Town Hall Meeting Guidelines

Approved by the Board of Trustees – November 16, 2005 

1. Town Hall Meetings are meetings open to all members and friends of Second Unitarian Church for the purpose of discussing an issue of interest or concern to the entire congregation.
2. Town Hall Meetings are not Congregational Meetings as defined in the Bylaws.  Therefore it is not necessary to notify the congregation through announcements and mailings.  Of course advertising Town Hall Meetings widely as possible yields greater attendance, and therefore effectiveness.
3. Because Town Hall Meetings are not Congregational Meetings, there is no official vote of the congregation taken at a Town Hall Meeting.  Informal straw polls, to get the general feeling of the people in the room are fine, however such a poll is not a binding action of the congregation.
4. Town Hall Meetings are a place to have a public conversation.  Consensus, while a wonderful ideal, is not the goal of a Town Hall Meeting.  Everyone need not agree all of the time, but personal attacks and inappropriate behavior have no place in a Town Hall Meeting.  The goal of the Town Hall Meeting is to provide people with the opportunity to share their views.  It is not appropriate to use a Town Hall Meeting as a means of advertising.  A group that is hosting a Town Hall Meeting should not spend all of the time presenting to the congregation, but rather leave ample time (at least half the meeting) for response and discussion.
5. The role of the Minister during a Town Hall Meeting is one of process observer.  Town Hall Meetings should be scheduled on a day in which the Minister is able to be present.
6. Any group within the Church may facilitate a Town Hall Meeting on a topic of their choosing, providing that it is of concern to the congregation as a whole.  Groups are encouraged to discuss the possibilities of holding a Town Hall Meeting with the Minister before hand, to ensure that the Minister is available to be present.
7. The Board is encouraged to host at least one Town Hall Meeting before the Annual Meeting and any additional Congregational Meetings to discuss the agendas of the latter.  This provides even more opportunities for members to discuss the issues they will be voting on at the Annual Meeting.
8. Format: Committee or group sponsoring the meeting opens with a brief presentation of about fifteen to twenty minutes, to lay out the issue and frame the discussion.  The next forty to forty-five minutes should be reserved for discussion, comments, or questions and answers.  Town Hall Meetings should last approximately one hour, and certainly no more than ninety minutes.
9. As for all such meetings, the sponsoring group is responsible for ensuring that there is adequate food, drinks, and childcare for their Town Hall Meeting in accordance with the appropriate Church policies, procedures, and guidelines.