logo
St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas

MANAGING COMMITTEE

Managing Committee – Overview

The Managing Committee plays a vital role in the administration and smooth functioning of the parish. Its members—together with the Vicar and Kaikaran—ensure that all matters related to parish governance, finances, activities, and assets are responsibly handled in accordance with the Constitution (Bilo) of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

Below are the key provisions from the Church Constitution that describe the structure, responsibilities, and duties of the Managing Committee, Kaikaran, and Vicar.

Managing Committee – Bilo Points

  1. For every Parish Assembly there shall be a Parish Managing Committee.
  2. The members of the Parish Managing Committee excluding the priests shall be elected by the Parish Assembly and their term of office shall be one year. The committee shall have a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 15 elected members, unless additional members are approved by the Diocesan Metropolitan. Vacancies may be filled by co-option. With the Metropolitan’s special permission, the committee’s term may extend up to three years.
  3. The Vicar shall be the President of the Parish Managing Committee; other priests, if any, shall be the Vice-Presidents. The Kaikaran and the Secretary for the current year and the outgoing Kaikaran of the previous year shall also be members.
  4. The Vicar shall report the election of the Kaikaran, Secretary, and committee members to the Diocesan Metropolitan within one week. If no approval order is received within three weeks, the election is deemed approved.
  5. The Vicar or, under his direction, the Secretary shall convene committee meetings with written notice. If the Vicar cannot preside, a Vice-President or another committee member may preside as directed in writing.
  6. The Vicar shall convene meetings as needed or upon request by the Kaikaran, one-third of committee members, or by direction of the Diocesan Metropolitan. The committee shall meet at least four times a year.
  7. The Secretary of the Parish Assembly shall also function as the Secretary of the Parish Managing Committee. Minutes shall be recorded and presented to the Diocesan Metropolitan during his parish visit.
  8. The committee’s duties include preparing the yearly budget, implementing decisions of the Parish Assembly, recommending matters for parish welfare, and examining Kaikaran’s accounts.

Kaikaran (Lay-Steward)

  1. Every Parish Church shall have a Kaikaran who is the joint-steward of parish assets along with the Vicar. The Parish Assembly may elect up to two Kaikarans with joint responsibility.
  2. The Kaikaran shall be elected by the Parish Assembly for a one-year term.
  3. The Parish Assembly may remove the Kaikaran from office with the approval of the Diocesan Metropolitan.
  4. Duties include maintaining parish accounts, receiving income and making expenditures per committee direction, preparing accounts every six months, and presenting them to the committee and assembly. The Diocesan Metropolitan shall sign the account books during parish visits.
  5. Two copies of the summarized accounts passed by the Parish Assembly shall be sent to the Diocesan Metropolitan for approval.
  6. A yearly updated register of movable and immovable properties shall be maintained and signed by the Vicar and Kaikaran. All related documents are kept under their joint responsibility.

Vicar

  1. Every Parish shall have a Vicar; other priests, if any, shall be assistant priests.
  2. The Vicar is the joint-steward of parish assets with the Kaikaran. Parish funds shall be deposited in their joint names or in one name with mutual consent.
  3. The Diocesan Metropolitan has authority to appoint, remove, or transfer the Vicar or other priests.
  4. Transfers between dioceses shall be decided by both Metropolitans in consultation.
  5. (Deleted)
  6. The Vicar shall maintain the parish registers (Baptism, Marriage, Burial, Parish Assembly, Confession, and Parish Register), and preserve kalpanas and other documents. These shall be signed by the Diocesan Metropolitan during parish visits.
  7. The Vicar is the custodian of movable articles used for daily church services; all others shall be jointly held with the Kaikaran.