Introduction

In accordance with RCAC Bylaw (3.2), the Board is calling a Special Meeting of Members (SMM) to take place on Sunday July 25th at 2:00pm. This meeting will take place virtually with instructions to follow.  The purpose of this meeting is to present to RCAC voting members the following motion: Women may be elected to serve on the RCAC Board of Elders. 

In response to inquiries from membership,  the Women as Elders (WAE) committee was established in October 2018. RCAC members have been engaged on the subject of WAE for the past 2 years. Following multiple opportunities for members to ask questions and engage in discussion, the WAE committee submitted their final report to the Board in July 2020.  The WAE committee report was accepted by the Board and followed by the decision to present this motion to membership at a later date.  Due to the evolving nature of the pandemic, the decision was made by the Board to delay this motion until after the March 2021 AGM.   

Process

In adherence to the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada local church constitution (Article 8:1), the local church may by a two-thirds majority of the voting members decide/choose to have women serve on the Board.  If passed, the Board would then amend the RCAC Elder Nomination Guidelines for the 2022 AGM to reflect the decision of the membership. 

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for this SMM will remain consistent to that of the RCAC March 2021 AGM. Voting members must have attended more than 50% of worship services between March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020.  If you did not participate in the March 2021 AGM & are unsure of whether or not you are eligible to vote in this SMM, please email joyce.chan@rcac.ca or call 604-271-9333.  

Meeting Details

The SMM will take place on Sunday July 25th at 2:00pm.  Voting invitations & instructions will be sent via email to members by June 25, 2021.  If you have not received an email by June 25, 2021 (please check your junk/spam folder) and contact joyce.chan@rcac.ca or call 604-271-9333.

Questions:

All members are encouraged to submit any relevant questions regarding this motion beforehand to wae@rcac.ca in order to guarantee a response at/before the SMM. Questions will be either addressed during the SMM or beforehand through an email response.

Resources:

All members are encouraged to visit the following websites for additional resources on this topic.
English Webpage: https://english.rcac.ca/grow/women-as-elders
Chinese Webpage: https://online.rcac.ca/womeneldership