This Charter is a structural expression of the Mission and Vision statements of the New Hope Family Church of Peace and is expected to change and evolve with time. It is necessarily detailed and was designed to prepare in advance for potential questions or issues.

The spirit of the New Hope Family Church is based upon the following principles:

Ownership -- responsibility for the church and its future is shared by community members, the Board, the Pastor and the District Leader. Empowerment -- church members have the power to develop the existing church, future local church branches, and Family Hoon Dok Churches (Home Churches).

Spiritual Growth -- the church promotes the spiritual growth of individuals, families and communities.

Expansion Growth -- the church is able to expand and include others in the larger community.

Embracing and Serving Others -- the church is dedicated to embracing and serving others in spirit and practice.

Evolving Process -- the church will continue to evolve and change to meet the developing needs of our community and God’s greater providence. Checks and Balances -- power and responsibility is distributed among the Pastor, the Board, all community members and the District Leader.

The New Hope Family Church is affiliated with the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC), a religious non-profit organization with National Headquarters in Washington D.C. and World Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon. It is an active member of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) and remains committed to accomplishing the goals set forth by FFWPU and its leadership.

a. Requirements for Adult Membership:

i. Members are to choose New Hope Family Church as their church "home."

ii. Members are to be at least 18 years old or Blessed.

iii. New applicants for membership need to provide upon request the names of two existing adult members as sponsors.

iv. Members support basic membership expectations to be determined by the Board such as worship, tithing, and an educational path (Hoon Dok Hae, workshops, etc.)

b. Family Membership

i. Children qualify for family membership when one or more adults in their family are members.

c. Rights of Membership

i. Members may participate in all church activities

ii. Members have the right to express their concerns and to make new proposals to the Board.

iii. Members will receive regular financial reports from the Board.

iv. Members have the right to elect the members of the Board.

v. Members have the right to vote in Board elections based on the following requirements
1. They must be an adult member in good standing. This is automatic unless revoked by the Board for serious violations of church principles.
2. Other membership status to be determined by the Board

a. The Board is elected as the governing body for the church.

b. Board Members will serve two-year terms. Elections will be held each year for half of the Board seats.

c. A blessed member may run for a seat on the Board if he/she has been an adult member for one year and resides in the state of Maryland.

d. The Board may conduct open meetings each month to hear issues and receive feedback from the community. The Board will create a procedure for members to have their issues included on the Board meeting agenda.

e. The Board has a duty to encourage two-way communication and feedback between the community members, the Pastor and the Board. It will actively foster a culture of asking questions, inquiry, research, discussion and listening through occasional surveys, Q and A forums, open meetings and other feedback mechanisms.

f. Board Members are required to attend 75% of the scheduled meetings based on a calendar quarter. If any Board Member fails to meet this requirement in one quarter, he/she would begin a probation period of one more quarter. If he/she fails to meet the attendance requirement in a second quarter, the Board Member may be asked to resign based on a majority vote by the other Board Members.

a. The Board shall be comprised of (7) seven Members.

b. The Board has a Chairman, Recording Secretary and Treasurer as officers elected by the Board. The Secretary and Treasurer may be the same person.

c. Officers will serve one-year terms and may be re-elected for consecutive years.

d. For there to be a quorum, at least four Members must be present at a meeting.

e. Board decisions will be made by majority vote.

f. The Pastor will not serve as an officer or as a Board Member, but will attend Board meetings as a spiritual advisor and will cast a vote only when a tie-breaking vote is needed.

g. If a Board Member resigns or leaves, the Board will receive nominations from the community and the Board will elect a replacement within a reasonable time period.

a. Board Members will be elected from the community at-large.

b. In the case of candidates being tied for any seat, the outcome shall be decided by lottery unless one of the tied candidates chooses to concede the Board seat to the other.

c. Elections will be supervised by the Election Committee. The Board will determine how future Election Committees will be selected.

d. The election process will begin with nominations from the community starting in June and voting is to be completed by the end of September.

e. Rules for any special election shall be decided by vote of the existing Board Members.

a. Consult with and support the Pastor to develop a plan of strategic goals annually for the calendar year.

b. Approve budgets and proposals for local events, make overall church budget and financial decisions and oversee necessary financial transactions and accounts.

c. Oversee the collection of funds and coordinate their distribution in communication with the regional headquarters.

d. Provide quarterly and annual financial reports to the community.

e. Appoint church staff such as a bookkeeper or other official positions.

f. The Board will approve local ministry leaders appointed by the Pastor.

g. Appoint or approve ad hoc committees in communication with the Pastor.

h. When there is a need for a new Pastor, the Board will search for and recommend a candidate to the District director for approval.

i. The Board will evaluate its performance semi-annually to set and meet strategic goals and will seek appropriate feedback from the community.

a. The District Leader may veto any Board decision.

b. The Board may appeal a veto to a higher authority such as the Continental Director or National Church President.

a. Appointment and Removal:

i. The Pastor is recommended by the Board and approved by the District Leader or a higher entity in church leadership.

ii. The Pastor will serve for a two-year term, at which time the Board may reappoint the Pastor for another two-year term. There is no limit to how many times the Board may reappoint the same Pastor.

iii. The Pastor may be removed by a majority vote of the Board in consultation with the District Leader.

b. Pastor’s responsibilities

i. Convey God’s word to the congregation.

ii. Oversee the spiritual well being of New Hope Family Church members. This includes education, counseling, worship services, small group ministries, workshops, camps etc. The Pastor will accomplish this by working in cooperation with the ministry leaders appointed from the church community.

iii. Church growth including outreach and witnessing.

iv. Oversee and develop efforts to serve the public and be involved in the local community.

v. The Pastor shall be the point of contact with the District Leader and the National Headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace. This involves representing the New Hope Family Church to the District Leader and communicating information from the District Leader to the New Hope Family community members.

vi. The Pastor is responsible for administration of church activities such as church records and membership lists and may appoint other members in good standing to help with administrative duties.

vii. The Pastor is invited to the Board meetings with the special position of spiritual advisor. He/she has the privilege of casting a tie-breaking vote.

viii. The Pastor in conjunction with the Board shall develop a plan of strategic goals, designate ministries for performance of those goals and periodically report on the results.

ix. There shall be a review of the Pastor’s performance every six months to include honest and open communication between the Pastor and Board Members with prayerful reflection and assessment of the Pastor’s responsibilities.

a. Ministries include Sunday Service, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Religious Education, Blessing Education, Outreach, Family Ministry and others that may be approved by the Board.

b. Each ministry leader has the authority to run their activities and is expected to do so in cooperation with other ministries or activity leaders.

c. Each ministry is accountable to the Board and the community.

d. Each ministry must propose an annual budget if requested by the Board.

e. No ministry may spend beyond its budget without Board approval.

a. Official branches of the New Hope Family Church must be approved by the Board.

b. Small group ministries may be started by any member of the New Hope Family Church.

c. All members are encouraged to create their own activities in line with the Statement of Mission and Vision.

d. For an activity to become an official Church activity it must first be approved by the Board.

a. Amendments to the charter may be proposed by the Board and ratified at the general election by a simple majority.

b. If an emergency change is required, a special election may be called to vote on the amendment.

This Charter was drafted and approved by the Members of the New Hope Family Church Board on December 18, 2006 and was ratified by at least 70% majority vote of the New Hope Family community on January 14, 2007.