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COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF LITTLE ROCK

Process for Handling Kudos and Complaints

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Introduction.  The Committee on Ministry (COM) is charged with serving as the link between the congregation and the minister.  Among other duties, the COM is responsible for providing honest feedback to the minister regarding how the members perceive his or her performance.  While friends and congregants should be encouraged to take issues directly to the minister, there will be cases where such a process is either inadequate or inadvisable.  In such cases, the COM proposes the following procedures for submitting complaints and kudos.

Procedures.  The COM will develop a form for this purpose and stock at the church for the use of members and friends.  The Outer Circle will contain monthly reminders about this process.  All reports will be treated as confidential, but the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person completing the report must be included so that necessary follow-up can be done. 

The person will complete the report and seal it in an envelope addressed to the Chair of the COM.  Upon receipt, the Chair of the COM will do the following:

  • Open the report and send an acknowledgment of receipt to the person submitting it. 

  • Review the report.  If incomplete or unclear, contact the person submitting it for clarification.

  • Present the report at the next meeting of the COM, omitting the name of the person submitting it unless he/she has given permission to disclose it to the COM.

The COM will review all such reports presented by the Chair without the minister present.  It will decide what action, if any, is necessary.  If the COM decides that the report needs to be discussed with the minister, she or he will be invited to join the discussion, but the confidential nature of the original report will be maintained.

The Chair will report the decision of the COM to the person who made the report. 

The COM will maintain a confidential file of all reports received from members and review it periodically to determine if any patterns exist in the reports.

Unanimously approved by the Committee on Ministry on June 26, 2002.

Unanimously endorsed by the Board of Directors, August 14, 2002.