Bylaws of Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Lauderdale (UUCFL)

A.  Voting members are those who have qualified for membership by
signing the membership book as provided in the Charter and who have
made an identifiable financial contribution during the previous
twelve (12) months, and have submitted a financial pledge card for
the current year at least 30 days prior to the applicable
congregational meeting. In special circumstances, the President in
consultation with the Minister and Treasurer may waive this
provision. It is also suggested that perspective members attend the
new membership orientation classes prior to signing the membership
book. Members should seriously consider the commitment that they
are making in terms of the volunteerism that is implied with being
a member.

B.  Members and former members who wish to reinstate their voting
eligibility will be subject to the above requirements.

C.  Members shall be eligible to vote after complying with paragraph (A)
above and sixty (60) days after signing the membership book.

D.  If a person's voting eligibility is in question, the decision
will rest with the presiding officer.

E.  There shall be absentee ballots for election and any resulting
runoff election of Officers and Trustees only.  Such ballots shall
be issued by the Secretary of voting members, to voting members,
who are unable to attend because of bona-fide assignment for this
church on which they are engaged or other voting members who
because of extreme circumstances will be unable to attend, and must
be completed, signed, and in the hands of said Secretary prior to
the congregational meeting. At the annual Congregational Meeting,
if any candidates have not announced that they seek only a one-year
unexpired term, the assignment of elected Trustees to fill two-year
terms shall be on the basis of higher vote than those assigned to
one-year terms.

A.  This Church shall be a member of the Unitarian-Universalist
Association, the Florida District of the U.U.A., and the Southeast
Cluster of the Florida District of the UUA, or their duly constituted 
legal successors.

B.  Church Representative to Southeast Cluster of the Florida District
of the UUA, and General Assembly shall be the Denominational Affairs 
Chair. Other delegates shall be appointed by the congregational President 
at their discretion.

A.   The duties of the Officers shall be those commonly performed
in the positions held.  The Secretary shall be elected in odd
numbered years to a two-year term.  The Vice-President and
Treasurer shall be elected on even-numbered years to a two-year
term.  The President-elect, President and Past President will be
elected for a one year term.  Each will serve as a voting member of
the Board of Trustees.

B.   Officers may succeed themselves in the same office once, for
a total no more than two and one-half terms.  Each may then be
elected to another office.

C.  The President shall be a non-voting member of all Committees of
the Church, except the Committee on Ministry and Nominating Committee.

D.   The Vice-President shall be the chairperson of the Council
composed of the chairpersons of all committees for the purpose of
disseminating information and discussing areas of concern.  The
Council shall meet as needed and the minutes thereof distributed to
the Board and to committee.  Recommendations by the Council shall
be brought to the Board if needed for consideration.

E.   The Officers and the Trustees, all of whom shall be Voting
Members of the church, together may be, for convenience, referred
to as "the Board" and it is required that five (5) members of the
board be present to do business.  Trustees elected to a full
two-year term may not succeed themselves for more than one two-year
term; however, a Trustee appointed to fill a vacancy may thereafter
be elected for a full two-year term.

F.   The President shall, in consultation with the Minister, and
subject to the approval of the Board, appoint the chairpersons of
all Standing Committees except for Nominating.

G.   The chairpeople, in turn, shall appoint the members of their
committees.

H.   The Board shall meet at least once monthly as scheduled by a
majority of the Board members.

I.   Special Meetings of the Board may be called by the chair or
any three (3) members of the Board, after reasonable notice being
given of no less than twenty-four (24) hours.

J.   The latter time restriction may be waived by no less than
eight (8) Board members, all of whom are present at the Special
Meeting when waived.

K.   Board meetings shall be open to the membership.

L.   The Board shall have the responsibility for hiring and firing
of employees, except the Minister, with recommendation by the Human
Resources Committee.

M.    Any unbudgeted expenditure over One Thousand Dollars must be
approved by  2/3  vote of those Board Members present.  Any
unbudgeted expenditure over Five Thousand Dollars must be approved
by unanimous vote of those Board Members present.

N.   All Board minutes shall be made available to the Voting
Members and shall include the full text of any rules or guidelines
that the Board passes.

O.   Within the first 2 months following the Annual Congregational
Election Meeting,  the Board shall convene with purposes of
planning strategies and goals for the coming church program year.
A report of these goals and strategies shall be presented to the
Congregation by September.

