Guiding Principles
For Fellowship Atlantic
A Governance Document of the Regional Council
Draft January 25, 2008 Rev A
March 30, 2008 Rev B
Approved by Regional Council, April 2, 2008 Rev 1
PREAMBLE
The following document is intended by the Regional Council (or simply “Council”) to implement an accountable leadership model for the specific needs of Fellowship Atlantic (the Atlantic Regional Mission affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada). The Guiding Principles fall into three categories: Mission Principles, Boundary Principles, and Accountability Principles, and are subject to continual revision by the Regional Council. The Guiding Principles are not subject to revision or approval by any authority other than the Council.
Through its Mission Principles the Council prescribes for the Regional Director the major ends to be achieved by Fellowship Atlantic. These ends are in harmony with the following purpose statement from the Bylaws (Article IV Section A): “The purpose of Fellowship Atlantic is to provide fellowship for Baptist churches of like faith and order, to inspire the worship of God, to spread the Gospel at home and abroad by preaching the Word and establishing New Testament churches, to encourage sound Christian education, to contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”
Through its Boundary Principles the Council sets limits on the means that may be used in pursuit of those ends prescribed through the Mission Principles. However, the Council is careful not to prescribe any particular means to be used, in order to leave the leadership and management of Fellowship Atlantic to its Regional Director and staff.
Through its Accountability Principles the Council instructs its chairperson how to maintain the connection of the Council with its constituents, the monitoring of the Regional Director’s performance, and the integrity of the Council’s own process. In any case where these Guiding Principles delegate to the Regional Director and staff a decision required by the Bylaws or other legal authority to be made by the Council, such requirement will be fulfilled through the use of a routine consent agenda by the Council.
MISSION PRINCIPLES
[Whereby the Council prescribes for the Regional Director what difference Fellowship Atlantic is to make for whom and to what extent]
MP1.0 Comprehensive Mission Principle
Fellowship Atlantic is a mission organization which exists to provide its member congregations with the encouragement, resources, and opportunities they need for healthy growth, church multiplication, and leadership development.
In short, Fellowship Atlantic gets our congregations what they need to accomplish mission.
MP1.1 Healthy Growth
Fellowship Atlantic believes that while growth is not always a sign of health, healthy churches are growing churches. By 2012, 80% of our congregations will be experiencing at least 5% conversion growth per year and will have built and continue to be building meaningful bridges to their communities.
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MP1.2 Church Multiplication
Fellowship Atlantic will initiate church plants and assist congregations to reproduce, resulting in a minimum reproduction rate of 5% per year in this region. By 2012, a majority of our congregations will have experienced the joy of birthing a congregation and will have a plan to plant their next one.
MP1.3 Leadership Development
Fellowship Atlantic believes that healthy churches and church reproduction are the result of healthy mission-minded leaders. By 2012, a majority of our congregations will have intentional, measurable spiritual leadership development systems in place. Additionally, by 2012 a majority of our pastors will be in some form of mentoring relationship for personal and congregational development.
BOUNDARY PRINCIPLES
[Whereby the Council limits the acceptable means that the Regional Director may use to achieve the Mission Principles]
BP1.0 Comprehensive Boundary Principle
The Regional Director shall not cause or allow any practice, activity, decision, or circumstance that is unlawful, imprudent, unethical, in violation of the Bylaws or Statement of Faith of Fellowship Atlantic, or of commonly accepted Biblical standards.
BP1.1 Component Principle: Integrity and Reputation
The Regional Director shall not fail to uphold appropriate theological parameters, moral boundaries, and ministry standards in all of its operations and communications in order to safeguard both the integrity and the reputation of Fellowship Atlantic.
BP1.1.1 Detail Principle: Theological Parameters
The Regional Director shall not knowingly allow Fellowship personnel to disregard or oppose the essentials of evangelical Christian theology such as those expressed in Fellowship Atlantic’s Affirmation of Faith. Nor shall the Regional Director fail to apply appropriate discipline toward any organization or leader associated with Fellowship Atlantic that so disregards or opposes such essentials.
BP1.1.2 Detail Principle: Moral Boundaries
The Regional Director shall not knowingly allow Fellowship personnel to violate or to advocate the violation of the basic moral boundaries of evangelical Christianity such as those expressed in the official position statements of Fellowship Atlantic. Nor shall the Regional Director fail to apply appropriate discipline toward any organization or leader associated with Fellowship Atlantic that practices or advocates such violation.
BP1.1.3 Detail Principle: Ministry Standards
The Regional Director shall not allow Fellowship personnel to persist in ministry practices that are inappropriate for an evangelical mission organization in Canada or unproductive with respect to its mission. Nor shall the Regional Director fail to apply appropriate influence toward any organization or leader associated with Fellowship Atlantic that persists in such practices.
