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Clergical Unintentional Influence


Guest Fred H. Rick

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No, not as such.  If he is a member of the church or if your bylaws or church rules give him the right to participate in meetings, he has the right to be there and to participate.  If he is not a member of the church, then he has no rights at all... not even the right to be there...  unless your bylaws or some higher authority give him that right.  He can, of course be granted permission to attend and participate.   RONR does cover meeting protocol and decorum in general, but nothing specific as to a pastor's presence or conduct at congregational meetings.

 

You need to look to your church bylaws and other church governing documents and rules for guidance.

 

If you can be more specific, we might be able to be more specific ourselves.

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Ordinarily the pastor is an employee of the church, not a member of the congregation, and so cannot speak in favor of, or against, any motion which is brought up by a member.  However, the assembly (or the chair, without objection) could grant such permission.

 

I don't want to offtrack the thread into a church polity discussion, but I dispute that assertion. Pastors (including me) are very commonly members of the church and have membership rights. The IRS considers us not employees, but self-employed contractors and we are taxed as such. It's a different set up than for employees such as secretaries and custodians.

 

To bring it back to RONR: i would agree that secretaries and custodians (for example) are ordinarily employees of the church and as such don't have membership rights by virtue of their employment. Pastors very frequently have membership rights (as I do) and can speak to motions, make motions, even vote. I'm guessing that is the OP's situation and the question is not so much can a non-member speak, but rather is a particular member afforded more consideration due to his position, And according to RONR, the simple answer would be no.

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I think that's admirable but on this forum we're concerned with The Right Book, not The Good Book.

Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.... http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempora_mutantur

From ROR 1915: ... it being a general rule that no member should be present in the assembly when any matter relating to himself is under debate.... http://www.bartleby.com/176/43.html

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