PASTORAL
COUNCIL BY-LAWS
ARTICLE
I - NAME
Section 1 - The name of this organization is St. Philip the Apostle Catholic
Church Pastoral Council.
ARTICLE II - PURPOSE
Section 1 - The Pastoral
Council works with the Pastor to establish a pastoral
vision on how to use the talents, gifts, skills and
experiences of our particular unique body of believers
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Pastoral
Council is a shared responsibility with the Pastor
to provide for the spiritual growth of our faith
community. It is forward-looking, starting with the
commission given to us by Jesus Christ in his Gospels,
examining the mission statement of St. Philip the
Apostle Parish, then setting goals and objectives
to lead our community closer to God's kingdom. The
council is not tasked with doing activities or seeing
to the daily administration of the parish, but sets
the direction for commissions and project teams to
accomplish the tasks.
Section 2 - The work of
the Pastoral Council shall be guided by the Holy
Spirit. As such, 20-30 minutes at the opening of
the meeting will be given to prayer. This
prayer will be led by a member on a rotational basis.
This prayer may include scripture-based prayer, the
Liturgy of the Hours, sharing, reflection, prayers,
music, etc. A member shall be designated at the end
of each meeting to lead the prayer for the next meeting.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 - The Pastoral
Council shall be comprised of at least 12 members
of the Parish who have been a member for at least
one year. The members shall be representative of
the parish community at large, in terms of sex, age,
culture, etc. The Pastor shall be the Convening
Head of the council. Associate pastor(s) and permanent
deacon(s) may be ex-officio members.
Section 2 - All council
members are expected to be actively involved in at
least one ministry within the parish community.
Section 3 - The term of
office is nominally for three (3) years effective
January 1 of each year. New members shall be appointed
as vacancies occur as outlined by these bylaws. Appointments
of new members are at the discretion of the Pastor. Current
members may be reappointed for a new three (3) year
term at the discretion of the Pastor.
Section 4 - Council
members will voluntarily resign their appointments
in the case of the assignment of a new Pastor to shepherd
St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, as provided
for in canon law.
ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS
Section 1 - The officers
of the St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church Pastoral
Council shall consist of a Facilitator and a Reporter.
Nominations for officers shall be solicited from
Pastoral Council members and shall be voted on at
the final meeting of each year.
Section 2 - The term of
office shall be for one (1) year. Officers may be
reelected but may not serve more than two (2) consecutive
terms in any elected office.
Section 3 - The Facilitator
shall lead the Pastoral Council members through the
agenda at all meetings with the Pastor reserving
the right to preside at all or part of any meeting.
The Facilitator shall be responsible for assembling
the agenda for all meetings with input from all council
members, with particular direction from the Pastor
and additional input by the Reporter.
Section 4 - The Reporter
shall be responsible for keeping record of meeting
deliberations and recommendations for approval by
the Pastor. She/he shall be responsible for preparing
all communications to go out from the council to
the parish at-large.
ARTICLE V - MEETINGS
Section 1 - Pastoral
Council meetings shall be held at least once a quarter
on a date and time as determined by the pastor and
the membership. The council may meet more frequently
when business for council discussions warrants.
Section 2 - Meetings
shall last approximately two (2) hours, or as needed.
Section 3 - Members shall
notify either the Facilitator or the Reporter when
unable to be present for a meeting.
Section 4 - Consecutive
absences from meetings need to be discussed with
the Facilitator and/or Pastor. If the person can
no longer serve on the Pastoral Council, a replacement
shall be named in accordance with the bylaws.
Section 5 - All members
of the Pastoral Council shall participate in an annual
retreat, which will be one (1) day in length. All
members shall also avail themselves of such spiritual
practices as to promote spiritual growth within themselves
and within the council as a whole.
Section 6 - Pastoral Council
recommendations shall be based on a consensus of
mutual agreement based on the wisdom of the Holy
Spirit, mutual trust and respect for each other and
a commitment to actively support all final decisions. Recommendations
will be referred to the Pastor for his approval and
for implementation |
