​On Quorum and Voting in Congregational Meetings

Once or twice a year, the board calls congregational meetings to conduct important business, like voting on budgets, constitutional amendments, or calling new ministers. Best practice requires a clearly-defined quorum—the percentage of eligible voting members needed to conduct official business and take binding votes.

Our constitution previously defined quorum as a percentage of attendees rather than eligible members. This meant that theoretically, a very small number of people could make consequential decisions for the entire congregation. Last June, we approved this change to the constitution:

Section 3. Quorum. A quorum shall consist of 20% of Voting Members present at a duly called Annual or Special Congregational Meeting. A quorum of 35% of Voting Members is required for decisions outlined in Article IV, Section 1. Voting Members attending virtually count toward establishing a quorum.

Technology now enables both in-person and online attendance, and both count toward the quorum. Our meetings feature two-way communication and real-time voting via paper or digital ballot. This reduces the need for absentee ballots, though exceptions may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the lead minister or board president.

We hope absentee ballots become mostly a thing of the past because there is value in coming together and considering issues and questions as a community. How often have you entered a meeting with your mind made up, only to hear a new perspective or information you didn't have before, and then made a different decision? That is how it should be—a process of discernment, whether the topic is approving an annual budget, a policy change, or calling a new minister. The time spent together in conversation, whether in person or online, is an essential part of the process. That's why we tightened up our constitution's language to better define quorum, and why we want to encourage full participation by every member of our faith community.