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January 1, 2006
Use the comments here to bring up anything you want about parliamentary procedure in church (or other organizational) struggles.
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1.
Connie | August 2, 2006 at 5:34 pm
Hooray for the good work you are doing, Fr. Workman. I used to teach parliamentary procedure workshops for the Dallas Council of PTAs and deliberately and forcefully pointed out that them’s that knows the rules is them that can frequently get what they want done, done.
I never became a registered parliamentarian, but I still might some day….
2.
J. Workman | August 2, 2006 at 8:48 pm
Thanks Connie. May I ask which diocese convention you keep watch over?
3.
hogan | August 22, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Can anyone tell me what percentage vote is required to reinstate a pastor after he resigns and then wants to come back? This has happened at our church 4 different times by the same pastor and the vote of the congregation to reinstate was 57 reinstate and 56 not to reinstate. Now, the pastor and his wife were allowed to vote and we are questioning the legality of his right to vote on his reinstatement. Our by laws do not state anything regarding this. The way I read in Roberts Rules, it appears that to rescind a resignation it would require a 2/3’s vote. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are having a meeting tomorrow night, so as soon as possible.
Thank you
4.
J. Workman | August 24, 2006 at 10:37 pm
hogan–I apologize for leaving you hanging. I wonder how your meeting went.
If you still want to work on this, I have to ask you some questions:
-Was the vote to reinstate the pastor after a period of time had passed since his resignation?
-Is your church independent or part of an association with any avenue of appeal?
-Do your Bylaws make reference to Robert’s Rules?
-What do your Bylaws require for the calling process?
Just on the basis of your report, there were irregularities all over the place, the most egregious being the pastor breaking the tie created by his wife’s vote!
The whole situation sound very dysfunctional. He has pulled this stunt four times. The congregation is divided down the middle. I’ll be amazed if many of the minority don’t leave. It’s looking like a very small personal fiefdom for this man.
Are you a long-time member? If not, are there other churches around you could go to? Look out for your spiritual health. I say this as a pastor, not a Robert’s Rules blog writer.
5.
Lynn Nesbit | October 26, 2007 at 11:30 am
Does Robert’s consider a pastor a president?
If so, and that pastor is recognized as an ex-officio of a committee, not standing, does he have the right to break a tie.
Does Robert’s speak to the number on a committee?This committee did not have an uneven number (I let that slip by).
6.
J. Workman | October 27, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Lynn–I happened to drop by my neglected blog. Roberts’ Rules would ask whether the congregation has Bylaws that define who presides at governing meetings. Usually a pastor would cherish that opportunity to lead and if there are no Bylaws to the contrary, he or she would be assumed to be the presider.
Any presiding officer has the right to break a tie, but most of us have learned the wisdom of not going forward on the basis of a tied or close vote. Allow more time for movement one way or the other.
There is no set number for a committee. It depends on the task and the people available in the general pool of the organization.
Thanks for dropping in.
7.
Amy Bass | June 1, 2009 at 4:58 pm
If a motion was made and seconded and voted on and was passed and then someone wants to table it that legal? Also can anyone call an emergency business meeting for any reason? One more thing can you tell me if you want to stop a vote can you blackball it?