Policy
And
Procedure
Manual
Evangelical Free Church of Canada
-
Canadian Pacific District
October 2005 Revision
Purpose: To assemble various National and District policies and procedures for convenient access by the District Churches
Evangelical Free Church of Canada – Canadian Pacific District
Policy and Procedure Manual
Contents
I. Purpose
A. General District purpose statement
B. General statement for the District working with the EFCC purpose
C. The purpose of this manual
II. The District
A. Who to Contact and for What Purposes
1. Board Members and their responsibilities
a. District Superintendent
b. District Secretary
c. Board Chairman
d. Board Vice-Chairman
e. Bookkeeper
f. Board Secretary
g. Financial Chairman
h. Regional Directors
i. Regional Representatives
2. District Committees and their responsibilities
a. Placement Committee
b. Ordination Committee
c. Church Planting Committee
d. Finance Committee
e. Conference Committee
f. Nomination Committee
g. Huddle Committee
h. Constitution Committee
B. District Board Meetings
1. The Board of Directors (Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Financial Chairman, Regional Directors and the Superintendent)
2. Procedure to bring items to the Board Meetings
C. Financial Aid
D. Complaint Procedure
1. Towards a Pastor of a church
2. Towards a church
3. Towards a District Board Member
4. Towards the District Superintendent
E. Procedure in conflict resolution
F. District liability coverage
III. The Churches
A. Church membership of the District
1. Becoming an associate member
2. Becoming a full member
3. Church commitments for associate and full members
B. Church closure
1. Church initiated
2. District initiated
3. Procedure for closing a church
C. Church planting
1. Local church initiated
2. District initiated
D. Church being supported by the District and resources
E. Church constitutions
1. New church
2. Revision within established church
F. Revitalized or restarted churches
1. Pastor’s monthly financial support
2. Church leadership’s monthly report
3. Society status
G. Government policies that affect the District Churches
1. Same sex marriage
2. Privacy policy
3. Abuse policies
4. Church facility use
5. Marriage/Divorce/Re-marriage
6. EFCC – CPD Constitution
7. Clergy income tax
IV. The Pastor
A. Calling
B. Agreement and signing of the Covenant of Personal and Professional Ethics
C. Installation
D. Credentialing and ordination
E. Medical Benefits
F. Registering as a Religious Representative with Vital Statistics, BC
G. Performance Reviews
1. Annual/bi-annual performance reviews by the church pastored
2. District performance reviews
H. Resignation
1. Voluntarily
2. Requested
a. Church initiated
b. District initiated
Appendixes
I. Current list of District Board of Directors and District Staff and Contact
Information
II. Canadian Pacific District Emergency Financial Aid Application
III. Evangelical Free Church of Canada – Canadian Pacific District
Complaint Form
IV. Creating Successful Performance Reviews
V. An Assessment of Church Health
VI. Same sex marriage and EFCC Same Sex Marriage Statement
VII. Privacy policy
VIII. Conflict Resolution
IX. Costs and details of Medical Group Plan Benefits
X. Covenant of Personal and Professional Ethics
XI. Church Constitutions
XII. Abuse policies
XIII. Church facility use policy
XIV. Marriage/Divorce/Re-marriage (to be developed)
XV. EFCC – CPD Constitution
XVI. Clergy income tax
XVII. Steps toward credentialing and ordination
XVIII. Suspending or firing a pastor
XVIV. Pastor leaving under unfavorable circumstances
I. Purpose
A. Purpose of the Canadian Pacific District: To help each member church to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ who reproduce: to assist in planting new churches with the same purpose; and to assist in revitalizing those churches that have lost their ability to be self-sustaining.
