Are Board Meetings Beneficial?

Are Board Meetings Beneficial?

Dr. David Parrish

President; Summit Christian College

The question given to me to address for this series of articles feels much like the kind of question that a group of Sadducees and Pharisees might come up with, such as, “Is it right for me to pay Caesar, or not?”   Unfortunately, I could not produce an eloquent “render unto Caesar…” response to handle all the tricks that I can see hidden in this simple question. 

A convenient answer could revolve around church governance and what a person might mean when referring to the word “Board”.  Most of us in leadership roles are quite familiar with how the New Testament defines church servants and overseers and the qualifications associated with them.  We are also well aware of its emphasis on the “priesthood of all believers,” which makes every faithful Christian a priest in the Kingdom of God.   The Bible, however, does not so clearly spell out for us how to conduct the business of the church to fulfill our various responsibilities. 

Another satisfactory answer to this question could address what the purpose, content, structure, and frequency of meetings might be.  Again, Biblical silence can be noted.    

And finally, how should we define, “beneficial” and for whom? 

As you can see, each word in my assigned topic leaves room for a great deal of conjecture.   But rather than quarrel over who’s opinions regarding which process of church governance ought to work best for everyone, resulting in the highest likely benefit, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the words that Jesus gave to his disciples as he had them considered how they should best resolve the practical difficulties and struggles in life that they would most certainly have to address, and who it is that they were actually serving.  

“Truly, I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Again, I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:18-20 NIV).

An honest, thoughtful examination of this verse should launch us right out of a mundane, cynical perspective of meetings and right into the spectacular. 

Do not miss this one important point.  Jesus values meetings.

I can think of no words that can be more exciting, more joy filled, nor more humbling, than the words, “Lo, I will be with you.”  (Matthew 28)

As a former administrator with Pioneer Bible Translators, and the current President of Summit Christian College, and an Elder at WestWay Christian Church, I have attended my share of “Board Meetings.”  I will say though that some of the meetings seemed much more beneficial than others.   I would even say that I have sat in meetings that fostered a great deal of anxiety within me.  Even so, even in those meetings, the very understanding that I had been given the honor to be in fellowship with those who had been given the task to serve and who wanted to serve well as we considered the opportunities and challenges before of us, the knowledge that Jesus himself was sitting right there in our presence gave me hope.

I have also learned over time, that those who are given the responsibility of overseeing specific tasks find meetings more enjoyable when the meeting is focused.  As human beings, our minds tend to look for relevance.  If the content of a meeting fails to address what those attending might consider relevant, minds will wander.

Here are a few principles that help keep meetings productive, enjoyable, and beneficial.

1. Begin with Christ.  This is the time that Jesus tells us that he will be here among us. 
2. Take time to connect with one another.  Much has happened in the lives of those around the table with you since the last time you were together.  Taking time to connect helps to remind us of our common humanity and the equality we share in Christ.
3. Plan ahead.   When those who are coming to attend a meeting are well informed ahead of the meeting about what to expect, meetings tend to run smoother.  To accomplish this, communicating the content of meetings in advance helps people prepare. 
4. Focus.  Whoever is given the task of leading the meeting, bears the responsibility of helping those attending stay on topic.  If the objective for the meeting was to pray for the congregation, then stick with it.  If it was to go over the budget, then let that be the driving purpose until it has been accomplished.
5. Grow.  Every meeting needs to have a growth component within it. Whether the meeting is to include a devotional, a lesson from scripture, a book review or a question answer time to help clarify matters of doctrine, growth components ought to be regularly included in leadership meetings in order to help the members of your leadership team continue to develop in their ability to serve the church well.

As an example:  At WestWay, our elders meet weekly with the lead pastor (minister) to pray over the various prayer requests that we have received from the congregation and to go over the special needs of our members as they arise.  Since the elders share the responsibility of visiting shut ins and calling on the sick, those matters are addressed in those meetings.  These meetings provide our lead minister with the opportunity to review future sermon series ahead of time and give him a chance to discuss key passages with the elders and gain insight from the collective wisdom of the group.  Concerns that arise that require an immediate response are brought to the attention of the elders at those meetings.  One meeting is set aside each month for each member on the pastoral staff to come and share with the elders.

In addition, the church holds a monthly “board meeting” where financial matters are addressed and the progress on the budget is reviewed.  This is the time when progress reports and event planning calendars are presented from each member on the staff that addresses their various areas of responsibility.  This gives everyone the opportunity to gain a comprehensive perspective on how far the church has come in achieving its mission and what lies ahead. 

Finally, ministry teams within the congregation conduct their own meetings as often as they find helpful as they seek to conduct the various tasks of service that they are called to undertake.  The frequency of these meetings has helped the eldership, staff and members of the church form a strong bond of unity of purpose and fellowship which has served the church very well.

I share this overview with you knowing that every congregation has its own uniqueness and what works for one, might not work quite so well for another.   Even so, Matthew 18 and 28 applies to us all equally, in such an astonishing way that lets us know without doubt, that every time we meet in His name, Jesus is with us.  That alone makes meeting together beneficial.