GUIDING PRINCIPLES
MISSION PRINCIPLES
Our Mission
Worship God, proclaim the message of Christ, and reach out in mission
to all people.
Our Values
1. Faith in Jesus Christ
2. Passion for understanding and sharing the Gospel
3. Belief in the baptism of believers
4. Belief in the power of prayer
5. Respect for all people
6. Commitment to peace and social justice
7. Celebration of weekly communion – open to all believers
Our Goals, 2008 – 2009
1. Increase our participating membership by 10%
2. Increase our stewardship of total giving by 10%
3. Involve all members in the mission programs of our church
4. Expand our worship opportunities
5. Expand our Christian education programs
6. Expand our evangelism program
7. Break ground for a new sanctuary within five years
BOUNDARY PRINCIPLES
Comprehensive Boundary Statement
The Pastor and Church Leaders shall not cause or allow any practice,
activity, decision, or organizational circumstance that is unlawful,
imprudent, unethical, or unbiblical.
Boundary Component 1: Biblical and Moral Integrity
With regard to the teaching, leadership and membership of the
church, the Pastor shall not fail to uphold high standards of biblical
teaching and morality.
Boundary Component 2: Financial Planning and Budgeting
Financial planning for any fiscal year or the remaining part of any
fiscal year shall not deviate materially from the Administrative
Council’s Mission Principles or risk financial jeopardy.
Boundary Component 3: Mission Team Budget Readjustment
The Mission Team chair people are free to spend and readjust their
budgets within their allocated amount to meet the changing needs
of the church without Administrative Council approval given
available
funds.
Boundary Component 4: Financial Condition and Activities
With respect to the actual, ongoing financial conditions and
activities, the Pastor and Church Leaders shall not allow the
development of fiscal jeopardy or a material deviation of actual
expenditures from Administrative Council’s priorities established in
Mission Principles. The Pastor, and Church Leaders cannot take out
any loans or obtain credit cards in the church’s name.
Boundary Component 5: Consensus of the Mission Team
The Mission Team will conduct its business by coming to a
“consensus.” They will ask for a “vote” only as a last resort.
Boundary Component 6: Treatment of Members
With respect to interactions with members or potential members,
the Pastor and Church Leaders shall not cause or allow conditions,
procedures, or decisions that are unsafe, undignified, unnecessarily
intrusive, or that fail to provide appropriate confidentiality or
privacy.
Boundary Component 7: Treatment of Staff
With respect to the treatment of paid and volunteer staff, the Pastor
and Church Leaders may not cause or allow conditions that are
unfair, undignified, or unlawful.
Boundary Component 8: Communication
The Pastor shall be responsible for clear communication between
the Mission Team and the Administrative Council.
ACCOUNTABILITY PRINCIPLES
Comprehensive Accountability Statement
The responsibility of the Administrative Council before God, on behalf of
the people of Capilla del Sol Christian Church and the surrounding region
who need to be led to Christ and nurtured in Him, is to see that Capilla del
Sol Christian Church, through the leadership of its Pastor, (1) achieves the
fulfillment of its Mission Principles, and (2) avoids violation of its Boundary
Principles.
Accountability Component 1: Stewardship to Christ for Those He
Calls Us to Serve
1. Community Research and Public Relations
The Administrative Council will invest resources each year to
enhance its understanding of the needs of people in the
community and to enhance the church’s reputation of service
to the community.
2. Church Feedback and Assessment
The Administrative Council will collect and/or review input and
feedback from members, attendees, and non-returning visitors to
better understand their needs.
3. Devotion to Prayer and the Word of God
Under the teaching and guidance of the Pastor, the Administrative
Council will continually seek the wisdom and leading of Christ as the
Lord of the church.
Accountability Component 2: Defining the Process of the
Administrative Council
The Council shall conduct itself with discipline and integrity with
regard to its own process of governance.
