Bob's Rules of Order

These rules are used by the Morningstar Mystery School Steering Committee and are available for general use by Morningstar Mystery School when having formal meetings, both for Pillars and for other group meetings. These rules are not mandatory.

Requirements for Holding a Meeting

Before a meeting begins, the following criteria must be met:

1. A quorum of members must be present. A quorum consists of half the members plus one. If there are an odd number present, round down and add one (e.g., if a committee has eight members, at least five must be present to meet; for seven members, at least four must be present).u
2. A facilitator must be selected.
3. A note-taker must be selected.
4. An agenda must be proposed.

Standard Meeting Structure

A typical meeting using these Rules of Order has the following structure:

1. Facilitator is chosen/identified
2. Facilitator leads everyone in taking a breath together and reciting the Holy Mother prayer
3. Updates on action items from the previous meeting
4. Standing Reports (from liaisons or representatives of subcommittees, etc.)
5. Any new business
6. Go over everyone's action items
7. Facilitator leads breathing and prayer to close

Decision-Making

Decisions are generally made with discussion, followed by the Facilitator asking if there is general assent or any objections. If there are objections, more discussion follows. In addition, any member may call for a vote on the matter at hand, and a simple majority will determine if the proposed decision is approved or not.

Facilitating

The role of Facilitator rotates among members in alphabetical order.

The Facilitator's role is keeping the meeting running smoothly. Guiding discussion, making sure everyone is heard, and leading the way through the meeting structure and agenda are all important.

Note-Taking

Meetings often consist largely of discussion, and the note-taker can record as much of that as seems pertinent. However, in the following areas formalities must be observed by members and recorded by the note-taker:

1. When a meeting begins, the note-taker records:
   1. Time and date
   2. Members in attendance
   3. Facilitator
   4. Note-taker
   5. Further notes as the meeting progresses (see below)
2. During reports:
   1. The Pillar, committee, or group reporting (e.g., Teaching & Curriculum)
   2. The person presenting the report
   3. Any outstanding questions answered (record both the question(s) and answer(s))
   4. General report content
3. For Decisions
   1. The options being decided among
   2. Who moves that a particular option be taken
   3. Who seconds the motion
   4. General assent/any objections
   5. If a vote is requested, the Note-Taker records who called for the vote and how each member voted.
   6. If applicable, action items (both the task and the person who will complete the task)
   7. The Note-taker shall gather action items during the meeting and list them at the end of the meeting.

It is also the Note-Taker's job to edit their notes into more formal Minutes and send those around to the committee within a few days of the meeting. If the committee publishes their minutes, the minutes must be approved before posting.