B. Purpose of the Canadian Pacific District within the Evangelical Free Church of Canada: to maintain an autonomous district that meets in conference to elect officers and to transact the business of the district, such as, finances, setting of budgets and assisting district churches. To be an effective member district within the Evangelical Free Church of Canada, cooperating to effect key results of Vision 2010, which state that with God’s help we will be by 2010:
- Prayer dependent – teaching, facilitating and experiencing vital, deep, and ongoing communication with God
- Leadership equipped – actively involved in recruiting, educating, and empowering effective God-gifted leaders
- Body life focused – spiritual nurturing communities, effective in equipping and employing God’s people
- Team interdependent – made up of international, national, regional, and local teams that work together
- Financially healthy – have in place an effective financial strategy that provides adequate support for our ministries
- Growth oriented – increasing both nationally and internationally by evangelizing, making disciples, and planting churches
- Structurally flexible – willing to adjust methods and structures to accomplish God’s vision
C. Purpose of this manual
· The manual is intended to be a quick overview with assistance in addressing key issues encountered by a church or a pastor.
· The manual is a quick reference to District Board members who may be contacted regarding specific needs.
· The manual is a quick reference to which the District Board of Directors may refer.
· The manual will be regularly updated as personnel, procedures and policies change or added.
· This manual of procedures and policies has been reviewed by the District Board of Directors and approved for District use.
II. The District
A. Who to Contact and for What Purposes (See Appendix I for complete list of current names and contact numbers)
1. Board members and their responsibilities (for detailed descriptions and Board Structure Diagram see Appendix I)
a. District Superintendent
· To provide pastoral care and support to each of the pastors of the churches within the district.
· To assist district churches with pastoral placement
· To assist with the credentialing and ordination of pastors within the district
· To assist in church consultation
· To assist in strategic establishment of new churches
· To give overall purpose and direction with the Board of Directors to the District that promotes unity and value among the District churches
b. District Secretary
· To assist the Superintendent in office administrative duties
· To assist in general district inquiries and transfer request to appropriate district officer
c. Board Chairman
· To preside at all general meetings of the District and District Board meetings
· In absence of the Superintendent he shall assume the responsibilities of the Superintendent in consultation with the Board of Directors
d. Vice-Chairman
· To assist the Chairman in his duties and assume the Chairman’s duties in his absence
e. Bookkeeper
· To receive and disperse all monies of the District and Board of Directors
· To keep and render proper accounts of all receipts and disbursements
f. Secretary
· To keep accurate minutes of the District and District Board meetings
· To keep all the books and records of the District
g. Financial Chairman
· To give overall direction to the finances of the District
· To communicate with each of the District churches treasurer at least once per year to relay information and note any concerns
· To present financial reports at District Board meetings and District Conferences
h. Regional Directors
· To report on regional activities to the Board of Directors at District Board meetings and District Conferences
· To assist the Superintendent in contacting the District church pastors and leadership offering encouragement and updates
· To assist the Superintendent when available to meet the needs of a given pastor or church (i.e. church consultation, pastor consultation, installation of pastors, etc.)
i. Regional Representatives
· To assist the Regional Directors in promoting the District’s purposes and goals in the region
2. District Committees, their responsibilities, and who to contact
a. Placement Committee
· To assist churches in the District to find a pastor for their churches
b. Ordination Committee
· To aid pastors through the ordination process and to aid churches in getting their pastor ordained
c. Church Planting Committee
· To pray for, strategize, recruit, train, and support church plants in the District
d. Finance Committee
· To oversee and manage the finances of the District
e. Conference Committee
· To organize, advertise, and execute the Annual District Conference
f. Nomination Committee
· To find qualified people in the District to fulfill the needed positions on the Board of Directors
g. Huddle Committee
· To organize, advertise, and execute the Annual District Pastor/Wife Huddle
h. Constitution Committee
· To review and recommend necessary changes to the CPD constitution and all local church constitutions, if requested assistance
B. District Board Meetings
1. The Board of Directors (Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Financial Chairman, Regional Directors and the Superintendent)
a. Shall meet at least once quarterly
b. Be informed that the fiscal year shall be September 1 – August 31
c. The term of offices is from November 1 – October 31
2. Procedure to bring items to the Board Meetings
· The Board Chairman and/or the District Superintendent will develop the basic agenda, please contact either officer for requested items to be discussed.
3. For a complete statement of the EFCC – CPD Constitution see
Appendix XV
C. Financial Aid
The District does not consider itself a money loaning association and yet it will assist in a qualified financial emergency.
