The Minnesota Conference

THEMINNESOTACONFERENCEOFTHEUNITEDCHURCHOFCHRIST

POLICYMANUAL

122 West FranklinAvenue, Room 323

Minneapolis, MN 55404

(612)871-0359

POLICYMANUAL

MinnesotaConferenceoftheUnitedChurchofChrist

(With revisions approved by the Board of Directors on March 11, 2017)

These policiesshall not supersede the Bylaws of theMinnesotaConferenceoftheUnited Church of Christ orapplicable Minnesota Statutes.

TABLEOFCONTENTS

MISSION STATEMENT

LEGAL BASIS FOR CONFERENCE & REFERENCE TO BYLAWS

REVIEW OF STATE

SECTIONONE – BoardofDirectors

Quorum

Open Meeting Policy

Attendance Policy

Confidentiality

SECTIONTWO – Miscellaneous Policies

Minutes Policy

Conference Public Relations & Endorsement Policy

Conference Solicitation

Fundraising Policy

Gift Acceptance Policy

Conflict of Interest

Expense Reimbursement

Counting of Offerings at Annual Meeting

Policy on Hiring Consultants

Use of Conference Contributions to LeaderWise

SECTIONTHREE – Finance & Investment Policy

Investment & Management Policy related to Funds of the MNCUCC

Operating Reserve Policy

SECTION FOUR – Personnel PolicyPersonnel Policy in Full

MISSION STATEMENT OF THECONFERENCE

MissionStatementoftheMinnesotaConference

The Mission of the Minnesota Conference oftheUnitedChurchofChrististo increaselove of God and neighbor by strengthening covenantal relations among allsettingsoftheUnitedChurchofChristandbyworkingwith our ecumenical and interfaith partners.

LEGALBASISFORTHECONFERENCE

LegalStatus

The Minnesota Conference is a nonprofitcorporationorganizedin1963underthe “MinnesotaNonprofitCorporationAct” (Minnesota Statutes Chapter 317).In 1989,Chapter 317 was rewritten as Chapter 317A, which now governs the MinnesotaConference.

The Conference Bylaws and the actions taken bytheAnnualMeeting,itsvoting membersandits Work Groups, Committees, ProgramMinistriesand Teams; bytheConferenceBoardofDirectors,itsofficers,its ExecutiveCommittee,subcommittees and task forces;andtheir members; andbyConference staff mustconformto Chapter 317A.

Inordertoassure compliance withMinnesotaLaw,theBoardofDirectorsisresponsibleforannuallyreviewingtheMinnesotaStatutesforanynewlaws, amendments, orrepealsofoldlawapplicabletotheMinnesota Conference.MinnesotaStatutes is printed everytwoyearsbytheRevisorofStatutes office. A supplement is issued in odd-numberedyearsto show changes made duringthatlegislativesession.The statutes may beaccessedat new law, amendments or repeals of old lawrequire changes to the Minnesota Conference Bylaws the Board of Directors isresponsible for recommending bylaw amendments.When bylaw amendments requiremodificationstothisPolicyManualthose changes shouldbe made assoonaspossiblefollowing approval of bylaw revisions at an Annual Meeting or SpecialMeeting.

TheBoardofDirectorsisresponsibleforthisPolicy Manual. (Article VI, Section 5) TheBoardofDirectorsapprovedthis version of the manual on(Date).The primarydistributionofthe manual isthrough an electronic versionmaintained on the MinnesotaConference website: A paper copy is also availabletoanyMinnesotaConferencestaffand/or volunteer whenrequested.Modificationsorupdatestothis PolicyManual may be made electronically on a regular basis contingent on policy approval bythe Board of Directors when required. A paper copy should be updated and reprinted bytheFallofeachyearifrequired.

Bylaws

The Minnesota Conference has Bylaws, which governtheinternalactionsoftheConference, as permittedby the MinnesotaNonprofit CorporationAct.Acopyofthe

Bylaws is included as an addendum,may beobtained fromthe Conference office, or maybe found in the conference directory.

Amending the Bylaws

Please see the Bylaws Article XII aboutamending the Bylaws.

