Minutes

[K. Bogue]

For business organization boards or church boards that meet monthly, is it customary or acceptable to publish (email) meeting minutes (to board members) after each meeting. Would that apply to a church association that holds semi-annual meetings?

[Richard Brown]

Nothing in RONR prohibits it, but, if the draft minutes are distributed prior to the meeting, they should be conspicuously labeled as DRAFT MINUTES.  They don't become "The Minutes" until they are approved by the assembly at a meeting.  Distributing the draft minutes ahead of time can speed the process of approving them.  For example, there is no need to actually read the minutes aloud when they are distributed in advance unless  a member insists on it.

btw, waiting six months to approve the minutes is  too long.  RONR says that if the minutes can't be approved within a quarterly time interval, a committee or board should be authorized to approve them.