If you are interested in being part of a committee please complete the Committee Volunteer Form and someone will be in touch.

Pastoral Relations Committee

Mandate:
To provide guidance and oversight to the Region and Communities of Faith with respect to human relations, employment practices, and pastoral relations.

Membership:

• Chair
• Secretary (at the discretion of the Chair)
• 6 Designated Individuals
• Regional Minister – Staff Support
• Division Chair (Ex-Officio)
• A trained pool of Liaisons, each having a designated individual from the Pastoral Relations committee to report to.

Duties:

Training

• be a resource to the Region for education in the policies and for training events both in person and through webinar – working with Faith Formation and Leadership Committee
  • Ministry and Personnel Committees
• in cooperation with the Regional Minister
  • keep a list of trained liaisons within the Region.
  • identify, select and train sufficient number of individuals in different parts of the Region to serve as Regional Liaison personnel (as noted above)
  • provide training and support to Regional Liaison personnel to work with Communities of Faith (as noted above)
  • train the liaisons on additional skills of conflict resolution

Search

• ensure Liaisons have the following skills:
• training on being a search committee Liaison
• ability to train search committees in the work that they will be doing
• ensure that the Community of Faith is ready to search has all the pieces in order including an examination of the financial health of the congregation (in consultation with the Accountability and Consultation Committee)
• ensure that the search is carried out in a fair non- bias way that is in line with human rights
• familiar with the ChurchHub so that liaisons can assist Communities of Faith as needed
• work with Search committees as they negotiate the terms of call
• be present at the congregational meeting when a new minister is being called or appointed
• familiar with required paperwork and proper process for facilitating completion of the task
• when the journey is complete the Liaison will help to plan the covenanting service and will do the act of covenant on behalf of the Region

 Terms of Call or Appointment

• examine and approve the terms of a call or appointment
• develop and recommend to the Region policies regarding remuneration for lay worship leaders and the duration of such service

Ministerial Covenanting Services (Three way covenanting between Comm. of Faith – Minister – Region)

• arrange for Services of Covenanting between ministry personnel, Communities of Faith, and the Region. Do this for each new pastoral relationship that is initiated by call or by an appointment lasting at least six months. Ultimately the Regional Council is responsible for providing an act of covenant and this committee does it on behalf of the Region.
• help to organize and publicize the act of covenant when ending calls with parties that are integral to living out the gospel in community in response to God’s calls, as named by the Regional Council, ministry personnel, and Community of Faith. The act of ending covenant calls must include any other ministry personnel and staff in the Community of Faith

Interim Ministry

• identify during the pastoral relations process if interim ministry might be needed. Committee would help Community of Faith find Intentional Interim ministry on ChurchHub.
• work with Interim Ministry to receive reports, assign transition support committees

Other

• create working groups where needed for the functioning of the functioning of Committee/Division

 Skills/Experiences:

Committee Members

• training and facilitation
• consulting and supporting of pastoral relationships
• conflict management skills
• knowledge of
  • United Church policies in regard to Pastoral Relations
  • the United Church Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Policy and Procedures
  • the United Church Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy
  • Nova Scotia Labour Standards
  • standards of remuneration for Ministry Personnel
  • restorative Care Plan and Long Term Disability benefits
  • leaves: such as bereavement, compassionate, maternity, parental, study and sabbatical

Liaisons

• a love and care for the United Church of Canada and our people
• patience to allow communities to discover new possibilities
• courage to speak honestly that new knowledge and possibilities may become evident
• a sense of humour and wonder
• ability to think outside the box and envision possibilities
• can listen deeply and support a process without the need to fix our have all the answers.

Accountability/Reporting:
Through Division of Ministry Resources to the Regional Council and Regional Executive on a regular basis. (As often as needed or required.)

Powers: 
Must refer decisions to the Division of Ministry Resources except the following:

• any matters covered within approved budgets
• Individuals to be named as Regional Liaison personnel and their training and support