Epworth at Aylett

LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

I. LEADERSHIP TEAM

• CHAIR – Paul Cecil
• LAY LEADER – Lona Dunlavey
• LAY MEMBER – Ann Danshaw
• TRUSTEE CHAIR – To be determined by Trustees on February 12^{th *}
• TREASURER – Tammy Stone
• FINANCE SECRETARY – Dinah Bush
• PASTOR – Tera Ertz
• TEAM LEADS
  • WORSHIP TEAM – Ann Danshaw
  • COMMUNICATIONS TEAM – Ed Danshaw
  • HOSPITALITY TEAM – Korey Rohleder
  • CARE TEAM – TBD
  • TEACHING TEAM – TBD
  • MISSIONS & OUTREACH TEAM – J.R. Mitchell

II.  Trustees Team

• Chair – To be determined by Trustees on February 12^th*
• Class A –
  • Tom Dunlavey
  • Tammy Stone
  • Stuart Bush
• Class B –
  • James Ellis Boyer
• Class C –
  • Paul Little
• Additional Members to be voted on at Church Conference on February 10^th at 7pm^*

III. LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

• All members of the leadership team as listed above will have vote on all matters listed in the Book of Doctrine and Discipline or articles of incorporation related to finance, administrative council, and Pastor Parish Relations.
• Members of the Trustees will have vote on all matters listed under Trustees in the Book of Doctrine and Discipline.
  • The Trustees will develop a means to invite the congregation into the stewardship of the property and delegate responsibilities for the physical property of the church.
• Work between Leadership Team meetings will be done in the listed teams or in smaller relevant subgroups (i.e. budget will be completed by Finance Secretary, Treasurer, Leadership Team Chair and the Pastor, Teaching Team will research, evaluate, and propose curriculum and discipleship process for approval at the meetings, etc.).
• All materials to be discussed and/or voted on will be sent by a representative of the smaller working group to the whole team at least 1 week prior to the monthly meetings.
  • Members will make time to read items to be voted on prior to meetings.
  • Questions and areas of disagreement will be raised with the representative of the working group via email, text, phone call, or in person meeting.
  • The leadership team will strive to resolve issues and reach consensus prior to the monthly meetings.
• All monthly meetings are open to the congregation and to the public at large.
  • As possible meetings will be recorded and posted to the website to keep the congregation informed of leadership activities and decisions.
  • The congregation will be regularly encouraged to attend monthly leadership meetings.
  • The congregation at large does NOT have vote at meetings, but will be provided the opportunity to ask questions and offer discussion about items on the agenda for vote.
  • When confidential PPR items need to be discussed in the Leadership Team those items will be moved to the end of the agenda and the meeting will be closed after all other business has been conducted.
    

IV.  Potential Meeting Structure

Quarterly Cycle: Month 1 – Finance   Month 2 – Trustee   Month 3 – General/PPR

• Opening prayer/devotion
• Vote on prior meeting minutes
• Finance Report overview – budget expected, actuals for expenses and income, explanation of any unexpected overages and what area of the budget they fall under, proposed solutions if needed. 5 minutes or less
• Trustees Report overview – budget expected, actuals for expenses and income, upcoming projects and opportunities to serve, progress on comprehensive church property vision progress. 5 minutes or less
• Updates from as needed (5 minutes each):
  • Planning Team
  • Mission & Outreach Team
  • Care Team
  • Hospitality Team
  • Communications Team
  • Teaching Team
  • Prayer Team
• Pending business (excluding PPR)
  • Month 1 – skip Finance Report above, include detailed financial picture, stewardship goals and plans, and other finance oriented work product that needs to be reported and/or considered. 15 minutes
  • Month 2 – skip Trustees Report above, include detailed property picture, stewardship goals and plans, detailed project needs and opportunities, and other trustee-oriented work product that needs to be reported and/or considered. 15 minutes.
  • Month 3 – Celebrate goals reached, lay out Leadership Team plans for Epworth Methodist, introduce any administrative or leadership initiatives that are upcoming, share opportunities to serve or engage the community. 10 minutes.
• New Business and/or Congregational Feedback
• Closing prayer and adjournment main meeting
• Month 3 – Closed session for PPR business as needed – Leadership Team only

V. TRUSTEES TEAM

For legal reasons, it is wise to maintain the Trustees as a separate entity from the Leadership Team. For purposes of this leadership structure, the Trustees will oversee all matters pertaining to the repair, renovation, expansion, and acquisition of real church property. Recurring maintenance costs such as lawn care, cleaning, and piano tuning will come from the main operating budget of the church but will still be overseen and authorized on an annual basis by the Trustees. All other expenses pertaining to church property will be set up as a separate Trustees Budget and account.

The Trustees are authorized to request a regular line item in the operating budget to build an emergency fund for long-term maintenance needs such as HVAC or roof replacement.

The Trustees are authorized to spend, within their available balance, up to $5,000 upon vote of the Trustees. For all amounts above $5,000 approval of the Leadership Team is required.

The Trustees are authorized, upon informing the Pastor and in cooperation with the Pastor, to raise funds for the needs of the physical church property. Prior to any fundraising efforts, the Trustees will develop and make available to the congregation a complete, prioritized list of desired projects with expected costs. This list must be approved by the Leadership Team and the Trustees prior to fundraising beginning.

The Trustees are authorized to spend ALL funds they receive as designated funds for the specific projects the funds have been designated for without regard to the total amount of the expenditure.

The Trustees accounts and project progress will be reported monthly at the Leadership Team meetings.

The Trustees will consist of the Chair and at least five additional members.^* As new members are elected, try to incorporate age, gender, and race that is reflective of the makeup of the congregation.

The Trustees are elected for three-year terms and may not serve for more than six consecutive years.

The Pastor is a member with voice but no vote and does not count in the above-mentioned numbers.

*Edited on 1/30/2026 to reflect changes in leaders between time of Church Council meeting and Church Conference and slate of trustee nominees coming before Church Conference.