1. Administrative Council Style
The Administrative Council will govern with an emphasis on:
(a) outward vision rather than internal preoccupation,
(b) encouragement of diversity in viewpoints, (c) strategic
leadership more than administrative detail, (d) clear distinction
of mission team and staff roles, (e) collective rather than individual
decisions, (f) future rather than past or present, and (g) proactivity
rather than reactivity.
2. Administrative Council Job Description
The essential job outputs of the Administrative Council are linkage to
the people served, definition of guiding principles, and monitoring
of Pastor performance. In addition to these three essentials, the
Administrative Council shall exercise authority granted to it in the
bylaws and not delegated to the Pastor.
3. Administrative Council Code of Conduct
The Administrative Council commits itself and its members to the
following code of conduct:
- The Administrative Council members must represent un-
conflicted loyalty to the interests of Christ regarding those
whom he has called his church to serve (Matt. 28:18-20).
This loyalty supersedes any personal or group interest among
or outside consumers of the church’s services. A member
must disclose any fiduciary conflict of interest and withdraw
from any decision-making affected by it.
- Members of the Administrative Council must honor the
principles and 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.
- Members of the Administrative Council must respect the
confidentiality of sensitive Council issues and must avoid
facilitating gossip or other “triangulation” against the practice
of direct, biblical resolution.
4. Responsibility of the Chairperson of the Administrative Council
The chairperson enforces the integrity and fulfillment of the
Administrative Council’s process including the monitoring of Pastor
performance. The chairperson is authorized to use any reasonable
interpretation of the Accountability Principles as he or she acts to
ensure the integrity of the Administrative Council process.
5. Responsibility of the Pastor for Visionary Leadership
The Pastor has the responsibility, authority, and accountability
to serve as the primary leader of the church at every level:
Congregation, Administrative Council, and staff. With respect to
the Council, the Pastor will provide communication to the
Administrative Council on all actions except for monitoring of Pastor
performance. If a question of process arises with regard to the
bylaws or guiding principles of the church, the Pastor will defer to
the judgment of the Administrative Council chairperson.
6. Use of Administrative Council Committees
Administrative Council committees, if used, will be assigned so as to
reinforce the wholeness of the its job and never to interfere with the
delegation from Administrative Council to the Pastor or with
the work of the staff.
7. Cost of Governance
The Administrative Council will invest in its own governance
capacity through training, outside expertise, research mechanisms,
and meeting costs.
Accountability Component 3: Monitoring the Performance of the
Pastor
The Administrative Council’s official connection to the operating
organization of the church, its achievement, and conduct shall be
through the Pastor.
1. Unity of Control
Only decisions of the Administrative Council acting as a whole are
binding on the Pastor.
2. Accountability of the Pastor
The Pastor is the Administrative Council’s official 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 Pastor.
3. Delegation of the Pastor
The Administrative Council will instruct the Pastor through written
principles that define the mission to be achieved and establish the
boundaries to be avoided, allowing the Pastor to use any
reasonable interpretation of these principles.
4. Performance of the Pastor
Systematic monitoring of the Pastor’s job performance will relate to
church accomplishment of the Administrative Council’s Mission
Principles and church operation within the Administrative Council’s
Boundary Principles.
5. Annual Goals of the Pastor
The Pastor, along with the Administrative Council, will be required to
write measurable goals each year that correspond to the Mission
Statement and the Values of the Church. At least one of these
goals for each mission principle must project growth in the number
of people who benefit or participate.
6. Annual Review of the Pastor
Each year, the Administrative Council shall review the results
achieved by the Pastor on each of the annual goals. A merit raise,
cost of living raise, corrective action, or request for resignation shall
be based on these results achieved with the Council’s boundary
principles.
7. Periodic Goal Review of the Pastor
At the meetings of the Administrative Council, the goals will be
discussed and reviewed for performance, modification, and
accountability.
If you have any questions or comments regarding these Guiding
Principles, please contact Moderator Terry Gilliland at 297-9571.