BP1.2 Component Principle: Financial Planning and Budgeting
Financial planning for any fiscal year or the remaining part of any fiscal year shall not fail to advance the Council’s Mission Principles, shall not risk financial jeopardy, and shall not be limited to a short-range perspective.
BP1.2.1 Detail Principle: Sufficient Information
The Regional Director shall not allow budgeting that contains too little information to enable credible projection of revenues and expenses, separation of capital and operational items, relation of expenditures to Mission Principles, and disclosure of multiyear planning assumptions.
BP1.2.2 Detail Principle: Expenditures within Projected Funds
The Regional Director shall not allow budgeting that plans the expenditure in any fiscal year of more funds than are reasonably projected to be received in that period, unless special circumstances are adequately described to council including a realistic plan to use related surpluses or to make up the deficit within the following two fiscal years.
BP1.2.3 Detail Principle: Asset and Cash Margins
The Regional Director shall not allow budgeting that intentionally creates a debt to equity ratio of greater than 30% or allows cash and readily marketable securities to drop below a safety reserve of less than one month’s expenses.
BP1.2.4 Detail Principle: Council Funding
The Regional Director shall not allow budgeting that provides less for Council support than is adequate with reference to the Cost of Governance Principle.
BP1.2.5 Detail Principle: Certification of Budget by Council
The Regional Director shall not fail to bring the annual budget prior to Convention to the Council for certification as being in compliance with the Guiding Principles.
BP1.3 Component Principle: Financial Condition and Activities
With respect to the actual, ongoing financial conditions and activities, the Regional Director shall not allow the development of fiscal jeopardy or a fundamental deviation of actual expenditures from Council priorities established in the Mission Principles.
BP1.3.1 Detail Principle: Expenditures
The Regional Director shall not expend more funds than have been received in the fiscal year to date unless existing surpluses allow or the Borrowing principle, BP1.3.2, is met.
BP1.3.2 Detail Principle: Borrowing
The Regional Director shall not borrow an amount greater than can be repaid by reliable, otherwise unencumbered revenues within twenty-four months, except for capital purchases.
BP1.3.3 Detail Principle: Inter-fund Shifting
The Regional Director shall not make inter-fund transfers in amounts greater than can be restored to a condition of discrete fund balances by reliable, otherwise unencumbered revenue within twelve months.
BP1.3.4 Detail Principle: Payroll and Debt Settlement
The Regional Director shall not fail to settle payroll and debts in a timely manner.
BP1.3.5 Detail Principle: Government Payments and Filings
The Regional Director shall not allow tax payments, if any, or other government-ordered payments or filings to be overdue or inaccurately filed.
BP1.3.6 Detail Principle: Purchase Cap
Aside from staff, non-discretionary expenses, capital expenditures, and investments, the Regional Director shall not authorize a single expenditure of greater than 1% of the annual budget.
BP1.4 Component Principle: Protection of Assets
The Regional Director shall not allow the assets to be unprotected, inadequately maintained, or unnecessarily risked.
BP1.4.1 Detail Principle: Insurance
The Regional Director shall not fail to insure against theft and casualty losses to at least 80% of replacement value and shall not fail to insure against liability losses to Council members, staff, and Fellowship Atlantic itself in an amount greater than the average for comparable organizations.
BP1.4.2 Detail Principle: Access to Funds
The Regional Director shall not allow personnel access to material amounts of funds without proper internal controls.
BP1.4.3 Detail Principle: Facilities and Equipment
The Regional Director shall not subject facilities and equipment to improper wear and tear or insufficient maintenance.
BP1.4.4 Detail Principle: Liability
The Regional Director shall not unnecessarily expose the organization, its Council, or its staff to claims of liability.
BP1.4.5 Detail Principle: Purchases
The Regional Director shall not authorize any discretionary purchase over $1,000 1) without prudent protections against conflict of interest; 2) without comparisons of prices and quality; and 3) if over $5,000, without an analysis of long-term quality and cost.
BP1.4.6 Detail Principle: Information Protection
The Regional Director shall not fail to protect intellectual property, information, and files from loss or significant damage.
BP1.4.7 Detail Principle: Auditor
The Regional Director shall not receive, process, or disburse funds under controls that are insufficient to meet the standards of the auditor appointed by the Council.
BP1.4.8 Detail Principle: Investment Parameters
The Regional Director shall not allow investments against the counsel of a qualified investment advisor, shall not hold operating capital in non-interest bearing accounts except when necessary to facilitate ease in operational transactions, and shall not allow investments plus cash to drop below the total of restricted fund balances.
