Church Governance

Church governance is organized as described in our By-Laws.

Purpose of the Council:

The Leadership Council is elected by the members of the congregation to carry out the governance of the congregation in-between Annual Meetings in service of the congregation’s mission: “to worship God and share the love of Jesus Christ, teaching the message of Jesus to all ages and putting our faith into action.”

The Mission of the Council:

• To prayerfully and thoughtfully interpret and enact the Community Church’s mission, vision and values and to provide leadership and strategic direction.
• To safeguard the assets of the church, and to ensure adequate resources (human, spiritual, financial, and facility).
• To support, direct and partner with the church staff team.
• To be ambassadors to the community on behalf of Community Church.

Leadership Council Norms and Agreements 2022-23

1. We agree to respect our time together and be productive by
   • Starting and ending on time
   • Coming prepared and doing work between meetings
   • Focusing on the “balcony” view
2. We enjoy the work and enjoy each other
3. We are honest, respectful, speak our truth, and work in the church’s best interest
4. We listen to each other, provide thoughtful responses, avoid digressions, and share the air
5. We focus on problems, ideas, and solutions, not people
6. We stay informed about each other's work and how it connects to our shared mission

Sebastopol Community Church Community Covenant
We strive to:

• Speak face to face: direct communication is best when we have a challenging issue or concern.
• Bring our best and assume others are bringing their best.
• Stay curious about each other and recognize that conversation can be a natural way that humans think.
• Do our best to slow down: to take the time we need to manage ourselves and to listen.
• Focus on problems, ideas and solutions, not people.
• Recognize conflict can be healthy when there is a respectful exchange of diverse ideas.
• Recognize that mistakes are how we learn.
• Offer and receive grace and forgiveness.

Goal:To consider and promote increased equity during our work as a Council.