It Gives Me Great Pleasure As Pastor of St

It gives me great pleasure as Pastor of St. Paul to present to you the first ever Trustee's Ministry Manual that has been diligently worked on by the 1996 elected Trustee's Ministry officers under the leadership of Sister Vera Butler.

In Paul's letter recorded in Romans 12:11 we find these words, "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;" Certainly this will epitomize the need for such an instrument in today's church when it comes to fulfilling the scripture.

We are living in a day when automation, visual aides, and teamwork continue to produce some of the best work we have ever seen in our time. The church is no different. In order to strive for perfection we must keep up with the times in the area of business, while maintaining a spiritually that is always "decent and in order." This manual will help us maintain the unity and the bond of peace within our church.

I encourage each one of us to strive for the advancement of this church by reading, adhering, and accepting the direction that God has purposed for this ministry. This manual provides us with an instrument that will allow us to "expand" our financial base while maintaining our integrity, unity, and peace among one another in Christ.

Again, my thanks to the entire 1996 Trustee's Ministry for their faithfulness and dedication to ensure we have the best. I cannot without thanking Dr. Warren H. Stewart, Sr., and the Trustee's Ministry of the First Institutional Baptist Church for providing us with their manual as an example to get us on the right track.

With vision we remain,

Reverend Shawn L. Buckhanan Pastor

THE TRUSTEES AS OFFICERS IN THE CHURCH

1. The establishment of trustees as officers in a local congregation (church) is a requirement by civil law, in some states, and an expedient to the congregation. In this particular church, trustees assume their office by election through the general congregation.

2. All trustees up for re-election (based on their particular term of office) will be elected at the 4th Quarterly Church Business meeting of the year (Sep - Dec timeframe) and take office effective the 1st of January. Any trustee who has served three consecutive terms must take_a one-year leave before he or she is eligible to be elected to the Trustee Ministry again.

3. The Trustee's Ministry will have five elected officers. Each elected trustee may nominate, a church member of their choice to serve as one of two associate trustees. This nomination process will convene at the first meeting of the year. Each elected trustee is allowed to lobby for his or her nominee. The trustees will then, collectively, appoint the two best nominees. There will be no voting process to select the two appointees; however, the individuals must accept the appointment from the Trustee's Ministry Chairman before their appointments are made official. The Trustee Chairman will expedite this process to ensure the associate trustees are officially appointed no later that the second meeting of the year.

4. Associate trustees can perform ail functions except voting, offering or sending motions, chairing committees, and rendering minority reports unless acting in the absence of an elected trustee. The Trustee’s Ministry Chairman or Vice-chairman must be given ample notification of an elected trustee’s expected absence. This is necessary to ensure the chairman or vice-chairman has time to notify an associate trustee and ensure he or she is prepared to fill in as appropriate.

5. The terms of office for St. Paul's trustees will be staggered as follows: Two trustees will be elected for a term of 3 years; two will be elected for a term of 2 years; and one will be elected for a term of one year. Associate trustees will only serve one-year terms.

6. Trustees are necessary in order to hold property and rightly administer financial affairs of the church. The St. Paul congregation is a legal corporation and the trustees serve as property holders. Trustees should be bound by firm considerations of morality and honor to carry out the wishes of the church membership and to act under their instructions. Therefore, trustees should have the qualities of leadership and spiritual growth as adopted by the Church.

7. The Trustee's Ministry will have a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary. Each elected trustee will also serve as a subcommittee chairperson. The Trustee's Ministry Chairperson will appoint trustees to sub-committee positions (See item $9 under "Functions of the Trustee's Ministry.")

8. There will be two designated signatories to validate contracts and other documents belonging to the corporation as a whole. These two signatories will also sere as two of the four church signatories designated to validate checks. The two trustee signatories will ideally be the Chairperson, and the Sub-committee Chairperson for Budget and Finance unless the Trustee’s Ministry votes otherwise. The church Finance Director will designate the other two signatories for validating checks. All checks must be signed by two of these signatories for validation.

BASIC RULES OF CONDUCT

1. Attend all trustees meetings. Your service depends on you knowing what is happening. Trustees must attend the majority of the scheduled meetings. Anyone who will be unable to attend must contact the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson prior to the scheduled meeting. Any trustee who misses more than two consecutive meetings, without notifying the chairperson, will be considered for removal. All trustees are also expected to attend each Quarterly Church Business Meeting.

2. Associate trustees, the church Finance Director, Treasurer, internal auditor, and Administrative Pastor should attend the monthly trustee meetings.

