Executive of the General CouncilFor Action

May 6-7, 2017

Appendix 1

GC 43 – Business Plan

1. key new concepts

1.1 pre GC conversations (church-wide conversations before General Council)

1.2 proposals for conversations at General Council

1.3 agenda limited to priorities set by commissioners

1.4 three-phase decision-making

2. new roles and tasks

2.1 Facilitation Group

2.2 second Facilitation Group (if needed)

2.3 ProposalGroup

2.4 Discussion Group

2.5[GC42] commissioners

2.6[GC43] commissioners

3. outline of business process before General Council

3.1 communication

3.2pre-GC Conversations

3.3 GC initiated work (proposals from General Council permanent committees and task groups involving major work)

3.4proposals from Conference 2017 annual meetings

3.5proposals from Conference 2018 annual meetings

3.6proposals for accountability purposes

3.7setting GC agenda priorities

3.8categorization of proposals: individual or consent

4. outline of business process at General Council

4.1consent motion

4.2Listening phase

4.3 Discussion phase

4.4 Decision-making phase

4.5conversation proposals (proposals requesting a conversation only)

5. time line

6. templates

6.1 proposal

6.2 Discussion Group report

1.Key new concepts:

The Executive of the General Councilhas given approval in principle to a new approach to business at General Council:

That new processes be developed for discussion of issues and decision-making at the General Council that provide for inclusive and respectful engagement with the different perspectives.

To that end, a draft business plan for GC43 has been developed with the following keynew concepts:

1.1Pre-GC conversations:The General Council will initiateconversations starting in October, 2017on topics of interest to the wider church. The pre-GC conversations may help to inform proposals from courts of the church to the 43rd General Council. They may also serve as an important end in themselves as conversations the church wishes to hold.

1.2New proposalformat: There will be a new template for proposals to encourage the naming of an issue rather than a specific outcome. “Conversation proposals” are also encouraged i.e. a proposal may also request a conversation on a particular issue as an end in itself.

1.3Agenda limited to priorities set by GC43 Commissioners: Commissioners will review proposals and name the 10 issues in which they have the highest level of interest. Proposals on these issues will serve as the priority agenda for the GC meeting. Other proposals will be referred to GCE or dealt with in commissions, as decided by commissioners.

1.4Three-phase decision-making: Commissioners will engage in a three-phase process for all General Council business:

  • Listening and receiving information: presentation of the proposal, questions and answers to clarify issues and implications
  • Discussion and deliberation: exchange of ideas, thoughts, arguments, pros and cons; emergence of suggestions for refinement of proposal, affirmations, naming of principles/parameters
  • Discernment anddecision: final debate and refinements of proposal in plenary; working towards consensus, voting.

2. New roles and tasks

2.1 Facilitation Group

Mandate: The Facilitation Group helps the court find its voice on a proposal by:

  • discerning the will of the court on a proposal through the reports submitted by Discussion Groups
  • revising the proposal to reflect their discernment of the will of the court, with the goal of realizing as much support for the proposal within the court as possible
  • reporting back to the court on what they heard in the Discussion Group reports by sharing the full variety of perspectives, identifying their understanding of the most supported views as well as others that do not reflect the will of the court
  • offering the revised proposal for the court’s consideration to test whether what the Facilitation Group heard are the most supported views
  • refining the revised proposal further to better reflect the will of the court after testing a revised proposal

Composition:The Facilitation Group consists of the following six people:

  • former Moderator(s)
  • United Church ministry personnelor members who:

- are not commissioners

- are regarded as people of integrity who will have the respect of the court

- have extensive experience in church court processes

Selection process:

  • Business Committee approaches former Moderators for their willingness and capacity to serve on the Facilitation Group
  • for the remaining members, the Business Committee will recruit a number of potential members and the Nominations Committee will select from that number
  • Facilitation Group is appointed by the General Council.

2.2 Second facilitation group:

Mandate:to be used only in the circumstance that work volume makes it necessary

Composition: composed of commissioners

Selection process: recruited by the Business Committee in advance of the General Council meeting and appointed by GC43 if necessary

2.3 Proposal Group

Mandate:

  • reviews responses from commissioners and identifies the 10 issues of highest interest to commissioners that will form the priority agenda for GC business
  • groups multiple individual proposals together because they relate to the same issue
  • determines whether a proposal is to be dealt with individually or included in a consent motion, based on approved criteria as set out in 3.8
  • if GC43 decides to use commissions to assist in dealing with business, Proposal Group also serves as commission leadership

Composition: 3-4 commissioners

Selection process: recruited by the Business Committee and appointed by GCSE

2.4Discussion Groups

Mandate:

  • After the Listening phase: commissioners share in Discussion Groups what they heard through the information sessions (not all commissioners will have attended an information sessions for every proposal).
  • As part of the Discussion/deliberation phase:

- Discussion groups deliberate on proposals

- Discussion groups decide on comments, affirmations, or suggestions for refinement of proposals

- note-takers record these comments, affirmation, and suggestions and give them to the Facilitation Group.