REVIEW OF STATE

Purpose: Assure the Minnesota Conference bylaws, policies and procedures are in compliance with Minnesota Law.

Approved: 03/11/2017

Policy:

1. The Board of Directors will assure the annual review of the Minnesota Statutes by the Conference Attorney for any new laws, amendments, or repeals of old law applicable to the Minnesota Conference[J1].

Note: The Revisor-of-Statutes office prints Minnesota Statutes every two years. A supplement is issued in odd-numbered years to show changes made during that legislative session. The statutes may be accessed at

1. When new law, amendments or repeals of old law require changes to the Minnesota Conference Bylaws the Board of Directors is responsible for recommending bylaw amendments at an Annual Meeting or Special Meeting.

1. When bylaw amendments require modifications to the Policy or Procedure Manuals those changes should be made as soon as possible following approval of bylaw revisions

History of Changes: (date & high level description of changes)

2/28/2017 – Initial draft; the text was extracted from the section of the old Policy manual (now Procedure Manual) in the section entitled: The Legal Basis for the Conference and Reference to Bylaws.

3/11/2017 – Approved by Board of Directors

SECTIONONE

MINNESOTACONFERENCEANDBOARDOFDIRECTORS

CONTENTOFTHESECTION

Quorum

Open Meeting Policy

Attendance Policy

Confidentiality

QUORUM

Quorum Required

The Board and each Committee, Work Group, Teamor other body’s meetingmust have aquorumof members present in order to do the business. Decisions made when there is noquorumof members present are not valid or binding.

One-half plus one of the voting members of theConferenceBoardofDirectors must bepresentto constitute a quorum. (ArticleVI,Section6).Voting members may notauthorizeaproxytorepresent or voteforthem.

OPEN MEETING POLICY

Any United Church of ChristMemberMayAttend

Generally, all Conference Board of Directorsmeetingsand Committee, WorkGroup,Teamandother body meetings are open to any member of a local church in the Minnesota Conference ofthe United Church of Christ. Any member ofa local church in the Minnesota Conference maycall the Conference office to learn the date,time and location of any Conference Board ofDirectors meeting, Annual Meeting,Special Meeting,Committee,Work Group or Teammeetingand attend the meeting.

Exception:MeetingsofConferenceBoardofDirectors’ExecutiveCommittee

Meetings of the Executive Committee of the Conference Board of Directors are, by definition,executivesessions,and may excludevisitors.

Exception:DiscussionofConfidentialMatters

Groups may exclude visitors when they need todiscussconfidential matters. Thisexceptionisavery narrow one and should not be used toundotheopen meeting policy.(See the section onconfidentiality inthis chapter for moreinformation.)

Exception:GroupsMayExcludeSomeVisitors

Groups may, butarenotrequiredto,excludefromtheir meetings persons who are not membersofalocalchurchintheMinnesotaConference.Inaddition,persons who are members of a localchurchintheMinnesotaConferencewhoseektoattenda groupmeeting in a dual capacity (suchasa memberofalocalcongregationwhoisalsorepresentinganewsorganization) may beexcluded from a group meeting bya vote of group members presentand voting at the meeting.

VisitorsMustIdentifyThemselves

Ifagrouphasvisitors,thevisitorsmustidentify themselves and any organization they represent.Visitors who are unwilling to identify themselvesmust leave the meeting.

Visitors at AdHocGatherings

Whengroup members gatheronanadhocbasisbetween meetings todogroupbusiness,theyarenotholdingagroup meeting, andtherefore, there is no requirement to admit anyone who is not amember ofthegroupassignedtoworkonthattask.

PermittingVisitors ToSpeakataMeeting

As a courtesy, the group may decide to invite anyvisitor(s)it permits toattendits meetings tospeakaboutwhytheyareattendingthe meeting, butthisisnotrequired.

Groupsthatdo permit visitorstospeakshoulddesignate a time to hear from visitors and shouldset a timelimit for each speaker.Groups are advisedtofindawayto permit interested visitors tomake theirviewsknowntothegroupoutside the meeting, iftheycannotaccommodatethosewishes during the meeting.

