A couple of weeks ago I shared the first of a few posts that I’m writing about “structuring your church for growth”. It was about writing church by-laws, and if you missed it you can read it here.
Today I’d like to address another key issue in the area of church structure by starting with a quote I’ve heard my friend and mentor Rick Warren say many times:
“You can structure your church for growth or for control… but not both.”
This statement (which I’ve seen hold true time and time again) is never more true than in the area of church government.
In other words, if your primary goal in building your church structure is to control everything so that nothing ever goes wrong, you will never see significant growth in reaching the unchurched for Christ.
So, assuming you’re willing to relinquish some control for the sake of growing, what does this sort of church governance look like?
Keep these three words in mind: SIMPLE, FAST and FLEXIBLE.
In most states, the law requires you to have 3 officers for incorporation purposes, 2 of which must be external (you’ll need to check the specifics for your state). That places our goal of simplicity firmly within reach. These “officers” will also serve as the board of overseers of the church.
So, who should be your officers? I highly recommend the lead pastor of the church in question serve as the chairperson and 2 other pastors (from other churches).
No one else is qualified to handle the unique issues and questions that this board will face like another pastor. Too often, we place an unfair burden on our church members by asking them to vote on and make decisions about issues that are foreign to them (especially if your church is truly reaching the unchurched).
As with any other position, board members should never be asked to serve without a timeline and they should rotate off at the chairperson’s discretion.
What does this board do? For one thing, they vote to approve the church’s annual budget. At The Journey, the church body as a whole gets a chance to ask questions and provide input at a special forum, the budget itself is set and approved by the board.
As a part of this budget approval process, the board will need to determine what percentage of spending needs further approval. The board also serves as a salary committee, determining how much staff members will get paid.
In addition, the external board has the authority and responsibility to intervene in the case of moral failure or other disqualifying events on the part of the lead pastor.
You must also know that voting brings liability. Every voting board member is liable for the decisions they make in this role. To protect them, be sure to add Board Member liability insurance to your church’s insurance package.
What does all this do for your church? Well, it frees you up to move quickly in making decisions and gives your church the flexibility to pursue the vision that God has laid out, without unnecessary (and often divisive) meetings and votes.
P.S. I am able to spend a great deal more time and go into much further detail discussing church structure in my Senior Pastor Coaching Networks.
I have 3 brand new networks beginning in a few months (one tele-coaching and two on-site networks) – check them out and download an application by clicking here.
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