P.   Unexpired terms of Officers shall be filled as follows:
     1.   President: by the Vice President (through the 2011 Annual
Meeting) or President-Elect (after the 2011 Annual Meeting) serving
the remainder of the term until the next annual election, or by
vote at a Special Meeting of the Congregation called by the Board
for that purpose.
     2.   President Elect: by Board appointment, serving the
remainder of the term upon majority vote of the Board until the
next annual election.
     3.   Vice President: by a Board member serving the remainder
of the term as Vice President upon majority vote of the Board until
the next annual election.
     4.   Secretary:  by Board appointment, serving the remainder
of the term upon majority vote of the Board until the next annual
election.
     5.   Treasurer:  by Board appointment, serving the remainder
of the term upon majority vote of the Board until the next annual
election.

Q.   Nominees for unexpired Trustee terms shall be presented by the
President to the Board for ratification by majority vote: said
Trustees to serve the remainder of each term until the next annual
election.

A.   Standing Committees and Work Groups shall be formed to deal
with the following areas:  Building and Grounds, Membership,
Communications and Marketing, Community Outreach, Fellowship,
Lifespan Religious Education, Finance, Music, Sunday Services, and
Nominating.

B.   Only Voting Members of this church shall chair a Committee. 
At least one member of the Board shall be a liaison to each
Committee except Nominating and the Committee on Ministry.  No
member of the Board shall serve on the Nominating Committee and
there shall be no liaison from the Board.

C.   There will be a continuing Committee on Ministry consisting of
three members serving staggered three year terms, with one member's
term ending each year.  When vacancies occur, the Minister shall
submit twice as many names as vacancies to the Board, who shall
select the new member(s) from this slate.  No member of the Board
may serve on the Committee on Ministry.
     1.     Upon arrival of a newly called Minister, the Board
shall include in the committee at least two members from the Search
Committee that recommended the new Minister.
     2.   The Committee on Ministry shall meet at least quarterly
in a non-crisis, goal-oriented manner with an agenda to explore the
various concerns and challenges of the Minister / Congregation
relationship and the Congregation's own role and 
agreed-responsibility in shared ministry.
     3.   The Committee on Ministry shall assist and support the
Minister in her/his plans for professional development,
sabbaticals, etc.  The committee shall alert the Board to any
emerging concerns between the Minister and the Congregation.

D.   Other than the Ministerial Search Committee, Special
Committees may be appointed, as required, by the President or the
Board, and cease to exist on discharge of their duties.

A.   At its February meeting, the Board shall set a time and place
for the Annual Meeting, to be held in the month of May, notice of
such date to be given by mail to all Voting Members at least thirty
(30) days prior to the designated date.
     1.   No subjects may be voted on at the Annual Meeting unless
written notice of same is sent to all Voting Members fourteen (14)
days in advance of the meeting.
     2.   Any Voting Member may submit, in writing, to the Board
President, or Board Secretary, an item to add to the agenda;  said
item shall be accepted and included in the written notice  mailed
to the Membership.

B.  Nominating Committee: such committee shall consist of six (6)
Voting Members, selected as follows:  
     1.   Three (3) by the Voting Members at the Annual Meeting.
     2.   Three (3) by the Board at its meeting following the Annual
Meeting.
     3.   No Member shall serve on the Nominating Committee for
more than two years in succession.  If the Voting Members fail to
select, then the Board shall do so on their behalf.  No Member may
be qualified for selection on such committee who benefits directly
or through a relative, as a result of the payment of salary or
other continuous remuneration authorized or recommended by the
board.
     4.   The Nominating Committee members shall select their own
chairperson no later than one month after all six members are
determined.
     5.   This committee shall convene in January and shall name
candidates for election to all vacancies and elective offices to be
filled at the Annual Meeting, and shall file its report, in
writing, with the Board.  Said report shall be delivered in time
for inclusion in the newsletter edition that is delivered 14 or
more days prior to the Annual Meeting.  The Nominating Committee
should act in an advisory capacity to the Board by suggesting
candidates to fill vacancies for unexpired terms on the Board,
whenever such vacancies occur.
     6.    If the committee is unable to nominate for any or all
vacancies as designated by such report, the Board shall thereafter
act as said committee.
     7.   The report of the Nominating Committee shall be published
by reading at Sunday Services, and in writing sent to voting
members, at least 30 days prior to the meeting by inclusion in the
April Newsletter.

C.   Other nominations may also be made for candidates for election
under the following procedure:
     1.  By written petition signed by at least one (1) Voting
Member delivered to an Officer or Board member at least twenty (20)
days prior to the date of the Annual Meeting,  after which the
President shall give proper notice of such  petition to the Voting
Members as time allows.  Voting Members may nominate themselves.

