Our Governance — Granby Congregational Church, UCC

Every member of Granby Congregational Church has a voice.

Unlike some churches, the structure of a church in the United Church of Christ allows all members to have a say in how the church operates. To ensure this representation we adhere to a Church Constitution and follow a set of Church Bylaws. These two governing documents were adapted and approved with a vote by the members of the congregation. Members elected a Church Council to listen carefully to those in the congregation, making sure the decisions Council makes are in line with the majority of our church membership. The Church Council is made up of four Officers of the church, nine Board Chairs and the Minister(s). This governance structure gives the Council members a good overview of what is going on within the church and gives it the ability to provide guidance when needed.

There are nine Church Boards who operate independently from Council to manage the myriad of programs and tasks that need to be done to run the church effectively. The boards can have as many as 14 members and as few as 3 members depending on the scope of their work and responsibilities. The nine Boards are:

The Board of Finance

The Board of Deacons

The Board of Stewardship

The Board of Building and Grounds

The Board of Faith Formation

The Board of Fellowship

The Board of Community Outreach

The Board of Music

The Board of Communications

Each calendar year the church holds three regular Congregational Meetings. Additional Special Meetings may be called by the Church Council. The Annual Budget Meeting is held in December to adopt a financial budget for the following year. The Annual Finance Meeting is held in February to adopt an annual report of the church’s financial activities. The Annual Meeting of the church is held in May or June to hear reports from the Officers, Ministers, Standing Boards, and Standing Committees and to elect Officers, and Chairs and Members of the Standing Boards and Committees. The church Officers, as well as the Standing Board Chairs and Members are volunteers whose terms commence on July 1. These folks generally serve three-year terms and terms are generally staggered so that only one-third of the governing body is new in a given year.