Toronto First Unitarian, like all Unitarian congregations, is autonomous, self-funding, and governed by a Board of Directors elected from our membership.
Our Bylaws describe how our congregation is governed and administered and we produce an Annual Report each year.
Our staff affirm each year their commitment to a Staff Covenant — a tradition that we have now carried for over ten years.
Our Leading Principles
The leading principles of this Congregation shall be the free exercise of private judgment in all matters of belief. Members of the Congregation, while free to hold diverse beliefs concerning the nature of God, Humanity and the Universe, are each committed to the preservation of personal integrity, the continuing search for truth through the use of critical enquiry, the democratic method in human relations and the obligation to work together with love for the greater good of all.
This Congregation shall be open to all people regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, or disability.
Governance
The Congregation is governed by Board of Directors, who are responsible to the provincial government to ensure that we comply with all provincial legislation and with our Bylaws. They are also responsible for the administrative operation of the Congregation and the expenditure of Congregational funds.
The nine members of the Board are elected by the Voting Members of the Congregation for three year terms. Generally, three Directors are elected each year for three-year terms, but sometimes it is necessary for Directors to be elected for shorter terms due to the resignation of a Director or the inability of a Director to serve the remainder of his or her term. The elections are held at the Congregation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is usually held in the spring.
Board Members may serve a maximum of six consecutive years. They may not serve on the Board again for three years after they leave the Board.
The Officers of the Board (Chair, Vice-Chair(s), Secretary) are elected by the Board Members from within the Board. The Treasurer is elected by the Board but is not necessarily a member of the Board.
Candidates for the Board are selected by the Nominating Committee, for which members are also elected at the AGM.
Denomination
Our Congregation is a member of the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC), to which we pay dues and which provides numerous services to us and the other 45 member congregations.
The CUC is associated with the Unitarian Unversalist Associaton (UUA), headquartered in Boston. The UUA oversees the professional credentials and benefits for all UU ministers in North America.
We gain great strength from being a member of a larger movement. Learn more about other Unitarian organizations.
Membership in the Congregation
Members must be at least fourteen years old. To become a member, a person must sign the Membership Book in the presence of the Minister(s), the Chair or a designated member of the Board.
Membership must be approved by the Board. (In practice, though, all requests for membership have been approved within living memory.)
To be able to vote at Congregational Meetings, a member must be at least eighteen, and have made an identifiable financial contribution for the support of the operating budget the Congregation during the past twelve months.
Membership is terminated if the member dies, submits a letter of resignation, or is voted out by two-thirds of the voting members at a meeting called for that purpose. (In practice, though, there hasn’t been an attempt to vote out a member within living memory.
Congregational Meetings
Congregational meetings are held for multiple purposes throughout the year. Some are Congregational Conversations, in which we gather to discuss and collect feedback from members on questions that are important to the life of the congregation. Others are formal Meetings at which members must register and votes will be taken. Annually, we hold formal meetings to approve our budget and audited financial statements, to elect members to serve on our Board and Nominating Committee, and to receive updates on strategies, committee activities, and other issues of importance.
Financial Matters
We are a self-funded registered charity. Our annual operating budget is approximately $500,000. Learn about how we manage our finances.
Our Board of Directors is responsible for normal operational expenses, but Congregational approval is required to buy or sell real estate, to enter into a mortgage, to perform major renovations to our building or to borrow more than $20,000.
Our members are normally expected to commit a portion of their financial resources as well as some of their time to this congregation. Members and friends of the congregation are asked to make a pledge to our operating budget. Each Spring, there is a campaign during which members and supporters are asked to make a financial commitment for the coming year. Pledging in advance and following through on your commitment is important since it allows the Board of Directors to develop an operating budget. Information about pledges and other monetary contributions is treated with confidentiality and restricted to those few members and staff who need to know it.
How Much to Give?
UU congregations recommend 3% of your pre-tax annual household income as an amount to consider. We ask for an annual increase to reflect the cost of living adjustments for staff salaries. We also understand that your financial support is a personal decision that must be balanced with your budgetary needs and values. Any and all donations are accepted with gratitude.
Committees
Much of the work of the Congregation is performed by committees, which can report to either the Board or the Congregation.
Committees of the Board are accountable to the Board, and have responsibility and authority for functions designated by Bylaws or by the Board. The Funds Management Committee is a standing Committee of the Board.
Committees of the Congregation report directly to the Congregation. The Nominating Committee is a standing Committee of the Congregation.
Committees can only be chaired by Voting Members of the Congregation.
Role of the Senior Minister
The Minister(s) has the “Freedom of the Pulpit”, the freedom to speak the truth as he or she understands it, when in the pulpit, or through other established channels of communication or through personal witness.
The “calling” of a minister is a formal process defined and overseen by the UUA. The Congregation elects a Ministerial Search Committee, which identifies the Congregations needs and desires, evaluates candidates and presents one candidate to the Congregation for a vote. According to our Bylaws, there must be a two-thirds vote in favour of the candidate, but the UUA recommends that the candidate not accept the position without at least 95% of the vote.
Shawn Newton, our 23rd Minister, was called to Toronto First in April 2007 unanimously with 177 votes. He started work with us that September and served until June, 2023. Our previous Co-Ministers, Mark and Donna Morrison Reed, were with us for eighteen years. We are currently in the search process for our next settled minister.
The Minister can resign with three months’ notice and can be removed with a two-thirds vote at a Congregational Meeting called for that purpose.
Investments and Capital Accounts
The Board has full authority and final responsibility for the sound management and safekeeping of all funds and assets of the Congregation. These funds are intended to be used for the long-term objectives of the Congregation, not for operating expenses.
The Board delegates the management of the long-term capital funds to the Funds Management Committee. The Board reports annually to the Congregation on the state of the long-term capital funds.
The capital funds are administered according to the Investment Policy and invested in a conservative mixture of fixed-income and equities.