Maximizing Church Board Effectiveness: The Key to Supercharging Ministry

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I’ve been working with large church boards for over 30 years. Each has been unique. Some have been pretty screwy. But once I dig in with them, we tend to find ways they can be better.

A few recent coaching calls and client conversations drove these issues home.

Boards should supercharge the church’s ministry and drive it forward in its unique, God-called mission.

A few learnings from along the way:

• There is no ONE right way that fits all situations.
• There is no STANDARD way.
• Scripture is helpful but describes no ONE way.
• Each board is unique and needs to fit the church’s needs and context at the time.

Additionally:

• As the church grows by a third, we need to reexamine the board’s role, functions, and responsibilities for this church. Usually, a rework and adjust.
• IF the church grows by 50%, often a total revision.
• Every fourth or fifth year, we need to reexamine the role of the board, its functions, and its responsibilities. Clarify and reaffirm.

I know some purists will push back against the above statements. I have now read around 30 books just on church boards. Add to that dozens of books on nonprofit boards. While some common themes exist, implementing the principles tends to look different.

Above is my current diagram of balanced areas in a good working board.

When I begin to work with a board, we start with setting our target for what we want the board to look like in three years. These issues cannot be solved in weekend retreats. How they got to where they are now took time, and how they will get to where they want to go will also take some time. I have no magic bullets.

But what I do articulate is that we want our board to be:

• Reliable – it is dependable.?We expect them to act in Godly and appropriate ways that guide the church. We want them to be persons guided by the Spirit to help us, and we can rely on them to lead in that way.
• Resilient – it can flex and change appropriately?when conditions and situations arise.
• Robust – It adds strength to our work together.?They can add strength to the work, not just look over our shoulders.

That can look different in different contexts.

All boards tend to have the three categories in the triangle that work in tension with each other to lead to strength or weakness. Figuring out how they must be addressed is part of the consultant’s role in helping a board be more effective.

But most places need to start with a solid relational base of strength. Any good board, whether church or corporate, requires solid relationships with each other and any key staff included in the discussions.

The board's direction does likewise when those relationships get wobbly and wonky. We must constantly work to keep relationships solid and guard the unity of the body by protecting the harmony on the board.

The complete process addresses several issues in that area.

The other two sides of the triangle are role clarity and duties, and regularized systems.

All three areas: Relationships, Roles, and Regular systems,?make for good board functions and allow strength to be added.

Under each part of the triangle, I have specific tools, documents, and conversations to help a church move in that direction.

I won’t bore you with those today because you may not need the entire load.

I can cover the full load in less than half an hour.?Just click here to book a private session.

How does this relate to succession work??(my primary field)

First, it is?one of the “wicked sticky”?issues that pastors sometimes must address in their leadership. Instead of complaining, get some help to fix things.

Second,?I prefer boards be very visible,?present, and engaged in any succession process. Additionally, in a transition season, it is often wise to reset alignment with the new Senior Pastor regarding the roles for this board in the next season. Sometimes this process happens several years after the handoff in leaders.

For many, a follow-on, hygiene “keep us healthy” issue helps prepare a church move forward under new leadership. That’s always better than “we are broken; come help us fix it.”