CBO Director, Advisory Team, and core initiatives

 
Networking Hands spacer 10x10 A central tenet of Congregation-based Organizing is that it is not about any one leader, but rather about leadership development and strategic teamwork.

The ELCA has a Director for Congregation-based Organizing and also a team of practitioners, known as the CBOT (Congregation-based Organizing Team), which advises and works with the director to advance the work.

The working structure for the CBOT is as follows:

CBOT Member categories

  • Regular members: 6, all expenses paid for meetings, 1 of the 6 serves as CBOT chair
  • Alternate members: up to 6 willing to fill in when regular members must be absent.
  • Staff: Director for CBO; Administrative Assistant for CBO Director
  • Advisory: Director for Poverty Ministries, rep. from the Conference of Bishops


Make-up of the CBOT

  • Each regular and alternate member will be an active practitioner in the field of CBO
  • Each of the 4 national organizing networks will be represented
  • Additional organizing entities (regional, ethnic-specific, etc.) may be represented
  • Membership should reflect diversity in terms of rostered/lay status, racial/ethnic backgrounds, regional representation, gender balance, etc.


Term details for CBOT members

  • Members are appointed by the CBOT, under recommendation from the Director, and in consultation with organizing networks and entities
  • Members serve 3-year terms, with the option of serving two consecutive terms
  • Only 1/3rd of the membership should be newly appointed at a time, retaining 2/3rds  carry-over of team membership at any given time
  • Members having served 2 consecutive terms may serve again after 1 year off the team


Meeting schedule for the CBOT

  • Twice annually in person
  • Four additional times annually, via conference call, web-ex, or other “virtual” format


Decision-making and authority of the CBOT
The CBOT will operate with a consensus-based process, with all those in attendance taking part, unless significant delay or conflict arises, in which case the team will revert to a Robert’s Rules of Order process. The decisions of the CBOT are not constitutionally binding, but are adhered to at the discretion of the CBO Director, in consultation with the Poverty Ministries Director. When a decision made by the CBOT is not to be adhered to, the Director will inform team members, giving rationale for deviating from the decision.


Initiatives of the CBOT
Each regular team member will chair a sub-committee that carries out one of the core initiatives. Sub-committee chairs are encouraged to appoint additional members. There are no formal pre-requisites, terms limits, etc., for serving on sub-committees. Sub-committees, along with the CBO Director, are responsible and accountable for doing the work of the initiatives between meetings. Chairs are expected to submit reports (ideally both written and verbal) at CBOT meetings, or to appoint an alternate to do so if they must be absent.

Current initiatives: