MV gathering of seekers

membership structure

(proposals - some items have reached resolution: indicated by ®)

"councillor"

...is the governing policy body and is made up of members selected by the general membership(?). Council are just members who are serving a term as a management leader - it's a work thing, not a status thing, though a place on the council would be awarded by the members as a recognition of the wisdom and good judgement of the member, and would consequently be an award by the members of a respected status.

[perhaps council should be selected by fellows only, not just members]

council initial membership selected by founders (4 members selected at "New Beginning" meeting, 22 December 2003)

  • council size may be increased or decreased (procedures needed),
  • selection of new councillor,
  • retirement of councillor,
  • removal of councillor...

council maintains the treasury (they select a treasurer) and decides on disbursements,

council decides on the meeting places and times,

council may form a committee to find buildings for our meetings, schools, libraries, etc. and negotiate the lease or purchase of such facilities,

council develops programs, invites speakers - essentially uses editorial authority to guide the message communicated to the gathering,

council settles disputes,

council undertakes to establish more chapters in other locales.

"member"

The Council will puts its focus on firming up the definition of and procedures / agreements of membership as a high priority, so we can proceed on to beginning a membership organization. We may submit our concept of the organization to an attorney for legal review at this point, before moving on.

 

Membership may be obtained by invitation of members (or council?) after attending membership development sessions or upon general consensus of the council.

• Initial membership procedure, as ®resolved by council in meeting on 8 June 2003,

• must be reviewed by other members or council (black ball?),

• agrees to contribute time, energy, effort and money to development of the local seeker spiritual community (explained in session 4 of membership development sessions),

• pays a membership fee of $50.00 (suggested beginning number),

• receives benefits of membership,

• process of becoming a member:

1. prospect is invited to attend membership developmnent sessions,

2. prospect attends sessions and is invited to subsequent sessions if he understands the issues until he/she has completed all (4?),

3. members (or council?) invite him/her to join,

4. prospect "accepts" invitation, agreeing to (terms of membership),

5. new member is initiated (whatever that involves) at a ceremony(?)

footnote regarding other fellowships' membership procedures

"fellow"

elder / senior member / quaestio (?) / minister?
[quaestio = Latin for seeker?]

A member who has demonstrated some leadership ability, either by taking on responsibilities or by being recognized by their fellow seekers as someone of wisdom or ability that can further the cause of the seekers in a meaningful way.

They will attempt to settle disputes among members before bringing attention to the council.

They lead committees and other projects the seekers chapter may perform.

They handle the day-to-day development work of the chapter, from vetting new members to arranging meeting space.

[perhaps this status would be granted after a 1-2 year development period and after a nod from the council - this might involve some recognition of the knowledge, wisdom and good judgement of the member being elevated to fellow]

"guide"

mentor (?)

A member who has some specialized knowledge or talent or expertise which other seekers find useful or valuable. They are the teachers, mentors, guides and advisors to the fellowship of seekers. As a guide, they make their services, skills, and/or knowledge available to other members in the manner they choose. Members respect their contribution and their time and may exchange time in community service.

Guides do not have to be fellows (senior members), but probably would be. Being a guide is a distinction, not a ranking, although in their area of expertise, a guide's opinion may carry more weight than his status would otherwise suggest.

This is a very flat structure and no one is prevented from moving up (or down) the ladder of responsibility. Moving up to a new peer group requires a majority vote of that peer group or of the Council.

Disputes are handled privately between the parties and by the next most senior people. A guide with some ability for arbitration may be consulted.

Each membership category will have some formal agreement to ensure everyone understands their responsibilities and expectations.

This structure is sort of mirrored for the organization of seekers chapters. Each chapter is a member of a regional organization, which is a member of a national organization which is a member of the world body of seekers.

"attenders / guests"

...may be invited to presentation/discussion meetings by members, or ... may have found out about us from a public "hook", such as an event, a flier, the web site, or other means. The guest would have no obligation to our gathering, nor us to them. They would not participate in any member benefits.

council to develop strategy of "public" events/announcements that are suitable for attracting new people to our fellowship while maintaining our "private" status.

Guests may come to a meeting after an invitation at a "public" event. Guests may be invited to join mvseekers Yahoo group for discussions and announcements -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mvseekers/

this group will soon be changed to be open to the public who can join it at their choice without being invited. The new web address will be:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/seekersociety/

members or council may approach "attender/guest" to invite to a series of membership development sessions on our beliefs and agreements to our community. These guests will become better known to us and at the conclusion of the series of sessions, may be invited to become a member. (procedure to follow)

suggested membership development sessions (click link for more detailed description)

1. Are you a seeker?
2. Do you share our values?
3. Do you believe in community?
4. Will you do more?

"the public"

...may hear of us through a publicized event, such as a meeting, presentation, concert or function. The public have none of the benefits that are offered to our members.

council to develop strategy of events/announcements that are suitable for attracting new people to our fellowship while maintaining our "private" status.
event suggestions include:

musical concerts

 an invitation to attend a presentation meeting is made to those who seem interested
talks on current events an invitation may be made to other meetings
lectures on health, or other topics an invitation may be made to other meetings

...may view our public website or paper publications (which might have been handed to them at an event, or even on the street):

Public website http://seekers.ijaq.net, changed to: http://www.seekersociety.org
business card to be designed, would have reference to public website for more info
tri-fold brochure to be designed, would have reference to public website for more info

Potential problem areas and design to solve problem:

Potential problem

Proposed design solution
attender from another religion trying to proselytize at seekers meeting bouncer? kind invitation to listen to our presentation or be kind enough to allow others to listen without interference. Kindly informing them that this is an exploration of all spiritual paths and they are welcome to seek to schedule a formal presentation, if they feel qualified to do that.
handling people who mis-represent our organization, eg, to the media Council to discuss issue with them. Council to try to clear issue up with the media. Council to select a representative to the press.
handling people who tend to dominate discussions discussion leader to gently guide speaker to fairness
handling people who have a radically different idea and want to argue with us

They would just not be invited to the next meeting, whether it be a membership development session or discussion or a members-only meeting of any kind.
Difficult problems, not solvable by other means Convene the council as a "court" to hear the matter and decide what to do

Note: this is an ongoing exposition of proposed ideas for membership structure, and is not yet our policy. Suggestions will be posted here as the discussion evolves on the council email list.
post to the council email list

 

footnotes
1. Other fellowships' membership "hoops and hurdles":

Nashua Unitarian-Universalist Church:

Art: RE the Nashua UU church's membership "hoops": he relates that there is a book in the back of the meetinghouse and if you sign that you are a member! He reports that there are membership classes, but that they are all optional and he did not attend them, yet has been a member for years.

Fred: xxx

Concord Unitarian-Universalist Church:

Rich: xxx

Friends Meeting Cambridge (Massachusetts), the "Quakers"

Jack: membership committee considers prospective member over a period of time (will try to get more details)

 

 

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