As part of our interim work in preparation for the calling of our next minister, Interim Consultant Rev. Christine Robinson has asked us to establish a Governance Task Force. The QUUF Board welcomes this task force and anticipates its collective wisdom and commitment to our interim process.

MEMBERSHIP: The membership of the task force will comprise three QUUF Board members and four other volunteer members of the Fellowship. This task force eventually will become a Governance Committee of the Board; initially, members will have terms of one, two and three years, sequencing into three-year terms, as members are replaced to provide both fresh thinking as well as continuity.

THE CHARGE: The purpose of this task force is to assess and determine how well the QUUF congregation is being served by its current governance structure and to propose changes in our governance structure as may be deemed appropriate and advisable.

ISSUES TO EXPLORE: The following are suggested issues the task force may consider, and are not offered as complete or mandatory:
– Where have we been? How did we get where we are now? Where are we going?
– What is working and what is not?
– How do we maintain a sense of democracy and ownership in a large congregation?
– How do we balance efficiency and inclusivity?
– Where do we want to be on the continuum of collaboration to authority?
– How will decisions be made (lines of authority)?
– How do we attach authority to responsibility (with authority comes responsibility)?
– Define the communication matrix.
– Define how groups (task forces, teams, committees) are formed and to whom are they are responsible.
– Clarify the role of committees in the organizational structure.
– Clarify: Is the organizational chart the same as the governance structure?
– Consider a proposal of three circles as a decision-making process: Collaboration to Consensus to Closure
– Can we adopt the UUA’s Action of Immediate Witness Process as a way to bring concerns before the Fellowship?
– The Task Force’s communication with the Fellowship.

TIMELINE: This Governance Task Force is to be established and begin its work in May 2019, and is requested to present to the QUUF Board of Trustees its initial report of findings and recommendations by or before January 1, 2020.