Composition: 20-30 commissionersand others assigned to table groups, with a pre-named chair/facilitator and a note-taker

Selection process:

  • each Discussion Group will consist of 3-5 table groups or other configuration of 20-30people
  • chair/facilitator and note-takers will be recruited by the Business Committee in advance of the General Council meeting

2.5GC42 Commissioners

Task: to name up to six topics for the pre-GC conversations to be initiated by the General Council in advance of the GC43 meeting in response to the following questions:

  • Which issues did you not hear enough about at the 42nd General Council?
  • Which issues do you see as having emerged since that time?

These six topics are intended to generate church-wide conversationswhich may result in proposals to GC43. If they result in proposals, they will not automatically be included in the priority agenda for GC43. It is up to commissioners to determine the priority agenda for GC43 [see 2.6].

2.6GC43 Commissioners

Task: to set the priority agenda for GC43 by naming the 10 issues in which they have the highest level of interest based on the proposals included in the GC workbook.

Commissioners may select any 10 issues based on the GC workbook proposals. They are not required to include any of the six topics from the pre-GC Conversations but may choose to do so [see 2.5].

3.Outline of business process before General Council

3.1 Communication:

A strategy will be developed and implemented with a view to assisting the church in the culture change necessary for this new approach to business. This will include:

  • informing the wider church of the plan for dealing with business at General Council
  • encouraging the wider church to participate in the pre-GC conversations as well as the Listening and Discussion phases for General Council business that takes place before the General Council meeting
  • sending a message to those who may be thinking of serving as commissioners but have not yet been nominated/elected: they are expected to participate in the Listening and Discussion phases before their 2018 Conference general meeting.

3.2 Pre-GCConversations

In September, 2017, commissioners of the 42nd General Council will each be invited to name up to six topics for conversations to be initiated by the General Council. The invitation will be framed as:

Which issues did you not hear enough about at the 42nd General Council?

Which issues do you see as having emerged since that time?

The following month, the pre-GC conversations will begin on at leastsix of these identifiedtopics. The pre-GC conversations will be held electronically, initiated by the General Council office, and are open to the wider church.

The pre-GC conversations also create an opportunity for collaboration/co-ordination among participants who may choose to initiate proposals on a conversation topic. The resulting proposals may be better refined and informed, with less church-wide duplication. The pre-GC conversations may also serve as an important end in themselves as conversations the church wishes to hold.

The pre-GC conversations will continue until spring of 2018 at which time they will be evaluated for interest levels. Depending on the evaluation, the pre-GC Conversations may continue, conclude or change into another process.

3.3 GC-initiated work

Permanent committees, task groups of the General Council will submit their completed work for General Council to the fall, 2017 meeting of GCE. If the work is not yet complete, they will provide a status report, indicating the direction of the GCE initiated work that they intend to submit to GCE at its spring 2018 meeting.

TheListening phase of the General Council decision-making process will begin in January, 2018 for the GC initiated work.Webinars and videos will be offered on each piece of GC initiated work to inform and educate commissioners elected in 2017 and potential commissioners who may be elected in 2018. They will offer a balanced pros/cons perspective. These webinars and videos will also be available for viewing by the wider church. Permanent committees and task groups are responsible for producing/hosting/ resourcing the webinars and videos that relate to their GC initiated work.

The Discussion phase of theGeneral Council decision-making process will begin in the spring (March-May) of 2018. Discussions on each piece of GC initiated work will take place primarily through web-based interactive means. These discussions will be open for participation by the wider church.Permanent committees and task groups are responsible for hosting/resourcing the discussions that relate to their GC initiated work.

Commissioners who have limited or no access to the internet will be accommodated in alternative ways for both the Listening and Discussion phases.

Permanent committees, task groups of the General Council will submit all remaining completed GC initiated work for General Council to the spring meeting of GCE.

Commissioners elected or identified by office at the Conference general meetings in May/June 2018 are expected to have participated in the Listening and Discussion phase already. Any commissioners who have not yet participated will be expected to view the Listening phase webinars and videos for GC initiated work following their Conference general meeting.

These commissioners will also begin participation in Discussion phase for GC initiated work.

In June, the Business Committee resource staff will synthesize all input received through the Discussion phase for GC initiated work. This includes any suggestions made for refinement of proposals. All of this input will be forwarded to the General Council meeting for the information for commissioners as part of theDiscussion Phase.

The General Council workbook will be available in late June. Commissioners will read the workbook and may submit questions on the proposals to the General Council office before the General Council meeting. These questions will be referred to the appropriate General Council staff to assist them in preparing for Listening and Discussion phases that continue at GC.

See 4.2 - 4.4 for the process to be followed at the General Council meeting for GC initiated work.

3.4 Proposals from 2017 Conference General Meetings

Conferences are also encouraged to submit proposals to the General Council following their general meetings in 2017 so that the three-phase process for these proposals can follow a similar time line/process as for GC initiated work. Business Committee resource staff will review the Conference 2017 proposals upon receipt for correct format.

