Policy Documents
There are three main documents that are used to govern the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. They include the Bylaws, the Governance and Ministry Policy Manual, and the Ends. The Congregational Blueprint is a document that archives which Means are used to achieve the Ends.
Board Minutes
Board of Trustees Meeting, October 19, 2011
Congregational Meeting, October 16, 2011
Board of Trustees Meeting, September 22, 2011
For minutes from previous fiscal years, please see the printed archives in the church office.
Bylaws
The Bylaws of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia were revised in May 2011.
Policy Manual
The Governance and Ministry Policy Manual, revised on May 18, 2010, includes the minister's interpretations. This manual is published by the Board of Trustees of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia to control the governance and management of the Church. They should be read in conjunction with the Bylaws of the Church and the Personnel Policies. Should conflict exist between these documents, the Bylaws will take precedence. The Board of Trustees approved policies in November 2005, and began using them immediately, with the knowledge that this document is a work-in-progress, to be improved with use and added to as needs arise.
Download Governance and Ministry Policy Manual (Revised: May 18, 2011)
Ends for 2011-2012
The Ends Statements refers to the effects we seek to have on the world outside ourselves. Our work will cause something to be different for someone at some cost. All programs in the church are aligned to achieve these Ends.
Ends and Interpretations (Revised: August 14, 2011)
The Congregational Blueprint
In 2009, the congregation created the “Congregational Blueprint” - a master document consisting of Ends, Interpretations and Means. The Board of Trustees took information from the congregation to develop Ends, which clearly prioritized the mission of the church by identifying what impact we want to make, for whom, and at what cost in terms of monetary and human resources. The Ministry Leadership Team interpreted them, which were later deemed by the Trustees to be “reasonable interpretations” of the Ends. Once refined, the various Ministry Teams reflected upon how their programs served as Means by which to achieve the Ends as interpreted by the Ministry Leadership Team. Said another way, the church leaders were asked what activities were being aligned to this larger vision? The results were profound – thanks to months of intentional dialogue we know where we are going, for what purpose, and how we want to get there. And that’s the joy of it all: to collectively participate in an intentional community!
© 2012 Created by First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia.
