FAQs with Grove’s Discernment Team

In an effort to help Grove’s congregation get a better understanding of the Single Leadership Board structure that Grove is considering, the Discernment team has compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help our congregation develop and informed decision on the upcoming vote this fall. Please see below.

What does SAS mean?
Simplified Accountable Structure (SAS) is a leadership model made of a single leadership board.

The Leadership Board is made up of one, single leadership team which includes members with expertise in Finance, SPRC, Trustees, and Steering and provides governance, missional focus, and direction. The Leadership Board is accountable to the congregation.

Work teams are formed at the direction of the Leadership Board; these work teams are empowered to complete small projects and they disband when the work is completed.

Why is Grove considering this leadership change?
Discovery Weekend held in April 2022 revealed by consensus that there was a motivated desire to change/improve our current church leadership structure as a means to move the church forward.

How is Grove able to consider a change in its leadership structure? And are there United Methodist Church Book of Discipline issues with this change?
The Single Leadership Board structure complies with Methodist Book of Discipline, 2016 ed. sect. 247.2. The church with approval of the district superintendent is provided the opportunity to restructure in this way to be more missionally focused.

Will the current 4 leadership committees (Steering, Finance, SPRC, Trustees) still be in place with the new single leadership board?
No, the Single Leadership Board will completely replace the current 4 committees that are in place today. The Single Leadership Board will however, be comprised of persons who may have expertise from previous committee areas.

How will the new Single Leadership Board accomplish all the things the current 4 committees do now?
The entire leadership board would be performing decision-making together, based on knowledge of the Grove facility, finance knowledge, personnel/HR knowledge, etc., they would bring to the discussion. Temporary/ad hoc work teams will be formed as needed by the leadership board; this will free the leadership board to resolve other more important issues and perform the governing. The whole decision-making process will be greatly streamlined to be a more efficient application of everyone’s time. Term limits will prevent burnout, renew focus, and bring energy to this critical church service.

Explain how the ad hoc temporary work teams will work as they are initiated by the Single Leadership Board? Would they then just go away when they’re done?
The Leadership Board appoints and initiates work teams as needed; work teams are empowered to complete small projects and they disband when their work is completed. These are examples of situations that would need an ad hoc work team to be created, do the task assigned, and when completed would then disband:

– Filling a staff vacancy – youth pastor
– Doing a trade analysis for some kind of purchase (equipment, building repair, other)
– Creating a new ministry, event, or policy

How often would the Single Leadership Board need to meet? And what length of commitment/service would be expected of the board members?
Hard to say at this point. Those types of decisions would be made during the next phase (the Equipping Phase). Board members will have term limits. There will be a stand-alone Nominations Committee in place to nominate new candidates to the leadership board as the members’ terms are completed.

What does the congregational vote in the fall entail?
To determine (via a simple yes or no) if Grove should proceed with the change to the SAS leadership structure. There will also be a second vote happening at the same time to elect Grove members to a new Nominations Team. This vote will be implemented regardless of whether Grove moves forward with the Single Leadership Board model.

The Single Leadership Board will require a different structure – can you give more details?
The Discernment Team can show you what a 7, 9, or 11 person board could look like, but the “Equipping Phase” is where that actual structure will be determined. For example we can affirm that a nine (9) person team is a better number than eight (8) in order to avoid deadlock. Additionally, we can provide a concrete example of the Leadership Board, but the reality of it could be completely different. We are not on any track to decide a board structure. We (Discernment Team) were created to collect data and feedback regarding the proposed Single Leadership Model. We need the “Vision to drive the Structure” rather than vice versa.

Have other UM churches implemented the Single Leadership Board structure?
Yes, the Discernment Team is currently reaching out to other UM churches that have implemented a single leadership board—in order to obtain experiences, feedback, lessons-learned, etc.

Is this a “done-deal? Has it already been decided that SAS is the new leadership structure for Grove?
No, this change has not been decided. There will be a congregational vote in the fall to determine if Grove should go forward with the proposed SAS model change.

Since Grove is a nonprofit organization, is the new Single Leadership Board essentially an Executive Board? Legally?
How does this proposed structure comport with our current Board of Trustees? The State of PA requires a Board of Trustees for our type (GUMC) of organization.
Right now, Trustees are the Executive Board but since we are folding the Big 4 (Steering, Finance, SPRC, Trustees) into the Single Leadership Board, the new Leadership Board will be the Executive Board with explicit legal responsibility. At the first meeting at the beginning of each new year, the Board will elect a “trustee chair” to satisfy the corporate resolution requirement.

The SAS model indicates there must be a Nominations Committee in place to enforce the term limits on the Single Leadership Board and fill vacating seats. Do we have a Nominations Committee at Grove today?
The Steering Team is currently tasked with the responsibilities normally attributed to a Nominations Team but there have been inherent difficulties and struggles with filling vacant slots in the 4 current committees, creating a situation where committees have assumed responsibility of nominating and filling their own committee vacancies.

In the SAS model, how will the Nominations Committee manage to be able to nominate members for the new Leadership Board and maintain full representation of all the skills currently in place (and needed) from the current Big 4 committees (Steering, Finance, SPRC, Trustees)?
In the SAS model, with term limits in place to prevent burn out, and a smaller total number of committee members, it will create relief in the fact that Board members serve a defined and more realistic term. This situation does demand more from each member because the decisions brought before the new Board will cover everything, instead of just specific individual “4 committee” issues. Each Board member will now need to think about all issues pertaining to the church (e.g. facilities, worship streaming, technology, inspections, budgets, audits, hiring, etc.)

Will the new Single Leadership Board meetings be open and available to the congregation?
Yes, the SAS model allows for a more transparent and accountable structure to the congregation. Board Meeting Minutes will be shared, communications channels like Constant Contact will be used, and all meetings can be made “open” to the public.

Is there a role for the Lay Leader in the SAS model?
Yes, the Lay Leader is a part of the Nominations Committee AND the Single Leadership Board.

What is the role of the Pastor in the SAS model?
The Pastor’s role is to lead the people into the mission field through communication of God’s mission and vision. The Pastor models discipleship, and spiritual connectivity with our Grove church family and outreach to the community. Where exactly the Pastor sits on the Leadership Board will be determined in the Equipping Phase but he will have some defined role(s).