The Church
What Makes J5
Jaguar Five is a church. Alongside the gatherings and practices its members take part in, the church maintains the legal, financial, and administrative structures that allow it to operate steadily and to care for the people in it. This page describes those structures.
01
Legal Formation
- Incorporated as a Minnesota nonprofit corporation.
- Governed by adopted bylaws.
- Led by ordained ministry in lead operations.
- Annual filings maintained at the state level.
02
Governance
- A board of directors with defined officer roles.
- Regular board meetings, with minutes recorded and resolutions adopted.
- A conflict of interest policy, with annual written disclosures from directors.
- Governing documents reviewed and amended by board action.
03
Financial Administration
- An annual operating budget with monthly bookkeeping adopted by the board.
- Payroll administered through a third-party payroll service.
- Accounting maintained in dedicated accounting software.
- A financial controls policy governing approvals and handling of funds.
- Clergy housing allowance designated by board resolution.
04
Member Care and Safety
- A defined intake process beginning with a one-on-one introductory conversation.
- A written member application reviewed before participation.
- Participant protection, agreement, and consent documents signed by every member.
- A member code of conduct.
- Written emergency and safety protocols.
- Referral to professional crisis resources, which are published for members.
- A grievance policy with defined internal steps and named external agencies.
05
Privacy and Records
- All member records and activity in sacred spaces are treated as confidential, and are viewable only by trained team members. We use software, including AI tools, to manage those records. Nothing you share with us is ever used to train an AI model, sold, or published.
- Church policies are made transparent to all members.
06
Formation, Facilities, and Operations
- A member library of guides and study materials, maintained and updated.
- Regular gatherings, including group calls, circles, meditation, community meetups, and calls with the facilitator.
- Meeting spaces rented and maintained, with materials and supplies for gatherings.
- Communications, scheduling, and platform costs.
Contributions sustain all of the above. The church publishes a detailed account of its operating costs to members, so that giving can be informed and intentional.
Learn about membership