The Role of the Ministers

The congregation is in relationship with two ordained clergy who work in partnership to direct and partner with the paid staff and the members of the community to carry out the ministry of the Church.  Any called ministers are held accountable through the Board of Trustees, yet cannot be directly dismissed (or called) by anyone other than the congregation as a whole.  More information about calling and dismissing called ministers is detailed in the By-laws. 

Hired ministers are hired by the Senior Minister as a part of the staff team, and they are both hired and dismissed in the same way as other hired staff. 

However, any professional clergy (including interns) are provided a letter of agreement which describes the particulars of their employment agreement.  In the case of any conflict between this Handbook and that letter, the letter is considered primary and accurate for that employment. 

The Board delegates the supervision and direction of the paid and volunteer staff to the Senior Minister, and so authority for staff-related decisions reside with the Senior Minister as Head of Staff. 

The ministers work as a professional team, grounded in a shared covenant, which can be found here.  Their partnership forms the foundation of the Executive Team, which works collaboratively to lead and unify the paid and volunteer staff in directing their efforts in fulfillment of the mission and vision, ensure compliance with By-Laws, Policies and applicable laws, and to uphold a high standard of ethical and professional conduct. 

This Executive Team also includes the DFO, and may have additional team members added on either an ad hoc or regular basis at the discretion of the Senior Minister.