D.   The final written slate of candidates shall not indicate by
which method each candidate was nominated.

E.   The terms of the Officers and Board members elected at the
Annual or Special Meeting shall commence immediately following that
meeting.

A.   Special Meetings of the membership may be called by a majority
of those serving on the Board, or by any twenty-five (25) Voting
Members, by giving all Voting Members written notice by mail, of
not less than fourteen (14) days prior to the date such meeting is
to be held, stating the purposes for which the Special Meeting is
called.  Only such stated purposes shall be voted upon, but any
topic is open for discussion at the meeting.

A.  At Special membership meetings, thirty-five percent (35%) of
the voting membership shall constitute a quorum: no specific number
shall be required at Annual Elections Meeting at which elections
are held.

B.  Except as otherwise specified in the Charter or Bylaws, a
majority of those present at Membership or Board meetings shall be
sufficient to pass resolutions and otherwise transact business.

C.  Robert's Rules of Order shall be used as a guide for meetings.
A Parliamentarian shall be appointed by the President for all
Congregational meetings.

A.  The Fiscal Year and Budget Year of this Church shall be from
January 1st through December 31st.  The Program Year shall run
between the Annual Meetings of the Congregation.   Annual reports
shall be made to the membership and the Treasurer shall make such
reports to the Board as it may request.

A.  The Corporation shall not become indebted in an amount greater
than Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000) unless said limit is
increased by a 2/3 vote of the voting members present at a duly
called Special Meeting.

B.  Income received from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort
Lauderdale Endowment Fund shall be used for purposes other than
general operating expenses.

A.  The voting membership shall have complete freedom in its choice
of a called minister, and this minister shall be in Fellowship with the
U.U.A.

B.   When it becomes necessary, there shall be created a
Ministerial Search Committee by the same procedure as the
Nominating Committee, and such Ministerial Search Committee shall
make recommendations to the membership.  It is recommended that the
Ministerial Search Committee be guided by, but not limited to, the
Ministerial Settlement Manual issued by the U.U.A.

C.   A Minister is called to this Church on a continuing basis,
subject to the right of the Minister to give the membership sixty
(60) days notice of intent to resign, and the membership's right 
to give the Minister sixty (60) days notice of the termination of
his/her services.  In either event, the Minister shall receive
salary during the sixty (60) days, whether he or she serves or not.
This severance pay may be extended to ninety (90) days at the
discretion of the Board as agreed upon in the Minister's contract. 

D.   The Minister shall be a non-voting member of all Committees of
the Church, except the Ministerial Search and Nominating Committee.

E.  The minister, in spiritual matters and in sermon content, shall
be governed only by dictates of his or her own free mind and
conscience, after considering the interest of all the membership. 

F.  There shall be a Sabbatical program in accordance with the
policy adopted by the voting members.  The Board and minister shall
negotiate a contract which shall be subordinate to these Bylaws.

G.  In the event that tensions arise between the voting membership
and the minister, the following procedure shall apply.

     1. Concerns by members or the minister shall be referred to  
     the Committee on Ministry.  If the Committee is unable to    
     resolve the concern, they shall refer it to the Board.
     
     2.  The Board shall decide whether or not to invite the      
     appropriate representative of the U.U.A. to visit and confer 
     with the minister, Board and voting membership, in an effort 
     to reconcile any differences.
     
     3.  In any event, a special meeting to modify or shorten the 
     term of the minister's services may be called in accordance  
     with the provisions of the Bylaws.

A.  All amendments, revisions or waivers of the Bylaws must receive
a two-thirds vote of the voting members present at such meetings
called for that purpose.  Copies of the Proposed Amendments shall
be sent with the notices of the meeting at which they are to be
presented for action.

A.  Written notices and reports which are required by these Bylaws
to go to the membership must be prominently displayed beginning on
the first page of any communication carrying such notice or report.

These are the Bylaws of the UU Church of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,
Inc., as amended on May 3, 1992, as amended on May 16, 1993, as
amended on May 1, 1994, as amended May 4, 1997, as amended January
10, 1999, as amended May 7, 2000, as amended May 5, 2002, as
amended January 5, 2003, May 18, 2003, May 16, 2004, May 15, 2005,
May 20, 2007, and May 16, 2010..


ATTEST: _______________________       ______________________________   
               Secretary                         President