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Deacon Council
Article One - Title Section 1: The title of this body shall be Deacon Council.
Article Two - Identity Section 2: The Deacon Council shall be advisory to the Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane and shall be accountable to him as its establishing authority. Section 3: The Deacon Council shall be responsible to the People of God for the effective management of its affairs and the manner in which it offers leadership and focus to the ministry of the diaconate in the Diocese of Spokane.
Article Three - Purpose Section 1: The Deacon council shall identify and seek specific needs of the ministry of deacon. Section 2: The Deacon Council shall be a forum for the discussion of issues related to the ministry of deacons. Section 3: The Deacon Council shall integrate the ministry of the diaconate with the goals, objectives, and pastoral plan of the Diocese. Section 4: The Deacon Council shall establish an on-going continuing education and social program for the deacons serving throughout the Diocese.
Article Four Membership Section 1: The Deacon Council shall consist of eight (8) elected members and three
( 3) ex-officio
members. All elected members shall be incardinated deacons, or wives or
widows of incardinated deacons. All must be in good standing. The members
of the council shall be chosen as follows: Section 2: Two (2) consecutive unexcused absences shall automatically constitute removal from the Deacon Council. Section 3: The Deacon Council shall make recommendations to the Bishop regarding the filling of mid-term vacancies on the Council. Section 4: Only the Bishop shall be empowered to remove a member from the Deacon Council. Section 5: The Bishop may appoint an additional member or members at any time.
Article Five Terms of Membership Section 1: The normal term of membership on the Deacon Council shall be three (3) years beginning from July 1 of the year elected. Section 2: To ensure continuity of the Deacon Council, terms of membership shall be determined on a staggered basis. Section 3: Membership on the Council shall be limited to two (2) consecutive terms. Section 4: Newly elected Council members should attend the June meeting as observers and be given appropriate materials and information.
Article Six Election of Council Members Section 1: A nominating committee shall be appointed by the chairperson of the Deacon Council at the January meeting, names of nominees should be given to the chairperson by March 31st. Voting will be by mail.
Section 2:
Elections shall take place during April of each year by mail. The
nomination committee shall conduct these elections. The committee will send
appropriate ballots to every deacon, wife or widow to be returned to the
Deacon Office at Bishop White seminary. The chairperson of the nominating
committee is responsible for tabulating the results for verification by the
chair of the Deacon Council. Elections shall be completed and results will
be announced before the June meeting. Article Seven Meetings Section 1: The Deacon Council shall normally meet the 2nd Saturday of the months of October, January and June. If needed, the executive committee may call emergency meetings. Section 2: Deacon Council meetings shall be open to the Diaconate Community. Participation in the meeting by non-council members shall be at the discretion of the chairperson. A town hall atmosphere is encouraged. Section 3: The Deacon Council may meet in executive or closed session at the discretion of the Bishop or the executive committee. Section 4: A simple majority will constitute a quorum. Section 5: If possible, at least one meeting per year should be held outside Spokane. Section 6: In the absence of the chairperson and the vice- chairperson, a meeting shall be cancelled.
Article Eight Voting Section 1: The consensus/discernment model of decision making shall be normative for the Deacon Council. Section 2: Participation in the decision making process by proxy is not allowed. Section 3: A decision by simple majority vote will constitute a valid vote.
Article Nine Officers Section 1: The Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane is recognized as the President of the Deacon Council. Section 2: Elected officers of the Deacon Council shall be Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary. Section 3: The Bishop, Director of Deacons and the elected officers shall constitute the Executive Committee. Section 4: Election of officers for the Deacon Council shall take place at the first meeting in the fall after election. Section 5: Term of office for officers of the Deacon Council shall be one (1) year.
Article Ten Duties of Officers Section 1: The Bishop, as President, shall exercise those duties given him by his office and Church Law. Section 2: The duties of the Chairperson shall be: a. To call and chair regular scheduled and special meetings of the Deacon Council b. In collaboration with the Executive Committee, to set agenda material for all Deacon Council meetings. c. To appoint committee chairpersons after consultation with the Deacon Council. d. To act as representing officer of the Deacon Council.
Section 3: The duties of the Vice Chairperson shall be: a. To assume the duties normally attributed to the chairperson in his/her absence. b. To assume the office of Chairperson if the Chairperson leaves the office in mid-term.
Section 4: The duties of the secretary shall be: a. To keep the record of the proceedings and decisions of the Deacon Council b. To publish promptly the minutes of each meeting to all members of the Deacon Community. c. To notify the membership of the agenda at least two weeks in advance of the regular meetings. d. To prepare and maintain the correspondence of the Deacon Council. e. To provide records and materials pertinent to the transactions and responsibilities of the Deacon Council to the Office of the Director of Deacons. f. The office of the Director of Deacons shall be responsible for maintaining the official records of the Deacon Council on a permanent basis.
Article Eleven Committees Section 1: Standing committees of the Deacon Council include: Deacon Life and Ministry Committee and Continuing Education Committee. Section 2:The Deacon Council may establish additional ad hoc committee task forces as necessary. Section 3: The Deacon Council shall charter all committees and task forces. Section 4: Committee chairpersons shall be empowered to appoint members to their respective committees unless chartered otherwise. Section 5: Committee chairpersons shall report as requested to the Deacon Council. Section 6: Committee chairpersons should generally be members of the Deacon Council, other members may include any deacon, wife or widow of deacon incardinated in the Diocese of Spokane.
Article Twelve Amendments Section 1: Amendments to this constitution shall be determined by vote of the Deacon Council and submitted to the Bishop in writing. Section 2: The Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane must approve Amendments to this constitution in writing.
Approved by: ____________________________________________________ Chairperson Deacon Council Date
____________________________________________________ Director of Deacons Date
___________________________________________________ Bishop Diocese of Spokane Date |
Office of the Diaconate |