For the congregational meeting on June 5, 2022, the session is proposing a change in the bylaws.
PRIMARY CHANGE. The primary change is in Article IV, which deals with officers and boards. The intent of this change is to allow for fewer than the customary number of elders on session and deacons serving on the board of deacons. Based on the results of the work of the Nominating Committee, the session is recommending that we move forward this year with a session of 9 members. The current session and the pastor agree that a session of nine will be able to successfully lead the church. The wording of "no more than" 12 elders would allow for the expansion from 9 to 12 if it was considered to be necessary.
Rationale: Those members of the congregation who have served on the Nominating Committee in recent years know that we have struggled in "feast or famine" mode in successfully calling elders and deacons to serve three-year terms on their respective boards. Some years it seems deacons are hard to find; other years, it's elders. For at least the last five years, our Board of Deacons has operated under capacity because of a lack of people willing to serve the required three-year commitment. This year, while a full slate of deacons will be put forth for election, because there are less than four elder candidates it appears that the session will need to operate with a lower number than the 12 that is customary for NCPC. This change in bylaws allows the church to operate legally with fewer than 12 session elders and 15 deacons, as long as they are comprised of three equal classes. This would have the effect of both boards always having a membership in multiples of three (e.g. 12, 9, 6, etc.).
Read the basic at-a-glance proposed change below.
Click here for the full version of the bylaws with the proposed changes highlighted.
SECONDARY CHANGE. A routine change to the bylaws is also being proposed based on the recommendation of our presbytery's stated clerk. Washington state guidelines regarding non-profit corporations now refer to "directors" instead of "trustees." The six times the word "trustees" appears will be changed to "directors." Four of the six appear in Article IV, and two in Article II.