Leadership

Leadership at Community Church of Boston is shared. The Board of Directors, the church’s support staff, church committees and the entire congregation share in the planning and visioning as well as the actual work that needs to be done each year.


Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Community Church of Boston is an elected group of eleven individuals charged with overseeing the policies, practices, and governance of the church, in order to guide congregational activities within the context of our social justice purpose.

The Board is an active and hands-on group of church members, participating in overall direction and decision-making, as well as in much of the concrete and ongoing work that is needed to help the church thrive. All Board members serve in a voluntary capacity: Board officers serve for two years, and Board directors for three. Elections are held every year at the June Annual Meeting, coordinated by a Nominating Committee.

The full Board meets once monthly to discuss vision, purpose and goals, to hear committee reports, to coordinate special programs, to discuss challenges, and to support staff and volunteers in their work. The Board holds an annual Board retreat, and arranges a full congregational retreat each year as well. Retreats are intentional times to create a space where Board and church members can reflect on our overarching purpose as a social justice congregation, consider how our programs and services are forwarding that purpose, and help shape our vision and plans for the future.

All Board members participate on a church committee or undertake volunteer work that may not be committee-led. The Board Treasurer coordinates the church’s annual February Fiscal meeting which reviews financial matters and sets the annual budget. The Board President leads our Annual Meeting in June, when new Board members are elected, formal committee reports are presented verbally and in the written YearBook, and membership has time to dialogue on big-picture issues as well as detailed topics.

Support Staff
As a relatively small church, our staff is small in number, but valued as a vital support system and invaluable in what they provide. Our Office Manager efficiently handles all office-related duties, helps publish the church’s monthly newsletter, coordinates mailings, produces the Sunday bulletin, and provides administrative support to our Congregational Director. Our Bookkeeper provides expertise and accuracy in keeping our books and finances in sound condition. Our Sunday Cook prepares a delicious Sunday lunch after our 11:00am service. Our Custodian keeps our building clean and presentable for our own use and for the many groups that use our space. Our Superintendent knows every nook and cranny of our building and lends decades of expertise in maintaining it for many to use.

Church Committees
Community Church of Boston has many volunteer-led committees which are empowered to plan, budget and direct the work of the church, with assistance from staff, Board, and volunteers.

Committee on Ministry.
The Committee on Ministry meets monthly with the minister to together address the full spectrum of issues having to do with congregational life. The Committee on Ministry also performs the staff evaluation of the Congregational Director each year.

Growth & Membership.
The Growth & Membership Committee discusses how to best meet the needs of current members of the church, and how best to grow the church in numbers. It also considers less “concrete” growth areas including how to grow authentic diversity, how to move forward with anti-oppression and anti-racism issues, how to better understand our own strengths and challenges, how to be actively welcoming of all, and how to build the depth of commitment to community building in our social justice congregation and outside of it as well.

Finance Committee.
Let by the Treasurer, the Finance Committee oversees the budgeting, spending, and income-generating activities of the church and undertakes financial planning. The Committee works with the church’s Bookkeeper to implement sound bookkeeping protocols and practices and reconcile fiscal activities. The Treasurer reports to the Board on a monthly basis. The Finance Committee coordinates the annual Fiscal Meeting of the church each February, a time when the congregation votes to approve the annual budget. The Finance Committee presents an overview of fiscal matters each June at the Annual Meeting, with a written report in the church’s YearBook.

Program Committee.
The Program Committee meets monthly to determine speakers and programs for CCB’s Sunday Services.

Personnel Committee.
The Personnel Committee oversees hiring, staffing changes, and annual staff evaluations except for the Congregational Director. The Personnel Committee considers future staffing needs as they relate to the results of plans made at the annual Congregational Retreat, and reports to the Board quarterly or as needed.

Building Committee.
The Building Committee plans for and oversees the large or long-term maintenance and renovation projects needed in the building.

Sacco-Vanzetti Event Committee.
The Sacco-Vanzetti Event Committee coordinates the church’s signature event, the annual presentation of the Sacco & Vanzetti Social Justice Award to an individual or group voted by the congregation to receive the honor. The Committee does soup-to-nuts event work for this December event beginning in August/September.