Group Conscience Secretary

Posted on by System Administrator Posted in Service

Approved at the April 19, 2021, and amended at the August 16, 2021 ACA SMR GC Business Meeting.

Term: 6 months, with an option to renew once for an additional 6 months

Duties/responsibilities:

Accountable to the SMR Group Conscience Business Meeting, the Secretary:

  • Is familiar with the SMR Trusted Servants’ Commitment (the basics)
  • Leads Group Conscience and Group-Care Meetings, unless delegated to another meeting participant
  • Is responsible for overall meeting efficiency, unity and safety: setting time limits on sharing; all participants have the opportunity to share
  • Oversees voting
  • Plans business meetings, e.g., invites participants and shares materials; drafts agendas and reviews draft minutes
  • Administers business meeting communications and record storage, e.g., email, website
  • Responsible for modifications to the script and slides, as determined by Group Conscience, and coordinating with the Web Servant for the most current versions to be available on https://www.acamorning.org
  • Chairs the Group Conscience Committee
  • Reports at monthly business meetings

Helpful Qualities:

  • The Secretary is an elected officer
  • Ability to lead business meetings in an efficient, inclusive, fair, constructive and principled manner; capable of promoting unity and ensuring safety in meetings
  • Our ultimate authority is a loving Higher Power as expressed through the group conscience

Suggested Practices:

  • Ensures a person has volunteered to take minutes of the meeting and a person has volunteered to be the time-keeper
  • Actively listens and periodically provides guidance
  • Meeting reports to be made by others should be provided to the Secretary so they can be shared with other meeting materials, typically one week before the meeting
  • Agenda items for the next month’s business meeting are generally tabled at the current month’s meeting; they may also be brought to the Secretary’s attention at other times. Items are addressed in the order in which they are identified, unless by group conscience, an item is elevated or lowered in that order
  • Keeps the email account and storage drive organized by using a logical approach

Group Conscience Decisions

  • Formal group conscience decisions are made by voting on motions that have been tabled and seconded, following the presentation of information and an open group discussion. Before allowing a vote on a motion, the Secretary is to be satisfied that adequate open discussion of the item and any associated motion has occurred, including the full range of opinion. The Secretary may identify discussion themes and endeavor to clarify facts and opinions with participants as part of drawing an open discussion to a timely conclusion, and in an effort to build consensus, before the vote is held. Zoom may be used to tabulate how votes are cast.
  • Informal group conscience decisions are made by tabling and seconding motions, and meeting participants voicing their response to the motion by “yea” or “nay”. Typically, the approval of meeting agendas, minutes and the adjournment of meetings proceed by informal group conscience decisions.
  • Unless a vote is unanimous, to honor the voice of the minority opinion, the Secretary will invite comment from up to three persons who voted in opposition to the motion and if, following that sharing, any opinions have changed, hold a second and final vote, which will determine whether the motion will carry; if opinions have not changed, the original vote is determinative.
  • Most decisions can be made using general motions, which carry with a simple majority vote. Important motions, such as to remove an elected officer from a position, require at least a 2/3 majority vote to carry. Highly important motions require a “substantial unanimity” to pass – not unanimous consent, but with only a small percent of eligible voters dissenting.
  • Before a vote is held, the Secretary or any other meeting participant may ask for a discussion on the nature of a motion – whether it is general, important or highly important – with the decision to be guided by a group conscience that takes into account relevant past decisions and practice.