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Specific Arenas for Policies The process begins after the church concludes
that there is a need. Most obtain the idea of a need for policy
from a financial point of view. This is largely due to
the litigious culture we live in. Jury awards are unpredictable,
but largely so when negligence is shown. Tens of thousands, even
millions are rewarded without prejudice in the court rooms of Others feel that the best policy is to
pray that nothing will ever occur. While both of these thoughts
have merit, there is a deeper motivation for developing Policy.
When making the decision for developing a Policy Manual, would
need to consider the main agenda of the church of the
church. The agenda
for the church is the same as Christ’s was; it is, always
has been and always will be PEOPLE!. The
church belongs to Christ and its members are required to be good
stewards! Therefore Developing a Policy Manual is a matter of
Stewardship. Another compelling reason for developing
policy is care. With people as our agenda, developing policy
will be for the purpose of providing the safest environment possible
for those who attend our meetings; this is especially so with
children and youth. There are many areas that may cause a
liability. The large, but not too large considering the high
activity levels of today’s congregations. Remember, the
focus of the church is people. The more we advance in meeting
the needs of people, the higher the risks are. We should work
diligently to prevent any occurrence to take place, that could
have been prevented by developing a Policy Manual. A list is provided on the following pages.
Your assignment is to look at many specific policy areas, and
decide on which of these areas your church is engaged in, or
plans to become engaged in within the next 12 months. If there
are areas not listed, please include them in the provided space. Secondly, with the completion of this
process, you should look at sample policies of other churches.
Samples from other churches should not be blindly adopted. If
you have secured the services of a consultant, he/she will provide
sample policies for you, and help you to determine the feasibility
of adapting it to your specific situation. A consultant can carefully
guide the church each case, to consider all aspects that need
to be considered, and subsequently draft policies consistent
with your church’s beliefs, programs and vision. 1.
Major Categories of a Policy Manual A Policy Manual might not seem overwhelming
to some. It could range from an few dozen policies (small churches),
or might include scores of them (medium size churches), or even hundreds (large churches), of
specific policies covering a very wide range of subjects. It might include, for example, policies
about committee memberships, flowers for the sanctuary, cemetery
maintenance, holidays for staff and liability insurance coverage.
. . . and many more. The
basic divisions are in this model are as follows: A. Organizational
Policy and Procedure Officers and Committees a. Qualification
for service b. Their
election process c. Their
duties ________________________ d. Term
of service e. Procedures f. Dismissal In most churches, matters concerning officers
and committees are addressed in church Bylaws. It usually
is best however, to
have them set forth in a separate Policy
Manual where they are more accessible and can more readily
be adapted to changing needs. This also will serve as a help
to the nominating committee when they ask for helpers, as they
can provide requirements and a description of the job. B. General
Church Policies This section is a bit of a “catch-all” collection.
but typically assembles the wide range of church policies in
such areas a cemeteries, property matters, vehicles, insurance,
etc. Property management: maintenance, safety and the use of (buildings,
tables, chairs etc.). Vehicles, maintenance: and
the use of (criteria for drivers, a check list, accident reports
etc.) Insurance: Liability, fire etc. Weddings: Counseling: Cemeteries: Policy and procedures Termination Benefits: Vacation, insurance, retirement etc. Duties: D. Allocations of Funds Policies regarding the Handling of funds: designated gifts, budgets and similar
financial matters. E. Special
Category of Preschool/Child/Youth Protection and Ministry Policies An area of increased public awareness,
and serious potential problems, is the area of protection and
care for children and youth. Policies
in this area actually overlap the areas noted above such as personnel,
volunteers and general church policies. These
policies may be included in one or more of the three major categories
listed above, or may constitute a separate portion or division. Because
they may need more general distribution and persistent reference,
they probably should be available as a separate set even if incorporated
in the larger manual.
Because of the unique relationship of
the pastor and the church, their probably ought to be a separate
section which deals with this crucial area of a church’s
life. 2. An Intimidating Process “so you
might want to consider a consultant.”
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