Constitution and Canons

PREAMBLE

These constitutions and canons are intended to:

• Preserve and secure the principles upon which the Progressive Christian Alliance was founded.
• Preserve the liberties of each affiliated congregation and ministry.
• Ensure freedom of action and independence from any other religious body or other organization.
• Provide for orderly conduct of internal affairs, in dealing with others, and of governing The Progressive Christian Alliance.

I. NAME

The name of this organization is the Progressive Christian Alliance.

II. PURPOSE

The purposes of the Progressive Christian Alliance are:

• To worship and serve God.
• To minister to the needs of those to whom we come into contact to the best of our abilities.
• To do any and all things related to and in connection with the carrying out of the object and purpose herein above set forth.

III. STATEMENT OF FAITH

We believe in God, whose love is the source of all life and the desire of our lives whose love was given a human face in Jesus of Nazareth whose love was crucified by the evil that waits to enslave us all and whose love, defeating even death, is our glorious promise of freedom. Therefore, though we are sometimes fearful and full of doubt, we trust in that love: and in the name of Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves, in the service of others, to seek justice and to live in peace, to care for the earth and to share the commonwealth of God’s goodness, to live in the freedom of forgiveness and in the power of the Spirit of love, and in the company of all the faithful past, present, and yet to come, so to be the Church, for the glory of God. Amen.

IV. CORE PRINCIPLES

The Progressive Christian Alliance maintains a focus on Social Justice. We believe that the gospel of Christ calls us to minister to the last, the lost, the least, and the left-out of society. We respect theological diversity. Faith is not about concrete answers, religious absolutes, creeds, or dogma. Faith is about the search for understanding, the raising of important questions, the open honesty of having doubt, and the realization that no one has it all completely right nor does any human hold all the answers. We seek to follow the advice found in 1st Thessalonians 5:21, which is to “seek truth out in all things and hold firmly onto that which is good.” Religious absolutes of dogma, legalism, and strict doctrine become stumbling blocks and “litmus tests” for who is “in” and who is “out” of the circle of God’s grace. These false tests that Jesus never required get in the way of truly following Jesus and his teachings. We affirm the dignity of all of God’s children and invite them to participate fully in the life of the church.

V. GOVERNMENT

The government of The Progressive Christian Alliance is vested in its members. We believe in the autonomy of the local church and of our affiliated ministries. The Progressive Christian Alliance shall manage its own affairs and shall not be subject to any other religious body or organization. We recognize the needs for mutual counsel and cooperation, therefore each individual congregation and affiliated ministry is encouraged to enter into cooperative agreements where they feel led.

VI. NONPROFIT STATUS AND LIQUIDATION

In the event of liquidation or dissolution of The Progressive Christian Alliance, all of its assets and property of every nature and description whatsoever shall be paid over and transferred at the direction of the Leadership Council to 501c3 congregations of The Progressive Christian Alliance, 501c3 affiliated ministries or any 501c3 agencies.

VII. AMENDMENT

This Constitution and Canons may be amended provided the proposed amendment has been presented to all members at least 30 days prior to implementation of proposed amendment allowing all members the opportunity for discussion. No less than three electronic invitations for comment shall be presented during that time. At the end of that period; a majority vote of all those responding shall carry. Constitutions and Canons of The Progressive Christian Alliance.

I. MEMBERSHIP

1.1    Qualifications – Any individual who wishes to become a member of the Alliance may do so by completing the membership application expressing their support of the Alliance’s mission and core values. Memberships are approved by the Leadership Council.

1.2    Term – Membership continues until the member resigns or is terminated from membership by the Leadership Council for cause or for inactivity.

1.3    Privileges – Members have the right to a voice and vote in all policy matters and shall have the rights and privileges to full participation in the life and work of the Alliance.

1.4    Disciplinary Procedures – Should any case of gross breach of covenant, or of public scandal occur, the Leadership Council shall endeavor to resolve the conflict; and if this effort fails the Leadership Council shall be empowered to act in the best interest of Alliance. All such proceedings shall be pervaded by a spirit of Christian kindness and forbearance, but should an adverse decision be reached, the Alliance may proceed to admonish or declare the offender to be no longer in the membership of Alliance. Any individual whose membership has been terminated for any offense may be restored by majority vote of the Leadership Council, upon evidence of their repentance and reformation.

1.5    Termination – Membership in the Alliance shall be terminated when a member is removed by a majority vote of the Leadership Council due to reasons and circumstances provided in the Article 1.4 – Disciplinary Procedures. The Leadership Council will counsel the member for reconciliation prior to an action of termination of membership.

II. MINISTRY AFFILIATION

2.1  Qualifications – Any ministry or faith community  that wishes to become an affiliated ministry of the Alliance may do so by completing the ministry affiliation application expressing their support of the Alliance’s mission and core values. Affiliated ministries are approved by the Leadership Council.

2.2  Term – Affiliation continues until the affiliated ministry petitions the Leadership Council for removal or is terminated from membership by the Leadership Council for cause.

2.3  Privileges – Affiliated ministries remain autonomous but will receive support from the Alliance. Participants in the affiliated ministries are encouraged to become individual members of the Alliance for a voice and vote in all policy matters.

2.4  Disciplinary Procedures – Should any case of gross breach of covenant, or of public scandal occur, the Leadership Council shall endeavor to resolve the conflict; and if this effort fails the Leadership Council shall be empowered to act in the best interest of Alliance. All such proceedings shall be pervaded by a spirit of Christian kindness and forbearance, but should an adverse decision be reached, the Alliance may proceed to admonish or declare the offending group to be no longer in affiliation with the Alliance. Any whose affiliation has been terminated for any offense may be restored by majority vote of the Leadership Council, upon evidence of their repentance and reformation.