The Listening phase of the General Council decision-making process will begin in January, 2018 for the Conference 2017 proposals. As desired by the proposing Conference, webinars and/or videos may be offered to inform and educate commissioners and potential commissioners,providing a balanced pros/cons perspective. Webinars and videos will also be available for viewing by the wider church. The General Council office will assist the applicable Conferences on the webinar/video creation, content and resourcing.

The Discussion phase of the General Council decision-making process will begin in the spring (March-May) of 2018. Discussions on the Conference 2017 proposals will take place primarily through web-based interactive means. These discussions will be open for participation by the wider church. The General Council office will facilitate the discussions while Conferences will be responsible for resourcing those discussions that relate to their Conference 2017 proposals.

Commissioners who have limited or no access to the internet will be accommodated in alternative ways for both the Listening and Discussion phases.

Commissioners elected or identified by office at the Conference general meetings in May/June 2018 are expected to have participated in the Listening and Discussion phase already. Any commissioners who have not yet participated will be expected to view the Listening phase webinars and videos for the 2017 Conference proposals following their Conference general meeting. These commissioners will also begin participation in Discussion phase for Conference 2017 proposals.

Conference Executive Secretaries will identify the Commissioners who will serve as spokespeople for Conference 2017 proposals for the Listening phase at General Council and inform the General Council office by June 1, 2018.

In June, the Business Committee resource staff will synthesize all input received through the Discussion phase for the Conference 2017 proposals. This includes any suggestions made for refinement of proposals. All of this input will be forwarded to the General Council meeting for the information for commissioners as part of the Discussion Phase.

The General Council workbook will be available in late June. Commissioners will read the workbook and may submit questions on the proposals to the General Council office before the General Council meeting. These questions will be referred to the Conference-identifiedspokespeople to assist them in preparing for Listening and Discussion phases that continue at the General Council meeting.

See 4.2 – 4.4 for the process to be followed at the General Council meeting for Conference 2017 proposals.

3.5 Proposals from 2018 Conference General Meetings

Conference Executive Secretaries will send proposals to General Council office as and when they receive them before their Conference general meetings in 2018. By June 5, 2018, they will inform the General Council office as to the Conference’s decisionon each of these 2018 proposals. They will also submit any Conference 2018 proposalsfor General Council that they hadn’t already sent in.

Business Committee resource staff will review the Conference 2018 proposals upon receipt for correct format.

Conference Executive Secretaries will identify the Commissioners who will be spokespeople for Conference 2018 proposals during the Listening phase at General Council and inform the General Council office by June 5.

The General Council workbook will be available in late June. Commissioners will read the workbook and may submit questions on the proposals to the General Council office before the General Council meeting. These questions will be referred to the Conference-identified spokespeople to assist them in preparing for Listening and Discussion phases that continue at GC.

See 4.2 – 4.4 for the process to be followed at the General Council meeting for Conference 2018 proposals.

3.6 Proposals for Accountability Purposes: Reports from the Moderator, General Secretary and General Council permanent committees

The Listening Phase of the General Council decision-making process will be adapted for these proposals.

Reports for accountability will be available via the web in June, 2018 for review by commissioners and wider church.

These reports, together with updates on ongoing work and new initiatives, will be given to commissioners via webinar or similar means in June or early July of 2018. There will be an opportunity for commissioners to ask questions and for the answers to be made available to all commissioners prior to the General Council meeting.

Commissioners who have limited or no access to the internet will be accommodated in alternative ways for the Listening phase.

3.7 Setting GC agenda priorities

The General Council workbook will be available in late June.

Commissioners will have already been informed through General Council communication that they will be setting the agenda for the General Council meeting.

After having read the proposals contained in the workbook, commissioners will decide on the 10 issues in which they have the highest level of interest. They will complete and return a response form to the General Council to indicate their 10 priorities by July 13, 2018.

The Proposal Group will review the response forms and identify the 10 issues of greatest interest to commissioners. These 10 issues will form the focus of the agenda for the General Council meeting (with the agenda being subject to the approval of the General Council).

The General Council may add issues to the agenda but will then be encouraged to delete a corresponding number of issues to facilitate completion of all business on the agenda.

3.8Proposal readiness for General Council: consolidation and categorization

The Proposal Group will review all proposals and prepare a consolidated proposal from any duplications. They may also group multiple individual proposals together if they relate to the same issue.

The Proposal Group will determine whether a proposal is to be dealt with individually by the General Council or included in a consent motion based on the criteria set out below. These criteria are subject to the approval of GCE.

Individual

  • proposals asking for a GC Conversation on a denominational issue without a decision as an outcome
  • proposals that contemplate significant or complex changes that affect denominational identity and/or structure
  • proposals asking for changes to existing General Council policies that would be substantive but not affect denominational identity and/or structure
  • proposals asking the church to take a stand on national or global issues for which the General Council does not have an existing policy or statement
  • proposals asking the church to take a different stand from existing policy or statement.

Consent