Policy: Emergency Funding to Needy District Churches (see Appendix II)
Conditions:
1. Needs of Pastoral staff (living necessities, medical needs, and counseling)
· The EFCC Ministerial Association has a Benevolence Fund
· The District may partner with the EFCC Ministerial Association to address the need of funds
2. Needs of the church building
· Alterations to meet building codes; safety needs; or repairs, which, if not completed will lead to additional costs of structural necessity
· Assistance with building taxes, insurance, and utilities; if not paid immediately the services will be withdrawn
Procedure:
The church and/or pastor are responsible to:
1. Provide the District Board of Directors with a written application; see Appendix II – Canadian Pacific District Emergency Financial Aid Application
(Send an application to Finance Chairman or if not available to your District Regional Director)
2. The application will be reviewed promptly and a decision made by the Finance Chairman and Regional Director. If those Board members are not available then the chairman of the Board and one other Board member may authorize the acceptance or decline of the application. If the application is accepted; funds will be considered a gift; but repayment is encouraged as the pastor/church is able.
3. All emergency fund requests of $5000.00 or more must receive approval by the entire District Board of Directors.
D. Complaint Procedure (See Appendix III for Complaint Form and details)
1. Towards a pastor of a church
· Please refer to your church policy in this area. If the policy is not followed and you have addressed the issue with the appropriate church leadership with no satisfaction, then proceed to the next step.
· Submit a written complaint including a description of the complaint and what steps you have taken thus far and why you are not satisfied. Be sure to date and sign the letter.
· The letter should be sent to the District Superintendent or District Board Chairman. The District Superintendent and/or the District Board Chairman will respond with a written response.
2. Towards a church
· Please refer to the same steps as towards a pastor of a church
3. Towards a District Board member
· Step 1 – Private level
Personally and privately bring your concern to the individual and try to reconcile it.
· Step 2 – Semi – private level
Take one or two others – this step involves reporting a concern to another District Board member and/or the District Superintendent. Submit a written complaint including a description of the complaint and what steps you have taken thus far and why you are not satisfied. Be sure to date and sign the letter.
4. Towards the District Superintendent
· Please refer to the same steps as towards a District Board member
IMPORTANT: To allow proper due process of reconciliation none of the above steps should be overlooked, step 1 should not be missed and step 2 done. For example, it is not appropriate for a complaint to be immediately brought to the District Superintendent or to the President of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada.
E. Procedure in Conflict Resolution
1. Conflicts will occur and can be effectively dealt with to cause spiritual growth within individuals and a congregation
2. One model to work on resolving a conflict involves:
· Identify the issue, the area of conflict
(is a difference of opinion; facts; perceptions; values; purposes; goals; methods; etc.).
· Clarify the goals or desires of the various parties
involved in the conflict.
· Search for alternatives that enable all parties as
much as possible to achieve their desires.
· Make a commitment between the parties to follow
the agreed upon alternative(s).
3. Sometimes the conflict has escalated to the point there is a need for a third party intervener to come in. See appendix VIII for a description of the stages and if a third party is necessary.
4. There is a model that involves six steps to resolve conflicts
· Begin with an ice-breaker that is non-confrontational
· Information – set out the ground rules for how the meeting will operate
· Illumination – take time to pray about the conflict
· Issues – determine the issues
· Implications – two questions
What is the worst thing that could happen if we did not resolve this conflict?
What is the best thing that could happen if we
resolve this conflict?
· Ideas – brainstorm for reaching the desired goal
and selecting the appropriate solution (See Appendix VIII for a detailed description of this model)
5. The role of the District Superintendent in conflict resolution is to assist in identifying the issues and to seek to facilitate understanding and reconciliation. If resolution of the conflict is not quickly possible, then the District Superintendent will remove himself from the conflict situation and a conflict resolution team will continue with the process. The conflict resolution team will comprise of those individuals that the District Board deems as helpful to bring resolution.
F. District Liability Coverage
The District Board of Directors and the District Superintendent are currently insured with Brokerforce Insurance Inc. under the Sanctuary – Plus plan that provides coverage for abuse liability and directors and officers liability.
