Human Relations Ministry Charter

I was asked to post the HRM charter.   This was copied from the church website.  You can access the HRM PDF document there.

HUMAN RELATIONS MINISTRY CHARTER DOCUMENT

ARTICLE I
PURPOSE OF THIS CHARTER
This Charter describes the various elements of a Human Relations Ministry at First
Congregational United Church of Christ, Hendersonville, North Carolina. This document is
intended to provide guidelines to frame a compassionate, healthy, supportive environment for the
Church’s paid staff and lay leadership.

ARTICLE II
PURPOSE OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS MINISTRY (hereafter, HRM)
We are a congregation empowered and led by the Spirit of God to be in loving relationship with
each other. Our commitment to God and to one another has given birth to the HRM and to a
covenant of loving, mutual support and self-care.
The HRM will administer the Personnel Policies for the paid staff of the church and provide
support for the staff and lay leadership of the church. The HRM will:
a) Promote positive relationships among the Pastor, the church leadership, and church
members.
b) Provide encouraging support for the paid staff and the lay leadership.
c) Implement all elements of the Personnel Policies of the Church.
d) Provide a safe forum for the Pastor, staff and lay leadership to discuss and resolve
concerns.
e) Maintain confidentiality in all personal matters.

ARTICLE III
ORGANIZATION
SECTION A. MEMBERSHIP
The HRM is established by Article XI of the Bylaws. There will be five members on the
HRM team, who have been members of the church in good standing for a minimum of three
years. They will be congregation members who collectively are imbued with wisdom,
compassion, objectivity and expertise and/or experience in the personnel management or
human resources arena. They should have the ability to evaluate and assess staff
performance in a nurturing, supportive and professional manner.
SECTION B. STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION
1. The HRM will operate under the following guidelines:
HRM V15.0 – Version approved by Council on 10/10/2018
a) Five members will be nominated by the Nominating Committee and voted on by the
Congregation. Initially, five members will be elected. If started in an odd year, three
members will have two-year terms, and the remaining two members will have oneyear
terms. If started in an even year, the opposite will apply – with two members
having two-year terms and the remaining three having one-year terms. Thereafter,
two new members will be elected in even years and three will be elected in odd
years. A member may serve a second two-year term, but then must step down for at
least a one-year hiatus.
b) If a position is vacated for any reason, the replacement person (nominated by the
Moderator and approved by Council) will serve out the remainder of that term of
office.
c) One member will serve as the Chair, elected by the HRM members.
i. The term for the Chair will be one year.
ii. The Chair is limited to serving two consecutive one-year terms.
iii. The Chair will be a voting member of the Church Council and is
expected to attend Council meetings.
SECTION C. POSITION WITHIN THE CHURCH
The HRM will operate as an independent body within the church organizational structure. It
will work in continual, close collaboration with the Pastor and the Moderator.
If requested by Council, the HRM will provide information and guidance regarding issues related
to both the paid staff and lay leadership.

ARTICLE IV  DUTIES
SECTION A. DUTIES
1. Guided by the spirit of love, the HRM will fulfill the following general functions:
a) Ensure policies, procedures and processes are in place to support the paid staff
members and lay volunteers.
b) Ensure the HRM operates in compliance with all applicable laws and UCC guidelines
and directives.
c) Promote the well-being, care, self-care, and effectiveness of both the staff and lay
leaders, and create a nurturing environment where appreciation is expressed.
d) Function as a mediator between church members, between church members and
staff, and between staff members.
e) Create a culture that encourages the development of individual self-care boundaries,
respects those boundaries, and conveys the spirit of this culture to the congregation.
SECTION B. REVIEW PROCESS FOR STAFF
HRM V15.0 – Version approved by Council on 10/10/2018
The review of a staff member’s success in the job is based on several factors – some measurable
and some not. The HRM should develop a balanced approach among these variables to provide
effective review and feedback between the HRM and staff members in a supportive and
compassionate environment. The review will consist of two separate tracks: One is for Job
Wellness and one is for Accountability. Appendices A and B provide guidelines that define a
framework for the review.
Appendix A helps develop a dialog concerning Job Wellness and Appendix B helps guide a
conversation about Accountability.
1. Job Wellness Review.
Job Wellness is defined as the staff member’s expressing their feelings about their job, work
environment, self-care, and their ability to set goals for themselves.
The questions in Appendix A are designed for the staff member to complete.
The answers to these questions are to foster discussion in a supportive environment, not for
evaluation. These discussions are for the purpose of affirming the staff member in their job and
position within the church family.
This will be a cyclical process, renewed at least every six months. This ensures follow-up and
future development.
2. Job Accountability Review.
Accountability is defined as a thoughtful discussion among HRM members to review the overall
work of the staff person. The questions in Appendix B are designed to guide this discussion.
The HRM will share the results of this review in feedback to the staff member in a supportive
and compassionate environment. The feedback should be both oral and written.
These reviews might be every six months or quarterly, as the HRM feels appropriate. The staff
member may request an Accountability Review at any time.
Annually, the HRM will make a salary recommendation to the Treasurer, who incorporates them
into a draft budget for approval by the Ministry of Financial Resources, Council, and the
congregation, in that order.

