DECISION-MAKING

   The members of Faith Lutheran Church gather twice a year at scheduled congregational meetings to conduct the business of the congregation.


   The fall election meeting normally takes place in November and is where we elect officers and committee chairpersons to conduct the business of the congregation on a month-to-month basis. Together, the officers and chairpersons of the seven program areas of the congregation compose the Church Council.


   The officers are the President, the Vice-president, the Recording Secretary, the Financial Secretary and the Treasurer. The Financial Secretary handles the offering and tracks all income. The Treasurer pays the bills and tracks all expenditures.


   The Seven program areas of the congregation are: Evangelism, Stewardship, Youth, Parish Education, Building and Grounds, Church and Community Relations, and Worship.


   Officers elected at this meeting are then able to sit in on Church Council meeting and be brought up to speed in time for the time they take office, at our January Business Meeting.


   We also elect members of the congregation to serve as voting members of our San Gabriel Conference and Southern California West assembly meetings, and three members of the Nominating Committee for the coming year.


   The Annual Business Meeting of the congregation normally takes place in January. Any unfinished business from the Fall Election meeting is conducted. The congregation also hears and/or reviews annual reports from the pastor, staff, auxilieries, program areas and other ministries of the congregation. The congregation also considers and approves a budget for the congregation.


   When the congregation needs to call a pastor, a search committee is chosen from among the members of the congregation. They may consider any candidate on the clergy roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They will often be given a list of three candidates at a time from the Southwest California Synod that the synod thinks would be a good match.  


   The search committee eventually recommends a candidate to the Church Council who may then recommend a candidate to the congregation. The congregation then votes on that candidate.