PresenceoftheMedia at aGroupMeeting

Although this is highly unlikely, if visitors are from the media, the group should politely butfirmly require members of the press or broadcasting toleavethe meeting.Thechairshouldreferanyquestionsbythe media totheMinnesota ConferenceMinister.See the Conference “PublicRelations and Endorsement Policy” for generalguidance,orcalltheConferenceofficewith specificquestionsabout dealing with the media.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

(ThispolicywasadoptedbytheConference Council on December 2, 1995 and slightly amendedfor the manual.)

Rationale

Optimal group functioning is dependent upon thefull participation of each group member.Frequent absence by a group member places agreater burden on attending members of thegroup. Regular attendance at Committee,Work Group, Board of Directors and task forcemeetings isexpected and encouraged.

This policy is not intended to penalize well-intentioned people, but to ensure that groups functionwellandtoequalizethedistributionof responsibilities.

Expected Standard

Group members shall plan toattendallregularlyscheduled groupmeetings and any additionalmeetings thegroupcallsinorderto do itswork.Group members who find thattheywillnot beable to attend a meeting should call ore-mail thechairperson assoonas they realize they will notbeabletoattend.

Failureor Inability ToMeetthe Minimum Standard

Group members, who miss half theregularly-scheduled meetings oftheirgroupinoneyear,willbe considered to have resigned fromthe group.Thisisadefactoresignationthatdoesnotrequireavoteofthegrouptotakeeffect.See “Group Chair Responsibilities” below for warning, notificationandresignationprovisions.

Groups Can Vote To Dismiss AMember for LowParticipation

Groupscanvoteto dismiss a member whose attendance or participation isnot acceptable, evenifattendanceisabovethe minimum establishedabove.Forsuchanactiontobevalid:

• The motion to dismiss a membermust be held at a duly-called meeting;
• Thepersonwhose dismissal isbeing considered mustbe informed ofthependingactionand is entitled to be present with voice and vote;
• Thevoteto dismiss must beatleasttwo-thirds ofthe members present and voting.

Groups May Retain Services of Consultant

Groups have the option of retaining the servicesandexpertiseofa former group member whocannot meet attendance standards asa consultant.The formermember will be replacedat theearliest possible opportunity by anew member, however. (See“Hiring Consultants”inSectionSix for moreinformation about consultants.)

Groups Will Take Attendance Reliably

Eachgroupisresponsibleforsettingupareliable mechanismto takeattendance ateach meeting.Itisthe secretary’s responsibility torecordattendance as part of taking the minutes of themeeting. If the secretary is absent, another group member must record attendanceandtakeminutes.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The Conference Board of Directors or other bodiesmay find that there are times when they willneed to keep matters before themconfidential.Certainly, some of the work of the PersonnelCommittee is confidential.Confidentialitymust be kept in order to maintain trust with the peoplethe Conference serves.

Definition

Confidentiality isa promise notto disclose sensitive or private information excepttopeople

• whoareauthorizedtoseeit, because they need the information to carry out aresponsibility,
• or should bepermitted to see it, because they are the subject of the information (as in aperformance evaluation).

Confidentiality may apply to processes or to information.When confidentiality applies toprocesses,itusuallyappliestoprocessesonlywhiletheyareunderway.Onceaprocesshas reacheda conclusion, theconclusionisnotusuallyconfidential,because the decisionmustbecommunicated.

Information may beconfidentialinperpetuityorit may bedisclosedafteradesignatedperiodoftime has passed. Disclosure of confidential informationmay be compelled in certain legal matters.

Short of disclosurecompelled by law, other disclosure of confidentialinformation will require aConference Board of Directors policy decision.

Groups are cautioned not to confuse the temporary need for confidentiality during a process with

silenceabout the processitself.Stakeholdershave a legitimate need to understandthat the process beingusedto make adecisionwillbe fair.

General Rule

Generally, the work of the Conference Board ofDirectors and groups isnot confidential.