SECTION C. PAID STAFF
1. The regular paid staff currently includes the Pastor, Minister of Music, Administrator, Sunday
School staff, and Custodians. The HRM will perform the following duties for these paid staff
members:
a) Ensure that each staff member has a current job description, agreed upon by both
the HRM and staff member.
b) Conduct wellness and feedback reviews as described in Article IV, Section B above.
HRM V15.0 – Version approved by Council on 10/10/2018
c) Make recommendations as needed as a result of these reviews to the Council and
Ministry of Financial Resources.
d) Oversee the relationship of the staff to each ther and to people in the congregation
and promote a compassionate, self-caring, nurturing environment.
e) Encourage paid staff members to make use of opportunities for continuing
education that are available to them.
2. Other paid staff members might include Choral Scholars and choir section leaders. Their
oversight rests with the Minister of Music.
SECTION D. PASTOR
1. The HRM will provide a respectful and compassionate foundation that fosters success for the
Pastor. The HRM will create an environment that offers the Pastor unqualified support and
honest feedback on all aspects of the position he/she holds. The HRM will perform the
following duties:
a) Conduct wellness and feedback reviews as described in Section B, Items 1 and 2,
above.
b) Mutually assess any concerns the Pastor may have for his/her own spiritual, mental
and physical well-being. Provide encouragement to the Pastor to seek means
he/she might feel would be beneficial for self-care.
c) Prepare the Pastor’s annual salary recommendation, and coordinate this
recommendation with the Ministry of Financial Resources.
d) Review and comment from a congregational perspective on the Pastor-prepared
appraisals.
e) Hire a temporary minister during the Pastor’s sabbatical.
SECTION E. OTHER PAID STAFF
1. The HRM will perform the following duties:
a) Act as the agent for the employment and dismissal of non-clergy staff members, in
consultation with the Pastor and other Ministries, as appropriate. The HRM may
execute the hiring process or select an ad hoc committee to perform this duty.
b) Review and comment from a congregational perspective on the appraisals the
Pastor prepares of all non-clergy staff members.
c) These appraisals shall be both verbal and written and will be shared with the staff
members.
d) Coordinate the salary recommendations with the Ministry of Financial Resources.
SECTION F. LAY LEADERSHIP
HRM V15.0 – Version approved by Council on 10/10/2018
The HRM recognizes that lay leaders and volunteers are crucial to the functioning and overall
health of the church. Proper attention to the self-care, guidance and support for these lay leaders
and volunteers is crucial to their well-being.
The lay leadership includes Council Officers, Ministry facilitators, leaders of sub-group activities
within the ministries, and leaders of small-group ministries.
1. The HRM will perform the following duties:
a) Provide training and skills enhancement for current and potential lay leaders. Such
training could be offered by experienced members of the congregation and/or
through church– purchased training programs/trainers (at no cost to the lay
leaders). The goal of such training and skills enhancement is to help lay leaders be
successful and fulfilled in their leadership roles.
b) Maintain an inventory of church ministries and their leaders, sub-groups within
Ministries, special interest small groups, and outreach groups.
c) Engage in informal discussion and two-way conversations with the lay leadership,
which could be instigated by either party.
d) Meet informally with lay leaders to assess their needs and express appreciation.
e) Recognize the importance of celebration of our lay volunteers.
f) Consider ways to promote visibility and appreciation for the lay leaders and other
volunteers for all ministries.
1. Promote Visibility. This could include visiting their activities; articles in the
Chronicle highlighting an individual or ministry that might also include
interviews; create a “Spotlight On….” Bulletin Board, where some elements
can be showcased with photos.
2. Promote appreciation and celebration. This could be celebratory events,
such as a special coffee hour, luncheon, BBQ, and verbal affirmations from
congregants to all members serving the church in any way.
3. Recognizing the presence of the Holy Spirit in all we do, annually have a
reciprocal commitment liturgy. With spoken statements from all, confirm a
covenant of service from the staff, lay leaders and volunteers to the
congregation, and a covenant of support, self-care, and caring between the
congregation and all those serving. This could also include installation of the
HRM members.

ARTICLE V
ADMINISTRATION OF THIS CHARTER
This Charter may be amended by a majority vote of the members of the HRM, in consultation
with the Pastor or Moderator, as needed
HRM V15.0 – Version approved by Council on 10/10/2018
Charter created in August 2018.


Appendix A
JOB WELLNESS REVIEW FOR FCC STAFF
STAFF PERSON QUESTIONS
(These are answered by the staff person and discussed with the HRM)
1. What do you most enjoy about your work/ministry at FCC?
2. What aspects of your work/ministry at FCC drain you/frustrate you?
3. What changes could be made to help your work/ministry to be more effective and
enjoyable? Are there any ways in which the HRM could be helpful to you and your
ministry?
4. Are there any difficult issues that you are dealing with that we need to be aware of?
5. As you think about your previous six-month goals, what do you feel have been the
most positive accomplishments, and what has not worked out well?
6. What are your goals for the coming six months/year?
7. Are there any long-term dreams for your work/ministry at our church that you
would like to share with us?
8. Our church is committed to both doing our work/ministry well, and to personal and
spiritual self-care. In what ways are you paying attention to self-care?
HRM V15.0 – Version approved by Council on 10/10/2018


Appendix B
JOB ACCOUNTABILITY REVIEW FOR FCC STAFF
HRM QUESTIONS
(These are discussed among the HRM and shared with the staff person)
1. How is the over-all work/ministry of this staff person perceived by you and the
congregation (positives and areas of concern)?
2. Looking back over the past six months/year, what aspects or specific areas of the
staff person’s work/ministry need to be affirmed?
3. Looking back over the past year, are there any areas of concern with this staff
person’s work/ministry that we need to share with him/her?
4. What would be helpful for this staff person to understand about their compensation
for the coming year?

HRM V15.0 – Version approved by Council on 10/10/2018