favor of removing the Pastor.
B.A special meeting of all Parish members. Of those present, a majority vote in favor of removing the Pastor is needed.
Part D: All matters of public relations must be reviewed by the Ministry Council before they are presented to the public (i.e. bulletin, web site, news ads). All decisions and policies that affect the congregation as a whole must be presented to the Ministry Council.
Article VI: Membership
Baptized Christians 18 years or older attending services at Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community may enhance their commitment to their spiritual life and increase their participation by becoming a Member of our faith community. Members are entitled to vote on issues referred to them. Members are also eligible to hold positions on the Ministry Council and may serve as leaders for the Parish Ministry Committees. Those not wishing to become Members are always welcome to participate in Church services and attend Church events.
Article VII: Clergy
Part A: Clergy
It shall be the responsibility of all the Clergy to:
I.Provide spiritual leadership to our faith community.
II.Ensure the healthy development and growth of our faith community according to the doctrine and theology of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion.
III.Ensure that Church decisions and actions reflect the Mission Statement and teachings stated in Articles II and III of this Constitution.
Part B: Pastors
A Pastor is an ordained priest who is the spiritual leader of our faith community. Pastors are under the authority of a Bishop, and are responsible for the spiritual life of the faith community.
A Pastor shall:
I.Oversee and guide the activities of all Clergy in their parish responsibilities.
II.Oversee the liturgical programs of the Parish.
III.Serve as a voting ex-officio member and Clergy representative of the Ministry Council.
IV.Assist in the budgeting and business planning of the Parish.
V.Supervise Parish administration.
VI.Develop and maintain relationships with the members of the faith community.
VII.Reserve the right to veto, after consultation with any Associate Pastors, the appointment of any parishioner to a Parish Committee or Ministry Council without explanation. This protects the privacy of the Parishioner, while allowing the Pastor to exercise privileged information, with the exception of confessional material, in the best interests of the Parish.
While Pastors are responsible for the general well being of their Parish, their areas of special authority in their Parish are theological, spiritual, and liturgical. All other areas are delegated to the Ministry Council and the Ministry Committees. The Pastor is a spiritual advisor to these entities, and they shall defer to the Pastor in theological, spiritual, and liturgical matters.
Part C: Ministry Council Responsibilities
I.All decisions of the Ministry Council shall uphold the values of the Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community Mission Statement.
II.Call a Pastor as needed. This will include a concise job description reflecting the needs of the Parish.
III.The Pastor will be provided an annual review of performance. There should be an ongoing dialog with the Pastor regarding performance to ensure the results of the annual review do not result in any surprises.
IV.The Pastor will provide an annual review of performance to all Clergy. There should be an ongoing dialog with the Pastor regarding performance of the Clergy to ensure the results of the annual review do not result in any surprises.
V.Hire additional Clergy, as needed, for the growth of the congregation.
VI.Decide on a livable wage for the Pastor and Clergy as determined by the local cost of living. Housing and or insurance may be considered as part of a compensation package to meet the living wage.
VII.Human resource policy and procedures (to be determined as needed).
Article VIII: Dissolution of Property Rights
In the event that the Parish is dissolved as an entity, its assets are dispersed as specified by the Parish Article of Incorporation: once all debts and obligations are paid, the remainder of the Parish assets must be donated to a similar non-profit entity. The Ministry Council shall decide which non-profit entity will receive the remaining assets. If agreement cannot be reached by the remaining members of the Ministry Council, the decision shall be made by the remaining members of the Parish.
Article IX: Amendment to these Bylaws
Part A: Submission
An amendment to the Bylaws shall be submitted by a parishioner to the full Ministry Council one month prior to the Council meeting in which the amendment shall be voted on.
Part B: Voting
Adoption of an Amendment shall require a favorable vote of consensus of the full Ministry Council. Votes may be made in absentia.
Part C: Implementation
An adopted Amendment shall take effect immediately unless otherwise resolved by the Ministry Council.
Part D: Ratification
Initial ratification of the Bylaws, or complete replacement of the Bylaws, shall require a favorable consensus of the full Ministry Council.