Wednesday, July 31, 2019

LESSON 24 - How Many Board Members Are Present in Your Boardroom?

Welcome to Lessons From the Church Boardroom—The Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we'll feature a guest blogger’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. Justin Steinhart is our guest blogger this week for the second of four lessons in "Part 7: Boardroom Best Practices.”


LESSON 24 OF 40 – How Many Board Members Are Present in Your Boardroom?
It’s more than just answering the roll call.

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: In Lesson 24, the authors note that in order to have effective meetings, board members must be present—not just physically—but with their attention as well. As the board chair (and in some churches, the Lead Pastor), it’s your responsibility to lead this meeting and lead it well so that the board can be fully present at each and every meeting. Some of the suggestions include:
• Start your board meetings on time and end on time. 
Postpone the meeting if there’s not a strong agenda.
• Create an environment and culture conducive to work.

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 24, pages 129-132:
• “Board members are some of the busiest people we know.”
• “Minimizing boardroom distractions will maximize meeting impact and enhance the possibility of hearing the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.” 
MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
We’re social beings, so rather than try to pull people away from updating one another at the start of the meeting, why not include it as a part of the meeting? At our board meetings, the first item on the agenda is to have everyone give a personal update. This draws everyone into the meeting and requires personal attentiveness to those speaking. Starting out the meeting in this way grabs their attention and causes them to care from the onset of the meeting.

Since most of your board members are busy, it’s important not to meet for the sake of meeting. Everyone has things to do and people to see, so if there’s no need to meet, cancel the meeting. Your board will thank you and appreciate your leadership and discernment in postponing the agenda until the next meeting.

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY JUSTIN STEINHART:


For the past seven years, Justin Steinhart has served as the Administrative Pastor at Mill City Church in Fort Collins, Colo. Mill City Church is a multi-site non-denominational ARC church-plant and has been an ECFA member for the past four years.

TO-DO TODAY: 
• Read Patrick Lencioni’s book, Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business.
 Review your meeting frequency to see whether or not you need to increase or decrease the frequency based upon the season of work you’re in.
• Do you honor your board members by starting and ending on time? 
• Visit the ECFA Knowledge Center and read and share the short chapter, Lesson 24, “How Many Board Members Are Present in Your Boardroom?
• Inspire your board members to enrich their governance competencies at the ECFA Excellence in Governance Forums (eight cities, Fall 2019).






NEXT WEDNESDAY: 
On August 7, 2019, watch for the commentary by Leonard Leach on Lesson 25, “Address Absentee Board Member Syndrome. There are three unhealthy ways that many church boards respond to empty chairs at board meetings.”

ORDER THE BOOK TODAY!



BULK ORDERS: Click here.  For more resources and to download the book's Table of Contents, visit the book's webpage.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

LESSON 23 – Pastor Pay—It’s About More Than Just Money

Welcome to Lessons From the Church Boardroom—The Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we'll feature a guest blogger’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. Kevin Conner is our guest blogger this week for the first of four lessons in "Part 7: Boardroom Best Practices.”


LESSON 23 OF 40 – Pastor Pay—It’s About More Than Just Money 
Getting the compensation-setting process right must be a priority.

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: In Lesson 23, the authors discuss the importance of church boards developing a compensation setting process. This process should be thorough, ongoing, and consider more than just cash compensation. It should also consider the full scope of possible fringe benefits. While potentially uncomfortable to discuss in the beginning, if the process is developed with care and diligence, the end result will benefit the pastor, the board, and the church as a whole.  

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 23, pages 124-128:
One of my favorite insights from this chapter centers around the idea of making sure the compensation is reasonable. The authors make an excellent point in that reasonableness can cut both ways. In other words, compensation can be either unreasonably high OR unreasonably low. In many scenarios, the unreasonableness breaks on the side of being low, not high. Working within the budgetary restraints of the local church, using comparability data is critical to ensure the compensation is reasonable and pastors are being paid a fair salary for the services they provide to the church. 
MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
Often, in our organization, we find ourselves working with church boards on a variety of issues. One of the recurring topics discussed is compensation setting. Not knowing how a church should go about setting compensation is often at the core of the conversation. Helping them understand the board’s role and the need to set up a recurring process of evaluation has been an important element of our discussions. Directing them to comparability data and taking into consideration potential fringe benefits are also important parts of the dialogue. 

Another area I have discovered in which church boards should educate themselves is the way in which ministers are taxed by the Internal Revenue Service. It has been my experience that once compensation is established, many church boards are woefully unaware of how ministers are taxed with respect to federal, state, and self-employment taxes. This lack of understanding can create significant tax liability to pastors, especially with regard to the self-employment taxation of the minister’s housing allowance or use of the church-owned parsonage. 