III. The Churches
A. Local church membership in the District
1. Becoming an associate local church member involves:
a. Submitting an application in writing to the Board of
Directors.
b. Accepting the District’s constitution and by-laws.
c. Receiving District Board approval of the applicant church
constitution and bylaws.
d. Receiving acceptance from the District Conference
on recommendation by the Board of Directors.
e. A church becomes an associate member for two years.
2. Becoming a full member
a. A church upon being an associate member and
successfully becoming familiar and in agreement with the
theology, purpose, lifestyle, distinctives and goals of the
Evangelical Free Church of Canada; will then be
reviewed and recommended by the Board of Directors of
the District.
b. Receiving acceptance from the District Conference
3. Church commitments for associate and full members
a. A member church may change its constitution and by-laws
upon receiving written approval of the change(s) from the
District Board of Directors.
b. A member church may govern its own affairs including
the purchase and ownership of properties and
buildings.
c. A member church is entitled to voting rights.
d. A member church is encouraged to contribute regularly to
the financial support of the District and the National offices
of the Evangelical Free Church.
· The District has a current financial formula of $2.80 per church attendee per month to meet the proposed District budget
· The national Evangelical Free Church of Canada has a current financial formula of $12.50 per church attendee per year
· District, National and International leaders are collaborating to effect Fair Share formulas by which all agendas are met for the common good. Plans are being reviewed to consider a Fair Share Formula that adequately provides for the district, national and international budget. The formula could be calculated according to a percentage of the annual revenue of all churches, or a $X per attendee amount.
B. Church Closure
1. Church initiated
· Written request by member church
· Special Resolution of the Society at a general meeting. Member churches must be notified of the special resolution at least 30 days prior to general meeting
2. District initiated
· Occurs if a church has refused to follow the theology, purpose, lifestyle, distinctives and goals of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada after attempt(s) of reconciliation have failed
· Chronic and insufficient resources both people and finances to maintain a vital ministry presence.
3. Procedure for closing a church
· Appropriate written notification has been given to request closure
· Member churches notified of special resolution
· Appropriate transference of property and building rights to the Canadian Pacific District
· CCRA Charities Directorate notified – Society status to be revoked
· Canada Customs and Revenue Agency – finalization of hired staff T4 slips
· Human Resources Development of Canada – finalization of Record of Employment for any paid staff
· Utilities to remain hooked up – light, gas, oil, water – District to close these accounts
· Completion of church account books and all records turned over to the District
· Church inventory completed and if applicable a manse inventory
· Church insurance is not to be terminated – District will look after ongoing fees
· BC property tax to be paid up to date of closure
· City trash pick up to be discontinued
· Church bank accounts to be closed and any remaining monies to be turned into the District
· Receipts for income tax purposes for donors need to be finalized and sent out
· If applicable, any post office box to be cancelled
· Any church petty cash is to be turned into the District
· Church and manse keys to be turned into the District
· A maintenance person to look after the church building and manse may need to be assigned
· Full payment and cancellation of phone service
· Note of any immediate building repairs that may be needed
· Perform a church closure worship service?
· If the contents are to be sold and dispersed – recent attendees may wish to have priority on items – some items may have been personally made or bought for the church use.
· Note: before a church can sell its items and the buildings and property be put up for sale, a recommendation from the District Board must be presented to the upcoming District Conference.
The delegates then vote on the recommendation of selling, if the vote passes then the building and its contents can be sold.
C. Church planting
1. Local church initiated
· A church within the district may wish to plan a sister church and fund the project
· Plans for such a church should be worked out in consultation with the District Board of Directors.
2. District initiated
· The District Board of Directors may plan to establish some new churches within the District communities.