Confidential RecordsWillBeKept at ConferenceOffice

Confidential records ordocuments will be kept atthe Conferenceoffice ina locked filecabinet.SecretariesoftheBoardor other group who mustwork with confidential recordsawayfromtheConference offices must take steps to protectandlimitaccess to these working documents. Oncefinished with the confidentialrecords, the secretary should forward themto the Conferenceoffice administrator. The records must be marked confidential, and the secretary should includeacoverletterexplainingwhatthe documents are and why they are confidential.

Establishing a Policy on Confidentiality

Groupsthatregularlydealwithconfidential processes orconfidential information mustcreateawritten policy on confidentiality that will include the following:

Whatprocessor information isconfidential;

Why it is confidential;

How long it will remain confidential;

Who may have access to the confidentialinformation and under what circumstances;

How confidentialrecords will be kept and protected, and how they will be disposed of.

Complaintsabout MisapplicationofConfidentiality Policy

Personswhoareconcernedthatapolicyon confidentiality isbeing applied incorrectlyorinconsistently are encouraged to raise their concerns directly to the group thatis administeringthepolicyandrequestachange in practice or policy.

Whenagroupreceivessucharequest,it must put the matter on the agenda of its next scheduledmeeting.Thegroup must alsoinvitethepersonwho made the complaint to come to the meetingand permit himor her to speak to the complaint.The group will make a prompt decision on thecomplaint andcommunicatethedecisiontothe person who brought the complaint.

If the person who made the complaint is not satisfiedwiththegroup’s action, it may appeal thedecision to the Conference Board of Directors.

Urgent Exception to ComplaintProcess

If the matter is urgent,the person whomade the complaintmay bypass the group if it will notmeet in a timelymanner, and bring the matterdirectlytothe ConferenceMinisteror theModeratorof the Conference.

If the Conference Minister or the Moderator believesthe situation warrants immediate attention,eitheronemayrequesttheExecutive Committee oftheConferenceBoardofDirectorstohearthe complaint and render a decisionthatisbindingonthegroup.

The person who made the complaint and the chairperson oftherelevantgroupwill come totheExecutive Committee meetingto speak tothecomplaint, if requested bythe ExecutiveCommittee or if they wish.

1

SECTIONTWO

MISCELLANEOUS POLICIES

CONTENTOFTHESECTION

Minutes Policy

Conference Public Relations & Endorsement Policy

Conference Solicitation

Fundraising Policy

Gift Acceptance Policy

Conflict of Interest

Expense Reimbursement

Counting of Offerings at Annual Meeting

Policy on Hiring Consultants

Use of Conference Contributions to LeaderWise

MINUTES POLICY

Minutes Policy for Board of Directors, Board Committees and Annual/Special Meetings

Purpose: The Minnesota Conference embraces the concepts of transparency and accountability in all its ministry and governance. Meeting minutes serve as both important operational and historical documents. This policy will assure that Minnesota Conference governance and operational decisions are available to current and future members of the Conference while providing for reasonable and/or required confidentiality. There is no intent to limit the format, timing or specificity of the documents describing the decisions; each Conference entity should develop their own procedures to adhere to the policy.

Approved: 03/11/2017

Policy:

1. Meeting minutes shall be kept for meetings of the Board of Directors (excluding executive sessions), Committees of the Board and the Annual and Special Meetings of the Conference.
   
2. Minutes will include: name of the Conference entity, the date and location of the meeting and the name of the person submitting the minutes.
   
3. Except for the minutes of the Annual and Special Meetings, minutes will include the names of entity members participating, names of entity members absent, names of staff, visitors and guests participating.

1. At a minimum, all decisions must be documented with pertinent and reasonable descriptions of the topic, discussion, rationale and outcome. It is recommended that the method of decision making be included, e.g. motion, and vote or consensus. Any document referred to in the decision of the group shall be appended to the Minutes.
   
2. The level of detail recorded in the meeting minutes for non-decision items are at the discretion of the Conference entity in consultation with the Conference Minister.
   
3. Final/approved minutes shall be stored, in perpetuity, with the Conference office for review by members of the Conference upon request.
   
4. The Conference Minister will develop and enforce mechanisms to assure appropriate confidentiality, where applicable, so that only authorized individuals or entities may have access to them.

