Dear beloved members and sustaining friends,

The question of how we govern ourselves at Eliot Chapel has been actively discussed for many years. Fifteen years ago, during a difficult time in the life of our congregation, we shifted to Policy Governance under the leadership of Interim Ministers Rev. David Keyes and Rev. Maureen Killoran. The governance model we adopted is referred to as the Carver Model. This was an important shift because it gave clear responsibilities to the Board and the Lead Minister, which allowed each to be more effective. However, the Carver Model of policy governance has been set aside by most UU congregations because it is based on a not-for-profit model with a Board of Directors and an Executive Director with staff. Congregational Boards are different. Congregations belong to their members and are their spiritual home. Both the Board and the Lead Minister are elected by the congregation and are accountable to it. Rather than an Executive Director, our Lead Minister is our spiritual leader. Even the Lead Minister’s executive tasks are grounded in our theology and spiritual practice.

When Rev. Barbara Gadon retired in June 2022, Interim Minister Rev. Dr. Doug Wadkins encouraged the Board to shift away from the more rigid Carver Model towards a more collaborative model, often called the Hotchkiss Model after Dan Hotchkiss, who worked to adapt the Carver Model to congregational life. The division of authority and responsibilities remain the same, but there is a strong emphasis on collaboration and partnership which is more in harmony with our theology of covenantal mutual relationships built on love and trust. During this time, the Board made a commitment to move towards Mission-Based Governance.

Throughout the 23-24 church year, while Rev. Krista was our contracted Acting Lead Minister, the board began exploring what changes needed to be made to fully transition from the default Carver Model to the Mission-Based Model. As we have practiced working collaboratively, while honoring the division of authority and its boundaries, we have learned much as we lean deeper into this evolving model of governance. This year, with Rev. Krista beginning her settled ministry, the board has set the goal of fully establishing and adopting the new model.

The policies that the board has been operating under were written during and for the Carver Model reign. As we have been experimenting with living into the new model, it has become evident to us that operating from policies focused on the Carver Model has proven to be overly complicated and unsuitable for our goal of wholly implementing the Mission-Based Model. One of our final steps in realizing our goal is to undertake writing a Board Governance Policy document that is more compatible with the new model. The Board of Trustees has tasked a Governance Committee composed of Board Chair Carole Glauser, Members at Large David T. Cox and Matthew Hull, and Rev. Krista Taves to do this work. We have consulted directly with Dan Hotchkiss who has and will continue to provide valuable guidance and support.

We expect to share our new Mission-Based Governance document with you for feedback in early Spring with the goal of Board approval by June 30, 2025. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are at your service.

Yours in faith and love,

The Governance Team

Carole Glauser, Chair of the Board

Matthew Hull, Member at Large

David T. Cox, Member at Large

Rev. Krista Taves, Lead Minister