D. Church being supported by the District and resources
The District has access to a variety of sources to support the churches in the District in such areas as:
1. Prayer
2. Equipping Leadership
3. Assisting in locating pastors for a church looking for a pastor
4. Providing networking opportunities with other District churches
5. Materials through the EFCC Head Office
6. Emergency financial support
7. Church and pastor consultation
E. Church Constitutions
1. New Church (see Appendix XI for more details regarding a church constitution template with guidelines and an example constitution). An example of what contents to include in a church constitution:
a. Constitution
Article I – Name
Article II – Purpose
Article III – Affiliation
Article IV – Doctrinal Statement
Article V – Dissolution/Property
Article VI – Changes to the constitution
b. Bylaws
Article I – Definitions
Article II – Membership
Article III – Meetings
Article IV – Directors
Article V – Records
c. Policies
Policy I – Hiring/Review – pastors
Policy II – Hiring/Review – staff
Policy III – Abuse
Policy IV – Use of facilities
Policy V – Baptism
Policy VI – Divorce
Policy VII – Marriage
d. Job Descriptions
Elders
Deacons
Pastors
Staff
Other
2. Revision within established church
a. Revisions must remain within the ethos of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada.
b. Revisions must be reviewed by the Canadian Pacific Board before they are finalized by the church. A member church may change its constitution and bylaws upon receiving written approval of the change(s) from the Board of Directors of the EFCC – CPD.
F. Revitalized or restarted churches
The following areas of operation will need to be discussed and agreed upon by the church and the District Board of Directors:
1. Issues evolved that required revitalizing or restarting the church are clearly addressed and appropriately resolved.
2. Pastor and church operational costs reviewed and agreed upon.
3. One, two, three and five year church action/goal plan.
4. Church monthly progress reports submitted to the District Board of Directors.
5. Review of BC Society status and completing necessary requirements.
G. Government policies that affect the District Churches
1. Same sex marriage (to be developed) (see Appendix VI)
2. Privacy policy (see Appendix VII)
3. Abuse policy (see Appendix XII)
4. Church facility use (see Appendix XIII)
5. Marriage/Divorce/Re-marriage (to be developed) (see Appendix XIV)
6. EFCC – CPD Constitution (see Appendix XV)
7. Clergy income tax (see Appendix XVI)
IV. The Pastor
A. Calling
· Contact the Superintendent for possible pastor candidates
· Obtain from the District or National offices a copy of “The Right Pastor – Seeking God’s Man for Your Church” to assist in the establishing of a pastoral search committee; the procedure for the pastoral committee; and considerations for calling additional staff. Includes a helpful time line schedule and flow chart of calling procedure.
B. Agreement and signing of the Covenant of Personal and Professional
Ethics (see Appendix X)
C. Installation
· When you have called a pastor to your church, make arrangements with your Superintendent to schedule an installation service for your new pastor
D. Credentialing and ordination
· See the Credentialing Procedures for the Evangelical Free Church of Canada. Contact your District Superintendent for more details. The pastor is encouraged to begin this process as soon as possible (see Appendix XVII for steps towards credentialing)
E. Registering with BC Vital Statistics
· All pastors within the District are encouraged to contact your District Superintendent to be registered with the Religious Representative Registry BC Vital Statistics Agency. The registration must occur if you plan to solemnize weddings in BC.
F. Group Medical Benefits
· The EFCC uses the medical plan administrators, D. A. Townley & Associates, Burnaby. They can be reached at (604) 299-7482 or 1-800-663-1356. The Group Insurance Plan is with Great West Life. Cheryl Billingsley is our agent at this office for the EFCC account. Therefore if you have further questions than what is available in this memo, please contact her.
Transfers of former EFCC pastors’ group benefit plans to other EFCC churches may be possible, check with Cheryl. See Appendix IX for group plan costs and other details.
· Application Procedure: If you as a church hire a new pastor you will have to contact the EFCC Head Office at (604) 888-8668 and request an application for the Group Insurance Plan. The application when completed is sent back to the EFCC Head office and they will verify its legitimacy and forward it to D.A. Townley & Associates. The information will indicate where to send the ongoing premium monthly payments (directly to D.A. Townley & Associates).
G. Performance Reviews
1. Annual/bi-annual evaluations by the church pastored
· Pastor performance evaluations are important to do within the context of an entire church ministry performance review.
· Performance reviews should be done on a regular planned basis rather than when problems arise and the “pastor” needs to be evaluated.