3. Observe the agenda and avoid tangential discussions.

4. Take notes of important issues and decisions.

5. Notice of a minority (or single trustee) recommendation must be given immediately after the issue in question is closed. The person serving such notice is free to poll the quorum for supporters. It is his/her responsibility to schedule a meeting, if necessary, or contact trustees to develop the minority recommendation. The Chairperson and Pastor must be notified as to time and place of the minority meeting, but their attendance is not required.

6. The quorum of this Trustee's Ministry will be the simple' majority of the members (3 of 5).

FUNCTIONS OF THE TRUSTEE'S MINISTRY

1. Trustees officially transact business of this congregation for property and title. They are to maintain a clear and comprehensive understanding of all business engagements of this congregation, and they must know the contents of all written contracts and agreements for which the congregation is financially responsible. The church is not responsible for any contracts written without approval from the Trustee's Ministry. Furthermore, trustees will not make any verbal contracts on behalf of the church.

2. Trustees are to maintain an accurate inventory of assets and liabilities of both physical and fiscal natures. Trustees are responsible for securing items of inventory against theft and misplacement. They are required to conduct periodic surveys for necessary building and property maintenance.

3. Matters involving a single, new, unbudgeted expenditure exceeding one percent of the approved annual budget must be approved by a simple majority of trustee's before being presented to the congregation for final approval.

4. The Sub-committee Chairperson for Budget and Finance will work with the church Finance Team to develop the proposed budget and financial plan for each year. For this purpose, the Budget and Finance Sub-committee, chaired by the designated trustee, consisting of the church Finance Director, Treasurer, and Auditor, must keep constant scrutiny of the incomes and expenditures. The Budget and Finance Sub-committee will be responsible for providing the congregation with whatever information is necessary to maintain sound fiscal operations.

5. All trustee meetings will be conducted by the Chairperson, or in his/her absence, the Vice-Chairperson. Each Trustee will receive notice of the monthly meetings or special call meetings. The designated meeting dates and times will be published in the minutes following each meeting.

6. The trustees will receive written notification of the upcoming meeting with a proposed agenda not later than (NLT) seven days prior to the meeting. The agenda is the responsibility of the Chairperson and the Secretary. Any agenda items out of the ordinary (new business) should be presented to the Chairperson in sufficient time as to be incorporated into the agenda. The agenda for special call meetings will generally not be published ahead of time but will be available at the time of the meeting. In so much as it is possible; the trustees will follow the agenda during the conduct of the meeting. Trustees attending meetings will be required to note the disposition of each item as a temporary record until the official trustees' minutes (signed by the chairperson') are prepared and distributed. The official minutes _will be distributed NTL seven days following the meeting. The chairperson or secretary will ensure an official copy of the minutes is provided to the Administrative Pastor/Assistant for the church records.

7. Joint meetings of the Trustees and Deacons will be conducted by the Pastor and called as necessary.

8. Each trustee is urged to maintain a close relationship with the Pastor. He/she is to remember that the Pastor is the final interpreter of matters controversial in nature, especially if the peace and harmony of the congregation are at stake. It is imperative that the trustees communicate regularly with the Pastor in the interest of coordination throughout the various aspects of the program. They are workers together with Christ and their fellowship of service must be based upon the purest foundation of mutual trust and cooperation.

9. The trustees will have the following sub-committees: Personnel/Facility Use, Budget and Finance, Legal Contracts, Maintenance and Building Repairs, and Transportation Guidelines. Each trustee will serve as one of the sub-committee chairpersons. In the absence of the chairperson, an at-large member of the subcommittee may be designated by the Chairperson to present matters in his or her stead. The at-large member will not be allowed to vote or carry out any other functions for the trustee subcommittee chairperson. Only associate trustees will be allowed to carry out official functions in the absence of elected trustees.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUB-COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Each sub-committee should meet prior to the regular meeting of the Trustee Ministry as circumstances dictate. The Sub-committee Chairperson will submit a written report to the Trustee Ministry Secretary at each regular meeting. The report shall include date of meeting, members present, findings and recommendations. The minutes of the sub-committee meetings may be presented at the monthly trustee meetings as part of the sub-committee's report.

DUTIES OF SUB-COMMITTEES

1. MAINTENANCE AND BUILDING REPAIRS:

a. Inspect the sanctuary interior, upstairs, and downstairs on a weekly basis.

b. Inspect the outside ground (s) on a bi-weekly basis.

(1) Inspect building (s) and grounds after severe weather conditions.