It is my belief that most boards have a desire to treat their leaders fairly. If a compensation setting process became part of their annual meeting agenda, it would force them to address the issue on an annual basis. While potentially uncomfortable in the beginning, the end result will be one that will ultimately benefit both the pastor and the local church.  

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY KEVIN CONNER:



KEVIN CONNER is the Director of Finance & Operations for the Oklahoma District Council of the Assemblies of God. The Oklahoma District Council currently serves 480 churches and 1,600 ministers within the State of Oklahoma. 

TO-DO TODAY: 
• Download the ECFA ebook, 8 Essentials of Compensating Ministers.
• Set an annually recurring agenda item to discuss the pastor’s total compensation package. 
• Visit the ECFA Knowledge Center and read and share the short chapter, Lesson 23, Pastor Pay—It’s About More Than Just Money.”• Inspire your board members to enrich their governance competencies at the ECFA Excellence in Governance Forums (eight cities, Fall 2019).







NEXT WEDNESDAY: 
On July 31, 2019, watch for the commentary by Justin Steinhart on Lesson 24, “How Many Board Members Are Present in Your Boardroom? It’s more than just answering the roll call.”

ORDER THE BOOK TODAY!



BULK ORDERS: Click here.  For more resources and to download the book's Table of Contents, visit the book's webpage.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

LESSON 22 - Big Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand

Welcome to Lessons From the Church Boardroom—The Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we'll feature a guest blogger’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. Tim Lucas is our guest blogger this week for the fifth of five lessons in "Part 6: Boardroom Time-Wasters, Trouble-Makers, and Truth-Tellers.”


LESSON 22 OF 40 – Big Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand 
Church boards have a natural gravitational pull toward issues that should be reserved for the church staff.

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: In Lesson 22, the authors describe a gallon jar filled with big rocks, small pebbles, and sand. To lead effectively, church boards must laser-focus on “big rocks”—the major issues impacting their church’s future—not day-to-day ministry minutiae that should be delegated to staff. A pebbles and sand approach in the boardroom will frustrate leaders and inevitably limit a church’s growth.

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 22, pages 117-122:
• “Many smaller churches fail to grow because their boards are populated with pebble-pickers!”
• “Pebbles and sand are the church operational issues, staff supervision, specific ministry plans or strategies, and details of church life that other people should handle. Follow the basic rule of delegating everything possible to the church staff.”
• “The board chair…and senior pastor must build into the board’s DNA a stewardship conviction that big rocks are their focus. If not done with intentionality, minor issues will inevitably tempt board members to build sand castles—not Kingdom structures.” 
MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
We’ve all been in “those” meetings—you know, the ones that got hopelessly lost in the weeds of ministry minutiae like: debating dates for the Christmas program…the logistics of a missions trip…or critiquing the new youth outreach. 

Precious time is lost—and energy squandered!—when board members succumb to the temptation to dabble in the “pebbles and sand” that are best handled by church staff.

In contrast, high-performance boards are laser-focused on addressing the “big rocks”—the major issues driving the church’s mission, generating ministry momentum, and forging the church’s future. 

What are “big rock” issues? Mission-critical topics such as:
   • Vision and Values
   • Adding New Campuses
   • Financial Projections
   • Facility Expansion
   • Succession Planning

Notice that most of these topics are future-oriented—vision, expansion, projection, long-term planning. What’s intentionally omitted? Day-to-day operations that are best delegated to church staff (examples: staff supervision, calendaring, specific ministry plans, etc.).  

Effective boards don’t spin their wheels rehashing the past or even belaboring the present—instead, they look forward to where the church will be in three to five years. By delegating responsibility for day-to-day ministry decisions to staff, the church experiences a “double win:” 1) staff feel empowered to lead their people; and 2) the board is freed to dream about God’s future from a 30,000-foot level.

But the win-win won’t come easily. Hosting “big rock” discussions at the board level requires discipline. Every team includes personalities who, by nature, tend to be pebble-pickers who prefer getting into the weeds of church life. (A common rationale for pebble-pickers? “I just like to know what’s going on.”)

But an effective board chair and senior pastor will work together to carefully craft a “big rock” agenda in advance, put guardrails around discussion, and remain “alert for small rocks, pebbles, and sand finding their way onto the board table.”  

What happens if the meeting runs aground or discussion hits a sandbar? All board members should be empowered to “throw flags” if a conversation veers too far off-topic and graciously course correct to the major issues at stake.

Be warned: The growth of your church will rise and fall on your board’s ability to handle “big rocks only!” As the authors note, “It is very difficult for a church to grow beyond the small church ‘glass ceiling’ unless it gives up a pebbles and sand approach in the boardroom.”
Leaders, let’s roll up our sleeves and move some boulders!


THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY TIM LUCAS:



TIM LUCAS is the founder and lead pastor of Liquid Church, recognized as one of America’s Top 100 Fastest-Growing Churches by Outreach magazine (2018). Tim started Liquid “on accident” with a dozen twenty-something friends meeting in the basement of a 150-year-old church. Since launching in 2007, Liquid has been on a rocket ship ride, growing to seven campuses across New Jersey with 5,000 people in Sunday attendance and more than 2,200 baptisms to date. 

A new book, Liquid Church: 6 Powerful Ministry Currents to Saturate Your City for Christ, by Tim Lucas and Warren Bird, will be published Sept. 10, 2019. A dynamic communicator, Tim is a sought-after conference speaker known for connecting God’s Word to modern life with humor, heart, and creativity. Liquid’s innovative approach to ministry has been spotlighted on CNN, FOX News, and The Today Show.  

Tim leads the Northeast Pastors Coaching Network to equip pastors, ministry leaders, church planters, re-planters, and churches of every shape and size. A graduate of Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill., Tim, and his wife Colleen, are raising their two children just outside of New York City. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @pastortimlucas. 

TO-DO TODAY: 
• Review the agendas from your last two to three church board meetings. What categories would you put each agenda item in—sand, pebbles, or big rocks?
• For your next board meeting, the senior pastor and board chair should meet in advance to plan and identify the big rocks for consideration. Map out the agenda together and agree in advance how to respond (and graciously redirect pebble-pickers) if small rocks and sand find their way into the discussion.
• Visit the ECFA Knowledge Center and read and share the short chapter, Lesson 22, “Big Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand.”
• Inspire your board members to enrich their governance competencies at the ECFA Governance in Excellence Forums (eight cities, Fall 2019).







NEXT WEDNESDAY: 
On July 24, 2019, watch for the commentary by Kevin Conner on Lesson 23, “Pastor Pay—It’s About More Than Just Money. Getting the compensation-setting process right must be a priority.”

ORDER THE BOOK TODAY!



BULK ORDERS: Click here.  For more resources and to download the book's Table of Contents, visit the book's webpage.

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

LESSON 21 – Back Off the Ledge of Dysfunctional Mayhem

Welcome to Lessons From the Church Boardroom—The Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we'll feature a guest blogger’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. John Vawter is our guest blogger this week for the fourth of five lessons in "Part 6: Boardroom Time-Wasters, Trouble-Makers, and Truth-Tellers.”


LESSON 21 OF 40 – Back Off the Ledge of Dysfunctional Mayhem
When dysfunction reigns, healthy board members head for the door.

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: In Lesson 21, the authors note that not all church board members are healthy, mature, and mutually cooperative. This is sad news—but it is reality.

Nevertheless, gracious and candid confrontation on the part of the senior pastor and the board chair can solve the problem of dysfunction, either through resignations of unrepentant board members or genuine repentance. Obviously, the latter is the most desirable.

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 21, pages 112-116:
It is a blessing when the senior pastor and board chair can agree on the “problem children” on the board.  
• It is an even greater blessing when the senior pastor and board chair are truth tellers who solve personnel issues with the grace of God…but they do solve the problems.
• It can be painful, but addressing the problems of immature board members is beneficial and healthier for the church in the long run.
MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
Francis Schaeffer said, “The spirit of the age always finds its way into the church.” The mean-spiritedness and the lack of healthy introspection in our society have found their way into the church boardroom in some instances. 

The issue of listening to, hearing, and obeying the voice of the Spirit of God begins with our being willing to “be quick to listen” in listening to one another, honoring others as more important than ourselves, and being quick to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  

Someone has wisely said that genuine listening is: paying attention until we understand, asking questions to help us understand, and making sure the person knows we are listening to him/her.

Too often church board members are chosen without any sense of Biblical standards, any commitment to good board behavior, and/or any stated commitment to being a respectful, Christian, mature and edifying member.  Asking board members to sign a covenant and commitment to God-honoring behavior before they join the board—and annually—will help to solve the problem of dysfunctional boards and dysfunctional board members.

It is not easy and it is not fun; indeed, it can be hard and it can be painful. But, for the senior pastor and the board chair to address dysfunctional behavior and insist on mature Christian behavior, helps both the board and the church have Christ-honoring ministry into the future.

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY JOHN VAWTER:



Dr. John Vawter is a board member/coach with Timothy Connection and a consultant/speaker with Church Assistance Ministry. He has been in ministry since graduating from the University of Oregon.  He served for 10 years with CRU, including helping start the ministry in England and being the Northwest Area Director. He has pastored churches in Minnesota and Arizona and has been president of Western Seminary and Phoenix Seminary. 

