Governance
The North Shore Unitarian Church is a member of the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC). Each church within the CUC is self-governing, with the congregation being the source of authority for the governance and operation of the church. Unitarian Universalists refer to this as congregational polity.
As an example of congregational polity, each Unitarian Universalist congregation "calls" its own minister, using a process that culminates in a congregational vote. This is in contrast with some denominations, where the minister is assigned to serve a church by a central denominational authority.
Our congregation elects nine members to serve on a governing board, called the Board of Trustees. The board has the broad responsibility for achieving the church's purpose.
Our board has moved to a policy-based governance model, where the board focuses on developing policies and long-range goals and monitoring their implementation. Under this model, the board delegates the implementation and management of the church's day-to-day operations to its staff, committees and other volunteers who work together to meet the strategic goals established by the board.
