Brook Hill United Methodist Church has six elected committees made up of volunteers.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees supervises, oversees, and cares for all real property owned by Brook Hill and all property associated with any group or organization that stores equipment at Brook Hill. They keep the property in good repair and systems running efficiently, and plan and oversee any functional projects that are needed. Other responsibilities include insurance coverage and managing legal affairs.
Church Council
Church Council is responsible for envisioning, planning, implementing, and annually evaluating Brook Hill’s ministries and mission. Council members collaborate and discuss a variety of things from events and budgets to opportunities to connect with the local community. They work to ensure everything that happens at Brook Hill aligns with the “big picture” of our mission, vision, and purpose.
Church Council is made up of the chairpersons of the Board of Trustees, Committee on Finance, Staff-Parish Relations Committee, Endowment Committee, and the Weekday Preschool, as well as five lay members, one alternate lay member, a youth, young adult, and older adult representative, a recording secretary, and a chairperson. Pastors and church staff also serve on Church Council, but can not vote.
Brook Hill’s Church Council meetings are the held first Tuesday of every month and are open to anyone who is interested in learning how the church leaders operate and make decisions. If you have questions for Church Council, you can ask them during the General Discussion portion of the meeting.
Committee on Finance (Finance Committee)
The Committee on Finance proposes a budget to Church Council and raises, manages, and distributes the financial resources of the congregation to support and strengthen the mission and ministries of the church.
The Finance Committee is made up of a chair, a lay leader, a lay member, the SPRC chairperson, a representative from the Trustees, and the appointed pastor(s). Two church staff, the Treasurer and Financial Secretary, serve as ex officios. Meetings are held on the first Monday of every month and are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the finances of the church.
Committee on Lay Leadership Development
Formerly called the Nominations Committee, the Committee on Lay Leadership Development prayerfully discerns servants willing to be a part of elected church committees. This committee is led by Pastor Dana and is made up of church members selected to serve three-year terms. They in turn select members to fill vacancies on the Board of Trustees, Committee on Finance, Endowment Committee, Staff–Parish Relations Committee, and the Committee on Lay Leadership Development. The Weekday Preschool Executive Committee selects its own committee members. This committee also selects the lay leader, youth, young adult, and older adult representatives who attend Annual Conference, as well Church Council’s recording secretary and chair.
Endowment Committee
The Endowment Committee facilitates yearly disbursement of the Endowment Fund through requests for grant proposals. The Endowment Fund was established in 1999 after receiving a generous gift of nearly $250,000 from Brook Hill member Ms. Tommie Lee Barnes in her will for the purpose of enabling local, home, and foreign church outreach and missions, and assistance to persons in the community who are in need.
Staff–Parish Relations Committee (SPRC)
The United Methodist Book of Discipline establishes the requirement for an SPRC in each charge. SPRC makes recommendations to the Church Council regarding staffing requirements and pastor and lay staff compensation. SPRC recruits new employees to fill existing vacancies, ensures that employees have proper training and certification, evaluates employee performance, and responds to employee concerns and grievances. In many respects, SPRC functions as the Human Relations or Personnel Office for the church. The committee serves as an advisor to the District Superintendent on matters concerning pastor performance.
The SPRC is made up of a chairperson and currently 7 lay members who serve three-year terms. They meet once a month in closed sessions and their deliberations are confidential.
Other Church Committees
Outreach Committees
The Outreach Committee focuses on meeting the physical and spiritual needs of our local and global community. The Outreach Committee works to provide food, clothing, and shelter to those in need as well as the Good News of Jesus Christ. The committee meets on the fourth Monday of the month.
For more information about any of these committees, please contact the church office at 301-662-1727 or by e-mail at BrookHill@bhumc.org.