(2) Inspect and maintain heating and cooling systems and their associated equipment during seasonal changes.

c. In collaboration with the trustee for Personnel/Facility Use, develop (and revise as necessary) a clean-up checklist as a guide for the Church Custodian. Inspect the efficiency of the Church Custodian as per the checklist and make suggestions to improve the work.

d. Maintain a prioritized list of projects/repairs to be accomplished during the year. Provide update to the Trustee Ministry as part of the monthly sub-committee report.

e. Maintain a lock and key control system for the church's real property. Ensure policies are documented and updated as needed.

(1) Issuance/Turn- in of all keys

(2) Maintenance of locks and keys (to include duplicates and replacements)

(3) Security of all real property

(4) Periodic Inventories

(5) Access Rosters/Key Control Register

f. Ensure fire evacuation plans are up to date and posted as necessary throughout the church. Schedule necessary inspections or maintenance required for fire extinguishers.

g. Gather and submit a minimum of two estimates (bids), preferable three or more, for expenditures of $300 or more for any commercial work that needs to be done on the real property.

h. Maintain and order all maintenance supplies as needed, to include supplies requested by the Church Custodian and appropriate ministry leaders.

2. PERSONNEL/FACILITY USE:

a. Interview prospective non-ministerial employees and make recommendations to the Pastor, Deacons, and Trustees.

b. Establish a schedule for all paid church employees. Adjust schedule as necessary during periods of budget shortfalls.

c. Indirectly supervise all paid personnel and provide each employee with a job description. Take into consideration any requests for compensation while working outside the church office or while serving as an official representative of the church during state or national events. Recommendations will be brought before the Trustee's Ministry for final approval/disapproval.

d. Conduct periodic checks to see that each paid employee person is performing his or her duty and complying with the job description. Any discrepant findings will be reported to the Trustee's Ministry. (This does not include any of the Pastoral Staff.)

e. Review weekly time card to ensure they are being filled out properly and kept on record.

f. Coordinate with Administrative Pastor or Office Manager to receive requests for use of space by ministries and make recommendations to the Trustees as necessary. Act as the approving authority for any abnormal requests for use of church facilities.

3. BUDGET AND FINANCE:

a. Work closely with the other members of the sub-committee (Finance Director, Treasurer, and Auditor) to ensure thorough understanding of all monthly transactions. Be prepared to brief the Finance Report, at the monthly trustee meetings, in the absence of other committee members.

b. Maintain oversight of written requisitions from, any ministry or persons before purchases are made. In the event of an emergency, the Trustee’s Ministry Chairperson may approve requisitions not in excess of $300. A simple majority must approve those in excess of $300. The Trustee Chairperson will poll the quorum as expeditiously as possible to release the funds.

c. Serve as one of the two trustee signatories designated to sign all binding contracts or other legal documentation on behalf of the St. Paul congregation.

d. Serve as the primary signatory (for the trustees) for validating checks to cover church expenditures. Ensure all expenditures are processed in accordance with budget and finance procedures of the church.

e. Review the budget against expenditures and report to the trustees any areas of over-spending or margin. This information will also be provided during the Quarterly Church Business Meetings.

f. Observe item number four under "Functions of the Trustee's Ministry." Oversee the preparation of the annual budget proposals. Present the proposed budget to the Trustees no later than the September meeting. Provide monthly updates/changes as they occur prior to the budget being presented to the congregation for approval. Brief the budget proposal to the congregation during the last Quarterly Church Business Meeting.

4. LEGAL CONTRACTS:

a. Reviews all bids, contracts, contract proposals and other documents coming before the trustees for consideration. Upon approval, in order for them to be valid and binding, they must carry the authorized signatures of the designated trustee signatories.

b. Update all annual renewal documentation with appropriate trustee signatures.

5. TRANSPORTATION GUIDELINES:

a. Oversee the general use of church vehicle(s). This is to include but is not limited to:

(1) Adherence to the Transportation Guidelines as established by the church.

(2) Ensuring compliance with legal requirements as they relate to the vehicle(s).

(3) Verify operating licenses for designated drivers.

(4) Review all requisitions for expenditures relating to maintenance of any church vehicles.

(5) Ensure insurance and registration documentation are kept current.

d. Review all requests for use of any church vehicles by persons or organizations outside of the St. Paul congregation. Act as the approving authority for such requests and ensure designated drivers are properly licensed.

e. Develop a maintenance checklist to be completed before, and after the use of church vehicles. Reviews documents and conduct necessary inspections to determine liability for any damages incurred.

f. Develop and maintain driving logs to be filled out by designated operators and submitted to you upon completion.

ADDENDUM

1. Bidding Procedure, Authorization for goods and services that cost less than $300 may be given by the Chairperson of the Trustee Ministry or his designated representative with the understanding that the person responsible shall diligently seek the best possible price for the quality of the item being purchased.