This is an ad hoc committee appointed by the Prudential Committee to look into ways in which the standing committees of the church can become more effective. The Committee has consisted of nine members: two representatives each from the Prudential Committee and the Board of Deacons and five others who are members of the Permanent Diaconate.
These are: Barry Bayon, John Chaney, Bill Claflin, Mary Hazeltine, Kathryn Mandel, Caroline Patterson, Bill Templeton, Peter Thornton, and Maureen Whittemore. Additionally, our discussions have been greatly enriched by our Senior and Associate Pastors: Rebecca Spencer, Claudia Demick, and Derek White. We have benefited greatly from their insights.
It has been an exciting year for us! We met on five occasions, conducted two calendar planning/leadership orientation seminars, put on a lively Committee Faire, created bylaw amendments which were adopted last January, and met with representatives of three committees to discuss committee leadership. All of these activities appeared to create interest and enthusiasm among the participants.
We have now come to the end of our charge and our existence, realizing that the church will benefit from the continuation of some of these activities; and we have considered alternative mechanisms for bringing that about. After considering several possibilities, we settled upon and have recommended the creation of a Leadership Committee of the Permanent Diaconate.
This committee would have responsibility to: (a) organize and manage annual Calendar Planning sessions, possibly in late June and early January, (b) conduct standing committee chair/officer orientation sessions at least once a year, (c) consult with individual committees when needed or appropriate, and (d) consider from time to time possible bylaw changes when the need for them becomes apparent.
We have also recommended that the Church Nominating Committee organize and manage a “Committee Faire” early in the nominating season each year, as a way of expanding the congregation’s knowledge of our standing committees and of generating interest in serving on particular committees.
The members of the Leadership Development Committee have been honored to serve as members of this committee; we believe that we have stimulated progress in ways that our standing committees operate; and we have been excited by the conversations we have held and the potentialities that are opening up for our standing committees.