History of Changes: (date & high level description of changes)

March 11, 2017: Approved by the Board of Directors

CONFERENCE PUBLIC RELATIONS & ENDORESEMENT POLICY

PURPOSE:

The Conference Board of Directors recognizes the importance for an accurate, consistent and timely public voice to inquiries from and proactive communication to members, the public, or particularly from representatives of the media. The policy defines who may speak on behalf of the Conference and who may endorse activities or positions for the Conference. The policy is not intended to impede flow of information or an individual’s right to free speech. The Board recognizes that in the 21st century culture of 24/7 news cycles and use of digital media decisions must often be made without time to seek endorsement of positions by Conference members at its annual meeting and/or between scheduled Board meetings.

Approved: mm/dd/yyyy

Endorsement

1. The Conference Board of Directors is authorized to make public statements that may be viewed as position stands or endorsements, or to affiliate with an organization whose work is in alignment with the Core Values of the Conference.
2. The Conference Board of Directors delegates to the Conference Minister the authority to discern, in alignment with the Core Values of the Conference, when it is appropriate to make a public statement that may be viewed as a position stand or an endorsement, or to affiliate with an organization whose work is in alignment with the Core Values of the Conference. The Board encourages the Conference Minister to consult with the Executive Committee of the Board in the course of making such discernment. Any public statements, positions, or presence of the Conference should be handled only by the Conference Minister and under the Conference Minister’s signature, unless specifically delegated by the Conference Minister, and should be reported to the Board at its next scheduled meeting.
3. A committee, team or task group’s charter will specify the scope of empowerment within which they may make decisions. Committees, teams and task forces should refer any additional requests for affiliation or endorsement to the Conference Minister.
4. All such public actions, statements, endorsements, and affiliations taken by any of the above persons or groups should be consistent with the values of the Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ and shall not supersede the by-laws of the Conference or formal action taken at the Annual Meeting of the Conference.

Public Relations

1. The Conference will use a variety of approaches to communicate with interested persons and parties. Policy statements apply to any and all such tools and techniques.
2. The Conference should be proactive in seeking out the news media to convey pertinent information, even when it is unfavorable. Spokespersons must be generally available and should communicate where and when they can be reached for further information. The goal is to create the impression that the Minnesota Conference is and will continue to be honest and forthright and that we are prepared to be judged under the light of truth. If the Conference is maltreated, there are news councils, readers’ representatives, libel laws and other avenues through which we can seek redress.
3. When responding to requests from the media, spokespersons should be guided by the written positions and stands taken by official bodies of the United Church of Christ. They should stress, where applicable, that the General Synod, Conference Annual Meeting, Conference Board of Directors, or its Executive Committee do not speak “for” the churches and their members, but “to” them. Note: UCC polity prescribes that any congregation or individual can speak for themselves, regardless of what official UCC bodies determine.
4. Media seeking information about the positions, stands and occurrences of the General Synod or United Church of Christ denominational setting, should be referred to the Conference Minister who may decide to refer them to the appropriate United Church of Christ office.
5. Media seeking information specific to the positions, organization or activities specific to the Minnesota Conference should be referred first to the Conference Minister and additionally to the Conference Moderator or their designee, if appropriate.
6. Questions concerning a Conference sponsored event may be referred to the chairperson of the event. When that person is absent, this authority should be delegated to another knowledgeable adult. It is advisable that someone always be present who is in charge and available to the media.
7. The Conference office or the Conference Minister should be notified as soon as possible when emergencies or other situations arise that are likely to trigger public attention or curiosity.
8. If an emergency should occur, the Conference Minister or designee should be the spokesperson to the media. In the event that is not possible or feasible, individuals are strongly urged to seek help from the Conference before making their first statement. No one should feel as if they must face the media alone, especially in cases where there is likely to be extensive interest in a stand of the denomination or in a situation that has occurred.
9. All Board and Committee, Work Group, and Team members, officers, and Conference staff will be sensitive to the principles outlined in this policy, always being faithful to the positions taken by the Conference and national bodies. They will exercise great care in cases where no explicit position has been taken.

Glossary of Terms: