In August, 2008, I was part of a team elected by the church to review and suggest changes to our church's current Constitution and Bylaws. Dubbed the "Bylaws Team", we began meeting the week after our election to begin work. In the 16 months since the team began, we have worked hard and have recommended a new Constitution and are working on a new set of Bylaws. In the summer of 2009, the church had the opportunity to see for the first time the Constitution that the team drafted. The team received a fair amount of criticism, that we then took into consideration as we attempted to work towards a set of operating documents that honor God and help the church to function efficiently.
The team took the summer to work on editing the Constitution. We believed that by September we would be able to present the completed Constitution to the church for a vote. This was not to be, as some of the membership expressed their desire to see the accompanying documents to the Constitution--the Bylaws--completed and presented along with it.
In the meantime, I have had several people ask me for my opinion with regard to the work that we have done on the Bylaws Team. There are those who have expressed the concern that I have not been vocal enough in the town hall meetings (I record the minutes in meetings), or that they would simply like to know my opinion. It occurred to me today that I could use my blog to express my opinions regarding the work that we have done. However, since this is a women's ministry blog, my goal will be to educate and to encourage with regard to the spiritual concepts that I have learned on this journey, rather than attempt to turn this blog into a Bylaws Team blog.
I hope that you find this informative, whether you are a longtime member to the church, a newer member, or a member of another church. It has certainly been an interesting process, and I continue to learn a great deal as we endeavor to complete the work set before us.
Blessings and peace,
Jennifer
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