The members of the Board of Trustees are writing to share an important update on Article III of the People’s Church bylaws.
On February 27, 2022, following a two year period of work by a board appointed committee, a significant majority of our congregational members voted to adopt a revised set of bylaws, including:
Article III – Commitment to Equity
1. People’s Church is deeply committed to the principle of the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We affirm the need to dismantle all forms of oppression and commit to changing ourselves, our organization, and our society by:
a. Building an environmentally just, wholly diverse, multi-cultural Beloved Community that accountably dismantles racism and all forms of oppression.
b. Assuring every action, policy, and practice governing and operating this congregation aligns with the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
2. Our success will be known by our actions. Reflections on the validity and effectiveness of our actions will be informed by and centered on the lived experiences of those who identify as marginalized.
Following the vote, a group of congregants met with a special committee of the board and Rev. Rachel to discuss their concerns regarding the language in Article III. In 2022, a series of Congregational Conversations were held so we could engage in careful, thoughtful discussions and deep listening, and as a way to reconnect after the pandemic kept the church closed – and us apart – for so long.
During this process, the board decided to pause policy work specifically related to Article III. We want to emphasize that social/racial justice policy work not specifically related to this article has continued.
After a year of discussion and listening, the consensus among board members is to move forward with the adopted bylaws language, and that it is time to begin the working of drafting policies related to Article III. We invite anyone interested in helping guide this work to join us.
We want to emphasize the highest authority in the church is the congregation’s membership acting at congregational meetings. The congregation ap-proved the bylaws and elected the board. We trust the wisdom of our congregation.
We close with an appreciation for how deeply People’s people care about our church, and for the time and effort the Bylaws Committee undertook in drafting our current bylaws. We are grateful that so many in our church community participated in Congregational Conversations, and thankful to board members Tom Hackley, Donna McClurkan and Karen Friedel for engaging in and helping lead those conversations.
Sincerely,
People’s Church Board of Trustees
