Don’t we have a Session? Why do we need a “Board of Directors?”

Covenant Presbyterian Church, like ourselves personally, finds itself a citizen of multiple kingdoms. It is the bride of Christ, headed by Him, subject to His laws and commands, and ruled, in the present age, by elders. And amen! It is also an entity, a Nonprofit Corporation in fact, subject to the provisions of Title 48 of the Code of the great State of Tennessee. Another amen, maybe a little less loud?

Establishing Tennessee churches as Nonprofit Corporations has advantages, including shielding individual members from liabilities of their church, facilitating property and other financial transactions the church may need to undertake, promoting orderly operations, and discouraging fraud and mismanagement.

Under the law, there is a requirement that Nonprofit Corporations have a Board of Directors. They do not direct the church in a spiritual sense, but rather steward the church as a legal organization, as it interfaces with financial institutions and the government. Under the law, Board members have duties of good faith, loyalty, and care to the organizations they serve.

Board members are elected annually and serve for a one-year term. The Board is comprised of 8 members. The Pastor, Clerk of Session, Chairman of Diaconate, and Treasurer are automatically members of the Board, as required by our charter. The charter requires four members of the congregation to serve alongside these specified individuals. The Board does not have day-to-day responsibilities. It is required to meet at least annually and it occasionally needs to sign documents related to bank accounts, loans, or property transactions.

Current members of the Board are Jake Bennett (Executive Pastor), Adam Sanders (Clerk of Session), Mike Mason (Chairman of Diaconate), Dave Gernhard (Treasurer), Lynda Brown, Duane Ferrel, Doug McEachern, and Larry Miller.

From today until Sunday, November 19, we are asking you to nominate members to the Board for 2024. In light of the abovementioned responsibilities, please prayerfully consider who you think would be a good person to serve in this way. If you have any concerns or questions about submission details, please contact the church office.