The trustees control the money but there are times they ask for the congregation to vote on things and of course they take the congregation into mind when making decisions
... same in my parish.
In our congregation, ministry largely happens through "Ministry Teams." I'm chair of the Property Team. We deal with the physical facilities. Anything related to such is our stuff, our responsibility. We have a budget. We have a team (there are 5 on my team, including 2 women). We also are responsible for insurance, security, safety issues... as well as upkeep and improvement. We are responsible and we are authorized.
But if we need to go beyond our budget, we need to go to the Council to get approval for a budget adjustment OR a special appeal At TIMES, we'll ask for input from the Council or Congregational Meeting.... but usually not. They have asked and authorized US to do this....
In contrast to what MoreCofffee shared, in our parish, the pastor plays little to no part in this. He is not on my Team and I don't ever recall asking his opinion on anything involving our team. He is a member of the Church Council but he is our SPIRITUAL advisor. He (rather constantly) reminds us all of the Great Commandment and Great Commission.... He reminds us constantly of our Mission Statement... and he occasionally sends us some article ... but he wouldn't think of weighing in on what color/type of carpet to get. In fact, he might note that isn't a topic for the Church Council but for my team. The only exception..... we've had a LOT of problems with homeless living on our property and while I'M focused on protecting our facilities, he keeps reminding me of what "message" we are sending and what is motivating us.... reminding me this is not just about property but people. That's needed.
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