By Frances Townsend
On Earth Peace requested a revision in the document governing how the organization is connected to Annual Conference as a reportable agency, an interim measure until a new covenant between the agency and Annual Conference is finalized in 2025.
The delegate body today approved revisions that will update the On Earth Peace bylaws to meet the agency’s diversity commitments in building its board. On Earth Peace co-executive director Marie Benner Rhoades explained that the agency is working toward having a majority of the board be people of color representing the full constituency they serve.
Currently, the bylaws of On Earth Peace say the board must be 80 percent Church of the Brethren members, but the revision changes this to a simple majority of church members. The agency hopes to bring on its board people with lived experience, knowledge, or skills required to help fulfill strategic goals, who may not be Brethren.
With the adoption of this update of On Earth Peace polity, new board members will be affirmed, not elected by Annual Conference. The board governance and development committee will welcome nominations submitted through the Annual Conference nomination process.
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