When the Pilgrims came to Plymouth, Massachusetts they were an interesting group.  They didn’t agree about many things and yet they had to figure out a way to live together.  What evolved was a system of governance that respects the right of each individual to his or her own opinion and yet also understands the need for cooperation and teamwork.  Neither the Congregational Church nor the Evangelical and Reformed Church grew up as churches of doctrine.  They grew up practicing individual freedom and the making of faithful covenants, a covenant being defined as an understanding between the individual, congregation and God.  The organizational structure of Plymouth Church directly reflects that heritage.  The Pastors are members of the church and are called by the Church to serve.  The highest elected Lay Officer of the Church is the Moderator.  Our 2006 Moderator is Meg Conaty.  The Moderator presides at the Church Council which is a cabinet upon which sit the other officers as well as the chair people of the various boards and committees.

The worship and fellowship life of the church grows out of the more than twenty member Diaconate.  The Trustees control the allocation and distribution of all monies while the Plymouth Foundation handles the investments.  The Christian Commitment committee has the task of raising the money we need each year to fund our budget.  We do have some income from our investments, but the vast majority of the well over one million dollars we need to function each year must be raised from our membership.

As was true for the Pilgrims and is still true in Town Meetings all across our land, ultimately the congregation makes the decisions.  At the Congregational Meeting (or Annual Meeting), held in January, all policy is set, elections held and budgets finalized.  At that meeting everyone, from the Senior Pastor to the newest member, gets one vote.  This is the congregational way and this is who we are.

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