BP1.5 Component Principle: Compensation and Benefits
With respect to employment, compensation, and benefits to employees, consultants, contract workers, and volunteers, the Regional Director shall not cause or allow jeopardy to fiscal integrity or public reputation.
BP1.5.1 Detail Principle: Regional Director’s Compensation
The Regional Director shall not change his compensation and benefits, except as an automatic consequence of general policies for the staff.
BP1.5.2 Detail Principle: Market Value
The Regional Director shall not establish current compensation and benefits that deviate materially from the geographic or professional market for the skills employed and from the economic value of the employee’s performance to the organization.
BP1.5.3 Detail Principle: Term of Compensation
The Regional Director shall not promise or imply permanent or guaranteed employment, or create compensation obligations over a longer term than revenues can be safely projected and in all events subject to cancellation due to unexpected financial losses.
BP1.5.4 Detail Principle: Fairness of Benefits
The Regional Director shall not establish or change health or pension benefits in a manner to cause unpredictable or inequitable situations for staff.
BP1.6 Component Principle: Treatment of Staff
With respect to the treatment of paid and volunteer staff, the Regional Director may not cause or allow conditions that are unfair or unlawful.
BP1.6.1 Detail Principle: Personnel Policies
The Regional Director shall not operate without concise personnel policies that clarify rules for staff, provide for effective handling of grievances, and protect against wrongful conditions such as grossly preferential treatment for personal reasons.
BP1.6.2 Detail Principle: Grievance
The Regional Director shall not prevent staff from expressing a grievance to the Council when 1) internal procedures have been exhausted, and 2) the employee alleges either that the Guiding Principles have been violated to his or her detriment or that the Guiding Principles do not adequately protect his or her human rights.
BP1.6.3 Detail Principle: Notice
The Regional Director shall not fail to acquaint the staff with their rights according to the Guiding Principles.
BP1.7 Component Principle: Communication with and Support to the Council
The Regional Director shall not permit the Council to be uninformed or unsupported in its work.
ACCOUNTABILITY PRINCIPLES
[Whereby the Council defines for the chairperson the standards to enforce the three accountabilities of the Council]
AP1.0 Comprehensive Accountability Principle
The accountability of the Council to the Lord Jesus Christ, for the benefit of Fellowship Atlantic churches and their mission fields is to see that the staff, through the leadership of the Regional Director, 1) achieves the Mission Principles, and 2) avoids violation of the Boundary Principles.
AP1.1 Component Principle: Accountability of the Council to Christ and Constituents
The Council shall maintain an active connection to those who have entrusted them with Fellowship Atlantic, i.e. Christ, member churches, and other stakeholders.
AP1.1.1 Detail Principle: Connecting with Christ
Under the guidance of the Regional Director, the Council will continually seek the wisdom and leading of Christ as the Lord of His church and of Fellowship Atlantic. To this end, the Council will give significant attention to prayer and the study of Scripture pertaining to its current agenda.
AP1.1.2 Detail Principle: Connecting with Member Churches
The Council will receive input and feedback from member churches to better understand their needs. Periodically the Council will arrange an objective assessment by a competent outside consulting service. The Council will also report to member churches regarding progress towards achieving its Mission Principles.
AP1.1.3 Detail Principle: Connecting with Other Stakeholders
The Council will invest significant resources each year to better understand the needs of our member churches; the interests of our supporters; and the needs of communities and mission fields where our churches are seeking to accomplish the Great Commission.
AP1.2 Component Principle: Accountability of the Council to Itself
The Council shall conduct itself with discipline and integrity with regard to its own process of governance.
AP1.2.1 Detail Principle: Council Responsibilities
The governance responsibilities of the Council are 1) connecting to Christ and constituents, 2) writing the Guiding Principles, and 3) monitoring the Regional Director’s performance. In addition to these three governance responsibilities, the Council shall exercise the authority granted to it through the Bylaws and not delegated to the Regional Director through the Guiding Principles.
AP1.2.2 Detail Principle: Council Style
The Council will govern with an emphasis on 1) outward vision rather than internal preoccupation, 2) encouragement of diversity in viewpoints, 3) strategic leadership more than administrative detail, 4) clear distinction of Council and staff roles, 5) collective rather than individual decisions, 6) future orientation rather than past or present, and 7) proactivity rather than reactivity.
