ReThinking the Relationship and Roles of the Church Board and PastorStaff in a Large Congregation

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ReThinking the Relationship and Roles of the
Church Board and Pastor/Staff in a Large
Congregation

• Jeff StigginsOffice of Congregational
  Transformation

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PART One the Boards Role

• Whats a Board to Do?

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Church Boards tend to err in relationship with
the pastor/staffin one of two ways

• They are too Passive
• Surrender their authority
• Rubber stamp whatever pastor/staff do
• Unclear what to do

• They are too Controlling
• Micro-manage
• Suspicious of whatever pastor/staff do
• Unclear what not to do

Which way does your Board tend to err? Why do
you think that is?
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Power is not a zero sum game

• Often people assume that if the Board is strong,
  the pastor is weak and visa versa
• However, the Board and pastor are interdependent.
  
• The stronger an effective Board is, the stronger
  an effective pastor can be also and visa versa

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What does the Church Board do?

• The Board has ultimate authority in the life of
  a congregation for its faithfulness and
  fruitfulness in fulfilling Christs mission to
  Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the
  transformation of the world.
• The Board establishes missional vision,
  strategies and goals, and monitors the
  congregations effectiveness in fulfilling them.
• However, the Board delegates their operational
  power to the pastor and staff. The pastor and
  staffmanage ministry day to day, week to week.

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What are the Chief Duties of a Congregations
Board?

• Work with the pastor, staff and congregation to
  clarify the congregations vision for ministry
  in and to their current community.
• Work with the pastor, staff and congregation to
  establish appropriate strategies and goals for
  fulfilling their vision for ministry.
• Provide appropriate organizational structures for
  facilitating their congregations vision of
  ministry.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the congregation in
  fulfilling its vision for ministry.

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Discussion

• How do you agree or disagree with this
  understanding of the roles and relationship of
  the Board and the pastor/staff? Why?
• How has this been the way your Board and
  pastor/staff have related in the past?
• How might living into this understanding
  challenge the way your Board and pastor/staff
  relate in the future?
• What, if anything, stands in the way of this
  happening?

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• The bottom-line responsibility for the governing
  board is to create broad-based trust for the
  pastoral staff and the direction in which the
  church is going.
• Norman Shawchuck Roger HeuserLeading
  Congregations
• If we do this, will it create or erode trust?

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What enables trust?

• Personal capacity for trust
• Perception of competence
• Capacity for competence
• Track record of success
• Perception of intention
• Integrity
• Goodwill

If there is a challenge in one of these areas,
where is it? And why?
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Discussion

• What might the Board do to cultivate the
  congregations trust for the Board, the pastor
  and staff, and for the missional direction of the
  congregation?
• What can the pastor and staff do to cultivate the
  congregations trust for the Board, the pastor
  and staff, and for the missional direction of the
  congregation?

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Part Two The Boards Style

• Hows a Board to Do It?

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How is the Congregations Board Different from
these Meetings?

• These meetings generally
• Emphasizing efficiency
• Parliamentary procedure
• Reasoned judgments and analytical considerations
• Reports with recommendations, debated and
  decisions voted by majority rule

• A Corporate Board of Directors
• The City Council
• The State Legislature
• The School Board
• The Executive Committee of a Service Club
• The Planning Committee of a Community Event

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Church Boards tend to forget when doing their
work that they are the Church before they are the
Board

• Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in
  view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as
  living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Godthis
  is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform
  any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
  transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
  you will be able to test and approve what God's
  will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will.
• (Romans 121-2)

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Worshipful Work

• Prayer beyond bookends
• Scripture Reading what is God saying to us?
• Reflective story weaving how is Gods story
  seeking to shape our story?
• Witness sharing stories about how has God been
  at work among us?
• Discernment how is God leading us?

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How does our mission to make disciples of Jesus
Christ for the transformation of the world
shape the way we do business?

• Passionate Worship How does being called to be a
  people open to Gods gracious presence and to
  offer up all of our lives to him shape how we
  make decisions?
• Radical Hospitality How does our being called to
  be a community of hospitality influence how we
  hear one another and how we speak the truth in
  love?

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• Intentional Discipling How does accepting Jesus
  call to follow me influence the way we think
  about decisions in terms of voting our
  preferences or expressing our perception of the
  Spirits leading?
• Salty Service How does joining Jesus in picking
  up our cross as salty servant ministry to others
  influence how we process challenges and
  opportunities?
• Extravagant Generosity How does the call to
  trust Gods daily bread and respond generously
  to peoples needs and Gods causes shape the way
  we handle church finances?

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Discussion

• How do you respond to the assertion that HOW the
  Church Board goes about their business needs to
  be authentically different from other business
  meetings in our culture?
• What does worshipful work suggestive to you?
  Can you imagine your Board praying, studying
  relative Scriptures, hearing testimonies, using
  discernment decision making, etc. as part your
  regular Board meetings?
• How would such a way of envisioning the Boards
  work challenge and change the Boards meetings?
• If the Church had a different mission, would it
  effect the decisions being made at your Board
  meetings?

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Resources

• Transforming Church Boards into Communities of
  Spiritual Leaders. Charles M. Olsen. The Alban
  Institute, 1995.
• Leading the Congregation Caring for Yourself
  While Serving the People. Norman Shawchuck
  Roger Heuser. Nashville Abingdon Press, 1993.