 In my last post, I encouraged you to begin looking at the issue of effective board/vestry size by first establishing its intended purpose. What is the board’s first priority? Unless its primary focus is on information gathering, information dissemination, and/or direct shepherding oversight, most boards are charged with making wise decisions. These decisions could be spiritual, ministry, financial, accountability, or all of the above.
The problem with a larger decision-making board (above 8 members) is the predictable imbalance it produces along the “inquiry vs advocacy” spectrum.
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 Earlier this year I helped a liturgical church rewrite its bylaws and the issue of board size came up. Well, more accurately... I raised the issue. The board of this church consisted of twelve voting members, the Rector, and a secretary - fourteen people. Fifteen when the treasurer was invited, which was often. It was too many for effective conversation and collaboration toward their stated purpose. This naturally led to inefficient, intentionally infrequent, and long meetings.
START HERE: Clarify the Board’s Purpose  When, in 2008, I began leading the adult discipleship and small groups ministry department at a very large multi-site church, I inherited a leader training rhythm that included two yearly leadership events (October and January). Attendance at these events was a stated requirement for all active small group leaders. A couple of years in, I celebrated with my team after a particularly well-promoted and well-executed training event. We had accomplished everything we had set out to do. And with 62% of our leaders participating, we had even hit our 60+% attendance goal, which meant that hundreds of leaders experienced the energy-filled room, the encouraging leadership community, and our inspiring and practical content.
Only those who have mastered 5th grade arithmetic will see what we were missing. Question: was our event a success or a failure? |
Dan DzikowiczChurch consultant, pastor, author, and Lectionary Press' founder. Archives
February 2021
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