What is Council of the Whole?
A model for governance in which the entire congregation becomes the governing body of the church. The decision-making body is the congregation. It meets at appointed times to conduct the work of the church – the suggested frequency is every 6-8 weeks.

The purpose of moving to a Council of the Whole model was to:
• To improve communication within the congregation
• To encourage more people to become actively involved in the work of the church
• To reduce the workload associated with leadership roles, which makes it difficult to
recruit new leaders

Who can attend these meetings?
All members and adherents of the congregation are encouraged to attend either in person (ideally) or online. For a congregation of our size, the minimum requirement for an official meeting is 20 members.
• The minister or other designated representative of the United Church must be in attendance.

How would it work?
Meetings are similar in format to Annual Meetings: an agenda is circulated to the membership ahead of the meeting, including items of information and decision making; discussions are held, plans are made, motions are passed as needed, and tasks are delegated to individuals or committees/teams. Elected officers carry out specific responsibilities:

a. Chairperson (Ralph McIntosh), sets the agenda with the minister and chairs the meeting
b. Vice-Chair or Co-Chair (vacant)
c. Secretary (Gloria Appianing), takes the minutes and deals with correspondence
d. Treasurer (Jill Bennett), responsible for financial reporting
Officers are elected for a specific term (e.g., one or more years) – roles can also be rotated.
Three officers are signing authorities (e.g., two officers and the Office Administrator).

How might this affect our current committee and volunteer structure?
The committees listed will have the option of continuing to function as formal teams
with regular meetings, to portion out responsibilities to individuals, or a combination of both.
• Two committees are required by the United Church: Ministry & Personnel and Trustees.
• The Place Board of Directors is also a required administrative/oversight body.

Procedural Recommendations:
Suggested meeting dates: the first Sunday in alternating months, after the service and a light lunch.  Agenda requests are submitted in writing to the Office Administrator by the previous Sunday
• In addition to requests from committees/teams, any member of the congregation may submit a proposal or item for discussion
The agenda is established early in the week; a typical agenda would include:
• Call to order and Opening Prayer
• Motion to extend voting privileges to non-members (this could be done once at the first meeting)
• Additions / Approval of the Agenda and Approval of previous Meeting Minutes
• Correspondence
• Reports / Proposals submitted by committees/teams/individuals
(includes discussion and motions as required)
• Theological Reflection Moment, Adjournment and Closing Prayer

“Council of the Whole” Governance Model
Overview ~ August 2025
The following correspondence is circulated to the congregation with the NEWS on Thursday:
• Proposed Agenda
• Minutes of the previous meeting
• Treasurer’s Reports, Committee reports, and other reports or proposals
After each meeting, the minutes are distributed to the congregation the following week.
When would this new model take effect?
At a congregational meeting after the service on Sunday September 7th, the congregation will vote on
specific recommendations and motions related to adopting this new model as of October 1st.

Questions / Comments / Concerns?
Everyone is invited to share their thoughts with the ad hoc task group working on this project.