AP1.2.3 Detail Principle: Council Member Code of Conduct
The Council commits itself and its members to the following code of conduct:
a. Loyalty: Within the Regional Council each member must represent the mission of Fellowship Atlantic in its totality and not the special interests of any group within the organization or outside it. Each member must also disclose any personal or organizational conflict of interest and withdraw from any decision-making process materially affected.
b. Unity: Members of the Council must support the decisions of the Council acting as a whole. They may not foster dissent or attempt to exercise individual authority over the staff or the organization except as explicitly stated in the Guiding Principles.
c. Confidentiality: Members of the Council must respect the confidential nature of sensitive Council issues and must avoid facilitating gossip or other “triangulation” contrary to the practice of direct, biblical resolution.
AP1.2.4 Detail Principle: Criteria for Potential Council Members
a. Composition of the Council must comply with the Bylaws (Article X).
b. Candidates for the Council must evidence the capacity to perform the responsibilities (AP1.2.1), the disposition to embrace the style (AP1.2.2), and the commitment to honour the code (AP1.2.3) of the National Council.
c. Expertise within the Council should reflect a healthy mix of the following areas: governance, church leadership, global mission, finance, law, business or non-profit leadership, funding development, culture or marketing or sociology, public relations or conflict management, theology, and human resources. Areas of expertise not represented among Council members will be obtained from outside resource persons as needed.
AP1.2.5 Detail Principle: President, Regional Director, and Secretary
a. The President is responsible to enforce the Accountability Principles. The President is authorized to use any reasonable interpretation of these principles to ensure that the Council fulfills them.
b. The Regional Director is responsible to be the primary leader and spokesman of Fellowship Atlantic. With respect to the work of the Council, the Regional Director will provide the primary vision and guidance except for the monitoring of performance. If a question of process arises with regard to the Bylaws or the Guiding Principles, the Regional Director will defer to the judgment of the President.
c. The Secretary is responsible to update and distribute the Guiding Principles, the minutes of meetings, and any supporting materials of the Council.
AP1.2.6 Detail Principle: Policy Documents
a. All policy of the Council binding on itself or on the Regional Director will be placed in the Guiding Principles, and not in other policy documents.
b. Minutes of the meetings will record all decisions of the Council, including decisions to revise the Guiding Principles.
c. The limitation to these two forms of documentation is intended to ensure that a reading of the current Guiding Principles and of recent Council minutes will reflect all the pertinent standing policies and decisions of the Council respectively, without recourse to other documents.
d. The chain of policy documents is as follows: Bylaws, by which the Regional Convention instructs the Council; Guiding Principles, by which the Council instructs the Regional Director; and staff policies, by which the Regional Director instructs the staff.
AP1.2.7 Detail Principle: Use of Council Committees
Council committees, if used, will be assigned to tasks within the Responsibilities of the Council (AP1.2.1) and not to involvement with the work of the Regional Director or the staff; this principle includes an Executive Committee if used.
AP1.2.8 Detail Principle: Cost of Governance
The Council will invest amply in its own governance capacity through training, outside expertise, research, communications, and meeting costs.
AP1.2.9 Detail Principle: Tools for Efficiency
The Council will utilize an annual calendar cycle to schedule its responsibilities (AP1.2.1), meeting agendas that facilitate training and responsibilities, routine consent agendas for items delegated to the Regional Director but legally requiring a Council vote, and advance preparation documents for major decisions.
AP1.3 Component Principle: Accountability of the Regional Director to the Council
The Council’s sole official connection to the operating organization of Fellowship Atlantic, its achievement, and its conduct shall be through the Regional Director.
AP1.3.1 Detail Principle: Unity of Control
Only decisions of the Council acting as a whole and documented in the Guiding Principles or the minutes of council meetings are binding on the Regional Director.
AP1.3.2 Detail Principle: Accountability of the Regional Director
The Regional Director is the Council’s only link to operational achievement and conduct, so that all authority and accountability of staff, as far as the Council is concerned, is considered the authority and accountability of the Regional Director.
AP1.3.3 Detail Principle: Instruction to the Regional Director
The Council will instruct the Regional Director through the Mission Principles, which prescribe the outcomes to be achieved, and through the Boundary Principles, which limit the acceptable means to those outcomes. The Council will allow the Regional Director to use any reasonable interpretation of these principles.
AP1.3.4 Detail Principle: Performance of the Regional Director
The Council will conduct systematic and objective monitoring of the Regional Director’s performance solely against accomplishment of the Mission Principles and compliance with the Boundary Principles.
a. The Regional Director will be required to write measurable goals each year that correspond to each of the Council’s Mission Principles.
b. Each year the Council shall review the results achieved by the Regional Director on each of the Mission Principles as the basis of compensation increase or corrective action. These results include both those achieved with reference to annual goals and those achieved in addition to annual goals.
c. The Regional Director will be required to report to the Council on compliance with the Boundary Principles at each annual performance review and to affirm or give evidence of compliance upon request by the Council at any time. |
