 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003 (XXXXI 4) |
The recommendations include:
Strengthening contact between monthly meetings and the yearly meeting by designating a field secretary on staff. This would provide someone for members to turn to when they don't know whom to contact; someone who would stay informed on monthly and quarterly meeting activities; who would serve as a channel for communication, particularly among meetings, standing committees, working groups, and staff; and who would facilitate development of emerging initiatives and leadership. These functions were envisaged in the restructuring of yearly meeting but have not been fully realized by other means.
Strengthening central leadership through an expansion of the responsibilities of the Administrative Group (to be renamed the Advisory Committee). The Administrative Group currently includes key administrative staff; the clerks of yearly meeting and Interim Meeting; and the clerks of the five standing committees, Nominating Committee, and the Financial Stewardship Committee. To this would be added five at-large members appointed by Interim Meeting upon recommendation of the Nominating Committee. This body would serve as a support for the general secretary and staff, and it would weigh matters of importance, including difficult issues, and bring suggested solutions to Interim Meeting for decision. It would also recommend priorities for the budget to Interim Meeting, based on the work of the Long Range Planning Group (see below).
Strengthening the role of the Nominating Committee and bringing it up to its full complement of appointees from quarterly meetings by means of strong encouragement and advocacy from Interim Meeting. It would have new responsibilities for developing leadership skills, including those of serving as clerk and recording clerk. Interim Meeting would have the responsibility to provide the Nominating Committee with the tools to accomplish these tasks. The Nominating Committee would nominate clerks and assistant clerks of standing committees to Interim Meeting. It would assist the standing committees in drawing members into working groups and similar bodies. Each standing committee would appoint a representative to serve on the Nominating Committee.
A mandate by Interim Meeting to the standing committees to take every step possible to simplify the network of working groups by combining and reorganizing them, and by promoting cooperation or combination with the work of affiliated organizations. Standing committees would avoid micromanaging working groups, but serve instead as clearness committees for the working groups. The existing authority of standing committees to initiate and serve as the catalyst for the creation of working groups would be affirmed. The standing committees would appoint members to terms of service on working groups. At this time, SEPG is recommending no change in the current policy against simultaneous membership on both a working group and the standing committee that oversees it.
Interim Meeting would provide the standing committees with a mandate to further clarify their relations with working groups. The system of liaisons that has been developed yields mixed results; it is not a defined part of the new structure, and it may not be required. Instead, standing committees would be asked to create their own ways to improve communications with their working groups, on the assumption that this may take different forms within each standing committee. The (standing committee) Evaluation Working Group would be expected to assist with these changes. With a healthier relationship between standing committees and working groups and a clearer understanding of their different roles, it is expected that more members would be willing to serve on each.
An affirmation that collaborative volunteer and staff involvement in standing committees and working groups is crucial to the well-ordered functioning of both. In recommending steps for expediting matters and improving the efficiency of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, SEPG is fully cognizant that the yearly meeting is—and remains—essentially a volunteer-driven organization that functions in close cooperation with staff.
Better dissemination of information on how concerns may arise and come to yearly meeting for consideration. Procedures are in place and are described in the 2002 edition of Faith and Practice, but they are not well enough known and understood. These procedures clearly allow for concerns to arise either (a) from monthly meetings to quarterly meetings to Interim Meeting or yearly meeting, or (b) through working groups to standing committees, where they may be acted upon or brought to Interim Meeting or yearly meeting.
Prayerful and prompt consideration by Interim Meeting of concerns that the Meeting on Worship and Ministry has been weakened by its placement in the new structure.
The creation of a Long Range Planning Group as a subcommittee of Interim Meeting to implement ongoing planning and evaluation for the structure and budgeted work of the yearly meeting. The purposes of the yearly meeting and an explanation of the spiritual foundation of all yearly meeting work are included in Faith and Practice (2002 edition, pp. 193–200). SEPG recommends the development of operational goals, which the Long Range Planning Group would draft for consideration by Interim Meeting.
Encouragement to regional and quarterly meetings to initiate coordinator programs in areas where none now exist, as these are highly commended as effective in areas where they do exist.
Instructing the Financial Stewardship Committee to continue to send its survey to monthly meetings, but to offer broad questions, backed up with summary information on existing programs, and not a detailed survey as now, which is felt by many to be cumbersome.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM