Taking & Transcribing Minutes of a Meeting

(Help for Associational & Church Clerks)

STEPS TO TAKING MINUTES

Meetings may be conducted formally or informally, depending on the objective of the meeting and the circumstances. The following guidelines for taking minutes for committees, ministry teams, or for business meetings are based on Robert's Rules of Order.

STEP 1 – The clerk needs to obtain the meeting agenda, minutes from the last meeting, and any background documents to be discussed. Consider using a tape recorder to ensure accuracy. It is also advisable to have a copy of the organization’s Constitution and bylaws and any other guiding documents.

STEP 2 - Sit beside (or close to) the chairperson for convenient clarification or help as the meeting proceeds.

STEP 3 - Write "Minutes of the meeting of (exact association/church name)."

STEP 4 - Record the date, time and place of the meeting.

STEP 5 - Circulate a sheet of paper for attendees to sign. (This sheet can also help identify speakers by seating arrangement later in the meeting.) If the meeting is an open one, write down only the names of the attendees who have voting rights.

STEP 6 - Note who arrives late or leaves early so that these people can be briefed on what they missed.

STEP 7 - Write down items in the order in which they are discussed. If item 8 on the agenda is discussed before item 2, keep the old item number but write item 8 in second place.

STEP 8 - Record the motions made and the names of people who originate them.

STEP 9 - Record whether motions are adopted or rejected, how the vote is taken (by show of hands, voice or other method) and whether the vote is unanimous.

STEP 10 - Focus on recording actions taken by the group. Avoid writing down the details of each discussion.

Minute Taking Tips

TIP 1 - You do not need to record topics irrelevant to the business being discussed. Taking minutes is not the same as taking dictation.

TIP 2 - Consult only the chairperson or executive officer, not the attendees, if you have questions.

STEPS TO TRANSCRIBING MINUTES

STEP 1 - Transcribe minutes soon after the meeting, when your memory of the event is still fresh.

STEP 2 - Follow the format used in previous minutes.

STEP 3 - Preface resolutions with "RESOLVED, THAT..."

STEP 4 - Consider attaching long resolutions, reports or other supplementary material to the minutes as an appendix.

STEP 5 - Write "Submitted by" and then sign your name and the date.

STEP 6 - Place minutes chronologically in a record book.

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Bobby Gilstrap, DoM

Huron & Southeastern Baptist Assocaitions

Michigan

Automatic Termination of Church Membership?

Should membership in a local church grant you “forever status” in that congregation until you choose to “move your membership” or withdraw?

In recent conversation with the several attorneys, it was strongly recommended to me that an automatic termination of membership for nonattendance be included in a church’s bylaws. This provision would automatically, and without any further action from anyone, remove from the church membership rolls any person who had not been in regular attendance during a designated time. Further, it was recommended to NOT move members in an “inactive” or “non-resident” membership status. This is a problem because it is a vague status. For instance,

• May those “inactive” or “non-resident” members vote?
• If not, may they attend “member only” meetings?
• If so, may they have a say on the issue at hand?
• When they are present in a meeting in which a vote is taken, are they counted for the purposes of determining whether a quorum is present?

Most pastors (and members, too) have experienced that when there is internal church dissension, members who have not attended for months often appear and expect to have a say and/or vote in the matter. It is obvious to most of us that someone who has not attended any service in several months is upset at something and are likely returning to defend an agenda or make a point about a personal preference. Providing for an automatic termination clears up any confusion as to who is eligible to vote, attend member meetings, count for quorum purposes, or have a say in a member’s meeting. Obviously, you would exclude from this termination provision such persons as college students, military personnel, shut-ins, missionaries, evangelists or others who are legitimately unable to attend regular activities of the church.

The automatic termination of members who flaunt their sexual immorality spares the church the shame of having to "speak of those things which are done of them in secret" for discipline purposes. By establishing an automatic termination for "going to law against a brother" provides the church with protection against having to retain a person as a member who is willing to harm the church by taking it to court. If this provision is automatic, it will avoid the charge of retaliation.

How do you feel about churches putting provisions in place for automatic termination of church membership?

Make your comments here, or review others comments on original post HERE

Lawyers Recommendations for Your Constitution & Bylaws

(From the Introduction of the
SAMPLE Church Constitution & Ministry Bylaws
document produced by the Christian Law Association)

Every church, must have an operational document. This is the internal ministry document that sets forth how the organization will operate, i.e., the purposes of the organization, the election of officers, when organizational meetings will be held, if and how members will be admitted, etc. This document is commonly known as the bylaws, but may be known as the constitution or the constitution and bylaws.

In most instances, when a dispute as to the authority and duties of church officers or other governing body is taken to court, the court will look to the organization’s bylaws to determine whether or not that officer or the voting members acted within the scope of his or their duties. For legal purposes, the set of bylaws is the organization’s most important document because it sets out in detail the internal workings of the organization. It is vital that this document be prepared properly and that it include all the protections available for the organization to safeguard against many of the lawsuits that are being filed against religious organizations today. Courts generally hold that a member who joins a church with knowledge of the bylaws has agreed to be bound by the bylaws—even to those with which they may disagree.

Each state has enacted laws establishing rules by which ministries incorporated as nonprofit corporations will be governed if it has no bylaws or if the bylaws do not speak to a specific issue. It is important that your organization at least consider all the issues presented in the Sample Church Bylaws that follow. The organization may then decide that its specific method of operation does not necessitate the inclusion of a section included in the Sample.

Many questions are answered in the SAMPLE regarding Church Constitutions and Bylaws including:

• Must the church file its constitution and bylaws with the state secretary of state or any other government office?
• Do we need to take any action to repeal old bylaws when we amend them?
• May we prevent the bylaws from ever being changed by providing in our bylaws that part or all may never be amended?
• May we vote to dismiss or otherwise discipline members who are not in the meeting in which the vote is to be taken?
• If one of the rules in our bylaws is not working for the church, may we just ignore it and amend it later?

Specific questions not covered by this SAMPLE booklet should be referred to your ministry’s attorneys or to attorneys for the Christian Law Association. CLA will consult with a church or ministry free of charge.

The SAMPLE Constitution & Bylaws is annotated by attorneys for the Christian Law Association (CLA). Their comments explain the reasoning behind the recommendations in the SAMPLE.

The SAMPLE Church Constitution & Ministry Bylaws document can be ordered from CLA at http://www.christianlaw.org/ or (727) 399-8300. Search with keyword: Constitution. It is worth the investment.