John has taught D.Min. courses on pastoral leadership in seven seminaries and has also served as interim pastor at seven churches. He speaks regularly at conferences on the subject of male friendship based on the book he co-authored, Achieving High Performance Friendship: A Book for Men. He also speaks on addiction in the pastor’s home based on his book, Hit by a Ton of Bricks: You’re Not Alone When Your Child’s on Drugs.

Editor’s Note: John is also a “golf ball hawker” and is the author of the hilarious Kindle book, Anything for a Golf Ball: The Art of Finding Lost Golf Balls. He donates many of the thousands of balls he’s found to local high schools. His “hobby” was featured in this newspaper article in 2017.

TO-DO TODAY: 
• There must be a commitment to candor and a willingness to confront dysfunctional behavior on the board—even if it is only one board member.
• Much dysfunctional behavior is precluded by asking every member to sign an annual statement committing themselves to God-honoring behavior and honest discussions about the lack of it.
• Visit the ECFA Knowledge Center and read and share the short chapter, Lesson 21, Back Off the Ledge of Dysfunctional Mayhem.”
• Inspire your board members to enrich their governance competencies at the ECFA Governance in Excellence Forums (eight cities, Fall 2019). 






NEXT WEDNESDAY: 
On July 17, 2019, watch for the commentary by Tim Lucas on Lesson 22, “Big Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand. Church boards have a natural gravitational pull toward issues that should be reserved for the church staff.”


ORDER THE BOOK TODAY!



BULK ORDERS: Click here.  For more resources and to download the book's Table of Contents, visit the book's webpage.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

LESSON 20 – Apply for a Staff Position and You Can Deal With That Issue!

Welcome to Lessons From the Church Boardroom—The Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we'll feature a guest blogger’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. Amy Nikkel is our guest blogger this week for the third of five lessons in "Part 6: Boardroom Time-Wasters, Trouble-Makers, and Truth-Tellers.”


LESSON 20 OF 40 – Apply for a Staff Position and You Can Deal With That Issue!
Help board members not to cross the line into operational details.

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: In Lesson 20, we learn that “sound governance requires that all board members understand and apply the principle of exiting the operational highway and trusting such matters to the senior pastor.” 

Sometimes the line between operational excellence and board oversight can be gray. There is a reason your board members were elected, and it is often because of the excellence and leadership they exude in their fields. However, it is important to realize that the collective value they bring is at an altitude that allows them to effectively strategize, govern, and protect—rather than being mired in the depths of operational details.

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 20, pages 107-111:
• “When a board member meddles in operational details, the board’s collective value is wasted.”

• “It is during the actual board meetings, of course, when board members face the greatest temptation to delve into operational matters. And the board chair is the first line of defense for keeping discussions at the appropriate level.”
MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
At Life.Church, we have been blessed with a governing board that has willingly operated at the right altitude. Operational meddling has not been an issue for us. As I think back to why that might be the case, I quickly realize it is the altitude we defined and demonstrated. 

Most people will lead and give input at the level you ask of them because they desire to serve the church. The first question I encourage you to ask yourself is “What level am I asking my board to lead?” If that level needs to shift to get to the right governance altitude, determine what aspects need to change. 
   • Do staff present the appropriate amount of detail? 
   • Do questions need to be moderated? 
   • Is there a strategy and agenda for the meeting? Is it followed? 

Understanding this on the front end will bring clarity in communication and interactions, but it will also set appropriate expectations.

We have the benefit of gaining wisdom from a group of people who are successful leaders in the communities where we live and who are passionate about the church. Let’s honor and respect the time we have with them by creating a structure that allows for the most value collectively. This will require us to hold ourselves accountable to the structure, along with others; but, I believe the effort will be worth the outcome. 

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY AMY NIKKEL:



PASTOR AMY NIKKEL is the Chief Financial Officer at Life.Church, a multi-site church with 33 locations in 10 states. She is responsible for the operational oversight and strategic direction of all financial operations and influences the global initiatives and strategy of the church. Amy received her MBA with academic honors and has been with Life.Church for the past 12 years.

TO-DO TODAY: 
• Make sure there is an effective philosophy of governance; one that is defined, updated and communicated to the board.
• Make sure there is a healthy culture to demonstrate and support governance objectives. A first step is simply creating an agenda, as “it’s a natural barrier to operational overreach.”
• Visit the ECFA Knowledge Center and read and share the short chapter, Lesson 20, “Apply for a Staff Position and You Can Deal With That Issue!
• Inspire your board members to enrich their governance competencies at the ECFA Governance in Excellence Forums (eight cities, Fall 2019). 









NEXT WEDNESDAY: 
On July 10, 2019, watch for the commentary by John Vawter on Lesson 21, “Back Off the Ledge of Dysfunctional Mayhem.”

ORDER THE BOOK TODAY!



BULK ORDERS: Click here.  For more resources and to download the book's Table of Contents, visit the book's webpage.