RESIDENT CONGREGATIONS/COMMUNITIES

Adopted by the Board, July, 2005

1. To be eligible to be a resident congregation, a congregation must first be a member of the ISC and be committed to the mission and values of the ISC. Membership must be maintained as long as the congregation remains in residence.

2. The congregations admitted to residence status and continuing in such status must be committed to the principle of being one community within a community of communities, actively collaborating in support of interspiritual initiatives such as workshops, lectures, retreats and other events sponsored by the society.

3. Resident congregations shall subscribe to the view that there are many authentic spiritual pathways, and that their own beliefs and practices represent but one of these paths.

4. Resident congregations shall adhere to the code of conduct of the ISC.

5. The diversity of faith communities [1] represented by congregations resident in the centre will reflect the diversity of major faith communities in society at large. It is anticipated that resident congregations will represent four to six of the primary faith communities.

6. Congregations admitted and maintained in resident status will require the strength, stability and fiscal capability to participate fully in the life of the centre.

7. Admission to residence status must be approved by a two-thirds majority at two consecutive board meetings.

8. Each congregation will sign a three year residential agreement which includes clear terms and the mechanism for renewal, and pay a rent to be determined by the board. The residential agreement will be renewed automatically unless one of the parties gives one year notice. Each residential agreement will be reviewed by the Board in the second year of the agreement. A non-renewal decision by the Board requires a two-thirds majority at two consecutive board meetings, with the resident congregation provided an opportunity to state their case at these board meetings.

9. Residential congregations can be expelled for cause at any time with six months notice by a two-thirds majority vote of the board of the ISC at two consecutive board meetings and shall b e provided the right to appear before the board at these two meetings to state their case. ________________________________________________

Notes: [1] The term “faith community” refers here to a community with a coherent set of general beliefs that distinguish it from other faith communities. A faith community may include a number of denominations or congregations that differ on more specific customs and practices. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism are examples of faith communities.