Our Governance

East Shore Unitarian Church follows a Policy Based Governance structure.

“A congregation needs:

A unified structure for making governance decisions. The governing board represents the membership by articulating mission and vision, evaluating programs, and ensuring responsible stewardship of resources.
A unified structure for making ministry decisions. Program leaders (paid and unpaid) work harmoniously to create effective programs with the support of a structure that delegates authority and requires accountability.
A firm and well-marked boundary, with active mutual communication and accountability, between governance and ministry.”

from Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership, by Dan Hotchkiss – p. 58.

East Shore’s Board of Trustees is responsible for its governance. The Board provides a framework, tools and an ongoing approach to determining how decisions are made, goals set, plans established, progress monitored, roles and responsibilities defined. All to ensure success against the church’s mission.

Through its Policy & Governance Committee, Board policies and Church bylaws are updated, Committee and Team charters are reviewed annually, and congregational meetings are supported.

Church Bylaws are updated as needed and voted on by the congregation at congregational meetings.

Board Policies are reviewed regularly and updated as needed. There is a review period for congregational input before Board final approval.

Charters are updated annually by lay leaders of various board committees and teams. The Policy & Governance Committee administers the update process.

Congregational Meetings happen twice a year, typically in June and December. June’s meeting is for elections to the Board and Nominating Committee. December’s meeting is to vote on the annual budget. Both meetings may have additional agenda items decided upon by the Board. All congregational meetings are both in person and on zoom. A light snack and childcare are usually available. The meeting happens after a Sunday service.

Our Govenance Documents

East Shore Unitarian Church follows specific Bylaws and Policies:

Mission & Vision

ESUC Bylaws: Updated June 2026

ESUC Policies: Updated May 2026

ESUC Articles of Incorporation: Updated December 2024

The Why, Who, How and Timeline of Bylaws Review Project

Why do a Bylaws Review? East Shore needs leaner, more long-term and broadly inclusive bylaws that are as easy to understand as possible. All of our bylaws were created overtime with good intention. It is time for a comprehensive update and review. Since the 1950s,...

Updates to Board Policy

Policy and Governance has completed the working draft of the latest Board Policy document. This document has been updated to reflect the new minister-led model of leadership and to reorganize the policy topics. The policy document and supporting files are found at...

New Bylaw Packaged Proposed

A month-long period of discussion with members on major changes to East Shore’s bylaws was completed April 20, 2024. We have proposed other changes since spring 2021 that were approved by the congregation. This will be our last and largest proposal to you covering the...

ESUC Organizational Structure

Click here for more information.

Our Charters

You can find the most recent charters in this Google Drive.

ESUC Charters