My name is Susie Cochran and I am a member of our steering committee. Over the past couple of months I have also coordinated the governance subcommittee, which has been exploring potential changes to Elevation’s governance model, and I am joining you virtually this morning to share an update on behalf of the team. As a reminder, if you would like to learn more about the subcommittee’s purpose and scope of work, you can refer to this document on Elevation’s website.
We are in the final stretch of our data collection and analysis phase, and will begin report writing this coming week. The report will then be presented to the steering committee in mid-June. Following presentation and discussion at the SC level, we will be organizing focus group calls to hear from you on the report and its recommendations. Your input will inform the steering committee’s discussions and ultimate recommendation to you as the congregation.Once this phase of consultation and discussion is complete, the steering committee will then present a motion to the congregation for affirmation of governance changes.
We have selected this approach and timing for consultation with you to facilitate a more focused, meaningful conversation around the report recommendations- gathering your thoughts, concerns and questions on the report as opposed to seeking input on governance more broadly. While we are planning for this more formal consultation step, we also continue to invite and welcome your input and questions anytime throughout this process.
A huge thank you for the time, insights, and expertise of everyone on the core and support teams of this subcommittee- Patricia, Paul, Katie, Annette, Brandon and Fanis- and thank you to everyone who has shared input and questions with us along the way.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime- you can contact me via email. Stay tuned for further updates from us in the coming weeks!
June 6, 2021
Governance Subcommittee July Update
The report was shared with the steering committee in mid-June by the governance subcommittee team, and the steering committee is now in the process of review and discussion of the recommendations before sharing a proposed set of next steps with our church community.
I would like to reiterate my thanks to the core and support teams of the governance subcommittee for the incredible amount of work that went into this report- we are so grateful for the time, energy, and expertise that you shared with us!
As noted in my last update, following this review process at the SC level, we plan to hold focus group calls to hear from you on the recommendations and next steps. Your input will inform the steering committee’s discussions and ultimate recommendation to you as the congregation. Once this phase of consultation and discussion is complete, the steering committee will then present a motion to the congregation membership for affirmation of governance changes.
As a heads up, if any of the changes require a formal vote (for example, bylaw changes), such votes will include Elevation members only. As we continue in this process, if you would like to engage by voting, feel free to head to the “Resources” tab on the Elevation website and click on “An Introduction to Membership with Elevation” to learn more about becoming a member.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the steering committee with any questions anytime- you can use our team email address at sc@elevationwaterloo.org. As we head into the summer months, work will progress at a slower clip, but please know that the SC is continuing this work and will keep you updated along the way. Stay tuned for more from us in the coming weeks!
July 11, 2021