encourage the exploration of scripture
![]() 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 In order to hone in on the right number of board members for your church, you’ll first need to explore the most basic but often overlooked step in board health. Besides any board size requirements, what do your bylaws actually say about the purpose of your board? Is its purpose financial, spiritual, pastoral, ministerial, strategic, organizational, performance management, all of the above? How are the board's responsibilities different from the staff's responsibilities? True, your bylaws may need updating, but until then your board is under obligation to proceed as directed. So, what do your bylaws specifically state about the purpose of your vestry (elder board, session, etc.)?
If your bylaws are not clear on the purpose of the board (usually because of ambiguous language) then the board typically patterns itself on A) the expectations of the most vocal or influential board members, which are based on their past experiences; or B) however it operated last year. In this case, a bylaw rewrite is recommended. But if your bylaws are clear, reflect strategically on the last few board meetings. What percentage of the time was spent pursuing this stated bylaw purpose? Anything less than 100% should be a flag for improvement. What helped your meeting? What hindered? Would the meeting have been more effective with less people (No, I don't mean specific people!). Comment below to share anything you’ve learned from your reflections. Any “Ah-ha!” moments? The point here is that the number of people on your board should be the most effective number for accomplishing it's stated purpose. With that in mind, my next two posts we’ll look at the two reasons your board should probably be smaller.
The church I referenced above did decide to move from twelve to nine voting members. And though this was still three more than the six I was proposing :) , it was a great step forward. Kudos to them. Need help in this area? Contact me.
1 Comment
|
Dan DzikowiczChurch consultant, pastor, author, and Lectionary Press' founder. Archives
February 2021
Categories |
Lectionary Press | 38W130 Creekside Drive, Saint Charles, IL 60175 | [email protected]