A question I would ask is: What are we changing from and what to? Maybe the second part of the question is not yet clear but I aver that we must be sure about the first. If you don't know where you're coming from it is difficult to know where you want to go (one of the values of having a good historical background!).
Pre 1990s we were actually doing well, considering our numbers and financial basis. It was an era of steady church planting and growth and we were leaders in the ethnic field. We were pace-setters in the introduction of GST, church management education and especially in addressing child and sexual abuse (the Anglicans used our policies in the latter as their guide). We were one of the first to successfully integrate women into leadership without tearing the denomiation apart (I'm not claiming that much has happened in that area but the protocols are in place) and the College began to expand.
I'm not suggesting that we go back to 15 years ago but remember the adage: Before you pull a fence down - find out why it was originally erected.
One of the things suggested at the Pennant Hills meeting was to abolish all committees except the Executive Committee. That is the only committee that has any legal standing and indeed is required by the 1919 Act of Incorporartion. There can be no question that much confusion, 'patch protection' etc. is a result of a plethora of committees and sub-committees doing their own thing and acting independently of the Executive Committee.
If it all falls apart, at the end of the day (or as is now sometimes more apt - at the beginning of the night) the Executive Committee is the equivalent of the Company Board of Directors and it is they who will face the judge. That nearly happened over the actions of [a previous leader], and the present crisis over the College [demonstrates the Executive's reluctance to insist on their legal responsibility].
Obviously, some committees would need to be re-established but they should be sub-committees of the Executive Committee as they were originally, and every man doing right in his own eyes has to stop. That of course will mean vested interests so to anybody who tries to get the committee system as it is under some common sense control - I say: best of luck.
Name provided. This is an edited version of a post received on 23 March 2008.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
A few comments.
1. The Baptist Union is an association of churches not a corporation under the Corporations Act.From the Union website "The Baptist Union of NSW is a non-profit corporation created in NSW by Act of Parliament.
Structurally it is different to commercial entities and is not subject to the Companies Act. Put
simply the Baptist Union is a corporation made up of some 340 NSW and ACT Baptist Churches
that have chosen to associate together." Vastly different in concept and practice of a corporation.
2. In the past we had greater involvement from members of churches and that is now lost. i believe this is where many of the problems arise.
3.Another quote "In essence the Executive
Committee has similar powers to the Assembly / Convention. It acts for the corporation when the
Assembly / Convention is not meeting and therefore has similar powers and duties to a Board of a
conventionally structured company and its members. The members have similar fiduciary responsibilities to company directors.".
4.We need to examine the past to see what has gone wrong what has worked best. I trust all the taskforces will look carefully at all issues.It easy to become captive to the contemporary and become unthinking assenters to our socity's seduction by the now.
5 Understanding history helps us in many ways:
It shows us precedents of how God has worked in the past.
It gives us a perspective to see the present.
It gives us sense of continuity.
It helps us see the unfolding of God's purposes, which transcends any any single generation.,century or geography.
6. Unfortunately I can remeber more than 18 years ago "Patch protection" has often existed though not always.
7. We need to look at the relationship of all our committees as well . Conventions today do not permit a proper report from committees to be presented and or questioned.I believe this has been a bad recent feature. It encourages remoteness and does not give members opportunities to participte.We are an assocition of churches.
Post a Comment