2.5  Termination – Affiliation with the Alliance shall be terminated when a group is removed by majority vote of the council due to reasons and circumstances provided in Article 2.4 – Disciplinary Procedures. The Leadership Council will counsel the affiliated ministry for reconciliation prior to an action of termination.

III. HOLY ORDERS

3.1  Qualifications – When a member of the Alliance expresses a sense of Divine call to ministry, they shall submit a formal declaration of interest to the Leadership Council who may assign a mentor to assist in exploration of their call. The Leadership Council may set specific standards for ordination as desired. When a mentor is satisfied that the ordinand is prepared for ministry, the mentor will send the candidate’s formal application to the Leadership Council with the mentor’s recommendation. Upon submission, the Leadership Council will enter a period of discernment and may issue Holy Orders to ministry. If ordination is not affirmed, further steps for the ordinand will be recommended. Whenever possible, the issuance of Holy Orders shall occur in conjunction with an appropriate liturgy in accordance with the long-standing traditions of the church.

3.2  Requirements – Clergy must provide criminal and child abuse records to the Leadership Council every two years, along with an updated signature for the Ministerial Ethics Promise.

3.3  Dual Credentialing – The Leadership Council may accept outside credentials from another denomination as satisfying the ordination process for Holy Orders with the Alliance. Such dual credentialing is at the sole discretion of the Leadership Council.

3.4  Term – Clergy will continue with Holy Orders until the clergy resigns their membership or is terminated by the Leadership Council for cause or inactivity.

3.5  Privileges – Individuals who have been issued Holy Orders by the Alliance are authorized to pursue a ministry of social justice, theological diversity, and dignity for all God’s children with the support of and with accountability to the Alliance, with all the rights and privileges of pastoral and ministerial service.

3.6  Disciplinary Procedures – Should any case of gross breach of covenant, or of public scandal occur, the Leadership Council shall endeavor to resolve the conflict; and if this effort fails the Leadership Council shall be empowered to act in the best interest of Alliance. All such proceedings shall be pervaded by a spirit of Christian kindness and forbearance, but should an adverse decision be reached, the Alliance may proceed to admonish or remove from the offender Holy Orders with the Alliance. Any individual whose Holy Orders have been terminated for any offense may be restored by majority vote of the Leadership Council, upon evidence of their repentance and reformation.

3.7  Termination – Ordination in the Alliance shall be terminated when Holy Orders are removed by a majority vote of the Leadership Council due to reasons and circumstances provided in Article 3.6 – Disciplinary Procedures. The Leadership Council will counsel the clergy for reconciliation prior to an action of termination of Holy Orders.

IV. LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

4.1  Composition – The Leadership Council shall consist of no fewer than 6 but no more than 12 members. All lay and clergy members of the Alliance are eligible for election to the Leadership Council.

4.2  Role – The Leadership Council is the governing body of the Alliance, accountable to its membership for faithful management and guidance of the Alliance’s ideals. They are responsible to make a serious commitment to the work of the Alliance, set annual goals, oversee the administration of an online presence, oversee processes for membership, affiliation, and ordination; and uphold the constitution and canons of the Alliance.

4.3  Terms and Elections – Councilors are elected by the membership no later than December 1 of a calendar year, with terms beginning January 1 of the following year. Councilors serve three year terms with staggered classes for continuity (between 2 and 4 members elected/re-elected each year). A 14-day nomination period must be given to the membership wherein members can nominate or self-nominate individuals for election to the Leadership Council. At the close of the nomination period, the slate of nominees must be presented to the membership for at least 14 days of review. 

4.4  Officers – Councilors elect from the Council a Chair, Co-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. Each officer’s term is one-year. Each officer may serve as many terms as they are elected except for Treasurer, who may not serve more than two consecutive terms without one term off.

4.4.1       Chair – The chair of the Leadership Council shall set the agenda for council meetings with input from the council and shall convene and guide meetings of the council. The chair shall encourage the council’s role in strategic planning, help guide and mediate council actions with respect to organizational priorities and governance concerns, and perform other duties as assigned by the council. The chair serves as the public representative of the Alliance.

4.4.2       Co-Chair – The co-chair of the Leadership Council shall coordinate the administrative work of the Alliance, recommending persons for coordination roles per Article 4.5 and providing general oversight to their work. The co-chair shall act as chair in the chair’s absence.

4.4.3       Treasurer – The treasurer of the Leadership Council shall manage the finances of the Alliance, provide an annual budget to the council for approval, ensures proper procedures for financial transactions, maintain records of donations and provide tax statements, and function as or solicit an outside commercial agent for the management of necessary legal and tax documents and reports.

4.4.4       Secretary – The secretary of the Leadership Council shall maintain records of the council and ensure effective management of the Alliance’s records, create and manage minutes of council meetings, and ensure minutes are distributed to the Alliance membership in a timely manner. The secretary will also assist the treasurer in maintaining legal documents as requested by the treasurer.

4.5  Committees and Other Roles – The Leadership Council may create or disband committees and coordination roles within the Alliance involving councilors or members of the Alliance as needed to ensure proper operations. Such roles may include oversight of ordination processes, ministry affiliation and membership, communications, spiritual care, and more.

4.6  Removal of Councilors – The Leadership Council may remove a councilor from the Council for cause or inactivity with a two-thirds majority vote. The councilor in question may not vote on their removal.

4.7  Removal of Officers – The Leadership Council may remove an officer from their role for cause or inactivity with a two-thirds majority vote. The officer in question may not vote on their removal.

4.8  Vacancies – Should a council position become vacant, and the composition of the council fall below the required 6 members, the council may select a member of the Alliance in good standing to fill the role until the next election occurs.