· Whole church ministry performance reviews are helpful to gain fresh goals and directives
· See Appendix IV – “Creating Successful Performances Reviews” (from the EFCC Resource Manual)
· See Appendix V – “Ministry Fitness Check” (a tool to assess an overview of the church ministries developed by Outreach Canada)
2. District evaluation
· Occurs when a pastor is not in accordance with the theology, purpose, lifestyle, distinctives and goals of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada
· May occur in conjunction with the Committee on Ministerial Standing if a violation of the credentialing or ordination and/or the covenant of personal and professional ethics have occurred.
H. Resignation
1. Voluntarily
· The pastor should review his church constitution for stated protocol regarding notification to the church.
· The resignation may be due to being offered another call to a different church or another form of ministry or education.
· The resignation may be due to a sense that the work God has given him to do at this church is completed and it is time to move on.
· The resignation may be due to personal or family needs that will not allow the pastor to appropriately fulfill his duties.
· The resignation should be done with appropriate notification to the church leadership and then to the congregation.
· The District Superintendent should be informed of the pastor’s intentions so he can be supported in the process by the Superintendent
2. Requested
a. Church initiated
· A church may determine that its pastor has completed his work within their congregation and request the pastor to resign. The church must follow protocol according to its constitution. The Free Church is a congregational government and it is important the congregation is kept informed and the membership is aware of the resignation and the reasons for such a resignation. The District Superintendent should be informed of such a development by the church leadership.
· A church may determine that their pastor has acted or performed outside the parameters of its constitution or that of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada. The District Superintendent should be informed of such a development by the church leadership. (See Appendix XVIII and XVIV)
b. District initiated
· May occur when a pastor is no longer in agreement with the theology, purpose, lifestyle, distinctives and goals of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada
· May occur in conjunction with the Committee on Ministerial Standing perceiving a contravention of the credentialing or ordination regulations and/or the covenant of personal and professional ethics have occurred.
See Various Appendix sections below; complete materials have been handed out at the October 2005 District Conference. Each church has been be given a binder with the above policies and completed appendixes.
APPENDIX I
EFCC – CPD Board Structure Diagram
District Board of Directors and District Staff Contact Information
Job Descriptions of the District Staff and District Board of Directors
District Board Code of Conduct
APPENDIX II
EFCC – CPD EMERGENCY FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION
EFCC MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION BENEVOLENCE FUNDS GUIDELINES (Contact the Ministerial Standing Committee)
APPENIX III
EFCC- CPD COMPLAINT FORM
SUGGESTED PROCESS FOR RESTORING ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE (See the EFCC Church Resource Manual section F 3)
APPENDIX IV
CREATING SUCCESSFUL PASTORAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
(See EFCC Church Resource Manual Section D 36)
EXAMPLE OF A PASTOR EVALUATION
APPENDIX V
AN ASSESSMENT OF CHURCH HEALTH
(Outreach Canada Ministry Fitness Check)
APPENDIX VI
SAME SEX MARRIAGE AND THE EFCC SEX MARRIAGE STATEMENT
APPENDIX VII
PRIVACY POLICY
APPENDIX VIII
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
A seminar that is available through the District Superintendent
Various articles on the “Heart of the Conflict”
Which is produced by Ken Sande with Peace Maker Ministeries
IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS SEMINAR CONTACT YOUR DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT
APPENDIX IX
COSTS AND DETAILS OF THE MEDICAL GROUP PLAN BENEFITS
APPENDIX X
COVENANT OF PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
APPENDIX XI
CHURCH CONSTITUTIONS
APPENDIX XII
ABUSE POLICIES
Reducing the Risk of Sexual Misconduct
APPENDIX XIII
CHURCH FACILITY USE POLICY
APPENDIX XIV
MARRIAGE
DIVORCE
RE-MARRIAGE
(NOTE THIS SECTION TO BE DEVELOPED AT A LATER DATE)
APPENDIX XV
EFCC – CANADIAN PACIFIC DISTRICT CONSTITUTION
(NOTE: CURRENTLY UNDER REVISION)
APPENDIX XVI
CLERGY INCOME TAX
APPENDIX XVII
STEPS TOWARDS CREDENTIALING
AND ORDAINING
YOUR PASTOR
APPENDIX XVIII
SUSPENDING OR FIRING A PASTOR
