BYLAW REVISIONS FOR 2024
Summary of the Proposed Revisions for 2024 General Operating By-law (GOB)
What changes are being proposed?
There are some updates related to compliance with governmental regulations as well as communication methods (church bulletin, verbal vs written resignations for board members). As part of a broader simplification of documentation, some items are being moved to "Terms of Reference". A complete list of the proposed revisions is listed below.
There is also a proposal to change the name of the “Leadership Board” to “Church Council”. This name change results in some 250 word replacements in the GOB.
Why change the name of the “Leadership Board” to “Church Council”?
The main reason to use the name “Church Council" is to strengthen our biblical alignment, to “Be the Church” first. WMB is a church that has been incorporated in Ontario, not a corporation that does church-like things.
The term “board member” often evokes a corporate image. Many organizations are led by boards where the sole focus is governance oversight, whereas church leaders are responsible for both spiritual oversight and governance oversight.
An example from the revisions might help illustrate the reason for the change:
“The Leadership Board shall act as stewards under the authority of Jesus.”
will now become:
“The Church Council shall act as stewards under the authority of Jesus.”
The “Council” terminology is commonly used by MB churches across the country.
How have the documents been formatted?
To assist Members in reviewing and understanding the changes being proposed, three versions of the by-law document are being provided:
a clean version (showing no changes) allows for easy reading of the final document: CLICK HERE
a version showing all proposed revisions with comments giving explanation of each change: CLICK HERE
a version showing just the revisions with comments where all changes to the name “Church Council” are not shown so that you can easily identify the other revisions: CLICK HERE
The last version is probably the most helpful so that you can easily identify the individual changes.
What are the individual revisions that are being proposed?
If you review the WMB By-law 2024 changes tracked with church council.pdf version, you can easily see the revisions with numbered comments [A#] in the right margin. Following is a summary:
[A1] 1(f) - A definition of the church bulletin was introduced to allow for more flexibility in how announcements are made to the church.
[A2] 1(h) - Correction made for the proper name of the Not-for-Profit Act.
[A3] 14.00 - Line break added for readability.
[A4] 18.01 - Clarified how a vacancy term is calculated.
[A5] 18.03 - Corrected how resignation notice is given to align with 20.02.
[A6] 18.04 new - Clarified when a term completes.
[A7] 19.02 - Corrected a Bible reference.
[A8] 19.02(g)- Removed term “daughter congregation”.
[A9] 21.01(a) - Corrected that a written resignation is no longer used.
[A10] 22.06 - Added requirement to follow the Act as it relates to voting to pass resolutions.
[A11] 23.02 - Removed a redundant reference that is now stated in Terms of Reference.
[A12] 26.02 - Added word “affiliated” to align with Article 36 on Affiliation.
[A13] 30.05 - Added new duty for the Discernment Committee to help find committee members.
[A14] 32.02 - Added “Terms of Reference” for Committees.
[A15] 44.01 - Updated the Effective Date.
How will the GOB revisions be approved at the AGM?
Given the number of individual changes that are being proposed, the full set of by-law revisions will be presented for approval in its entirety. A simple majority is required to approve the proposed revisions.
Where can I offer feedback and have my questions answered?
Please feel free to email any questions to leadershipboard@wmbchurch.ca
You may also attend an information session prior to the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Watch for dates and times to be announced.