1. Flexible Missional Governance
Revisiting How Trinity Works
September, 2017

2. Material for this presentation is drawn from:
Governance and Ministry/Rethinking Board Leadership
By Dan Hotchkiss
An Alban Institute Book/Rowand & Littlefield
(c) 2016

3. Why Governance in the Church?
Governance involves the top-level tasks of articulating a mission, selecting strategies to get there, making sure it happens, and ensuring that people and property are protected.
Ministry is about everything else: the daily practical work of the congregation, including all decisions about what to do and how to do it.

4. Pastor Each council member chairs a board or committee.
Pastor is ex-officio participant.
Ideal for small churches.
With potential for small power centers, there can be resistance to change.

5. Pastor
Council
Everything flows through Pastor who in turn reports to council – the CEO model.
More paid staff.
Too dependent on top leader.

6. Everything goes through a committee, including ministry decisions.
Board
Pastor
Everything goes through a committee, including ministry decisions.
Some committees report to council; others to Pastor.
Overlapping decisions.
Most used.
Board too often abdicates leadership.
Can lead to triangles.

7. How Trinity Works Now : Six Member Council
Moderator, Vice Moderator, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, two Conference Delegates
Staggered terms
Council delegates decision-making to multiple committees.
Pastor reports to Church and Ministry
Other staff to different committees
Separate Board of Trustees for building and grounds
Replaced consistory form in 2010
(Elders and deacons)

8. Pastor Leader Staff Teams
Board
Teams
Instead of boxes and lines of authority, this model outlines zones for participation and decision-making.

9. Using Governance and Ministry
Flexible governance is less concerned with keeping track of who reports to whom than with helping to assign spheres of responsibility and describing ways leaders hold each other accountable.
Leadership roles :
Oversight : hold staff accountable
Management: Staff authority to lead the work of ministry
Planning: lay and clergy partnership
Mutual accountability respectful of boundaries without setting rigid lines.

10. Using Governance and Ministry
Fewer committees, but board delegates specific committee roles, such as:
Stewardship
Personnel
Building and grounds
Nominating
Teams exist to achieve the practical results of ministry, such as worship, visitation, Christian Education and hospitality.

11. Using Governance and Ministry
Congregation interacts equally to board and staff.

12. Core Values What are they? Our Values state what we do
They reflect our actual behaviors.
They identify those traits and qualities we are willing to “go to the mat for”: the ministries and issues to which we are willing to devote our time, talent, treasure, and testimony.
Values say to our friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors: “This is what’s important to us, this is what we do around here, this is what you’ll find here, this is what you can count on from us, this is what makes us different from other congregations.”
Values touch our hearts and bring out emotion.
Underlying any governance structure is a shared sense of core values – who are we, what do we believe and how do we live out our purpose as God’s Church.
Primary task of board in conversation with Pastor and staff.
Begun to do with Sacred Conversations but formed definition yet to be done.
T-shirt vision

13. FLEXIBLE, MISSIONAL GOVERNANCE
Why this term?
Our Governance and Ministry Model and our culture demands flexibility.
Our church deepens its spiritual development and impact when we make decisions based on our defined mission.
Every structure within our church needs to help us move toward our vision and the accomplishment of our mission.
Doing new things in new ways require new models of how we work together.
The flexibility of this model allows people to invest their time periodically and in short-term ways, as well as long-term ways.

14. Flexible, Missional Governance
Constitutions and by laws exist in a context of time –
-most have rules and regulations,conditions and stipulations, policies and procedures
-this makes the document unwieldy and inflexible
What if our constitutions and bylaws don’t need to be revised, but need to just reflect who we are
-Only the state requirements are necessary
-Only the framework of our governance needs to be included
-Operational details and practices move into a Way of Work document

15. Six Core Principles
The congregation has one decision- making structure for governance and one for ministry, with a clear definition of which bucks stop where.
2. Boards speak as a body, not as individuals.
3. Boards speak through written policies.
Governance bucks stop with the board, and Ministry bucks stop with the head of staff. All differences are reconciled directly rather than through third parties. Governance means “owning the place in behalf of the mission,” and ministry is the practical work of the church.
Individual board members have no special authority outside board meetings. Board members often play program leadership roles as well, but need to always remember which hat they are wearing.
Like any human gathering, a board meeting is a cauldron of informal, nonverbal, and emotional communication. People come away from meetings with a “sense of the board” on any number of topics. Good boards make it clear that staff and others will not be expected to read the board’s mind, but must treat actions in the minutes as the final word.

16. Six Core Principles
4. When delegating, leaders balance authority, guidance, and accountability.
5. Volunteers have the option to join a work crew without the risk of being trapped into a deliberative body, and vice versa.
6. Staff and volunteers receive clear direction,clear limits, and maximum flexibility in choosing how to do their jobs.
4. Too often, congregations plug people into generic positions or point them in vague directions, then expect them to come back repeatedly to rehash each decision and appropriate each dollar. It is not fair to hold someone accountable for results when the results have not been specified, or to blame someone for violating an unstated rule. This principle applies when the board delegates to the staff , or when staff delegates to other staff or volunteers.
5. Policy bodies should include a diversity of members; task groups should include only those who are in favor of the task. Once the direction has been set through proper process, someone should be charged with getting the job done.
6. Everyone deserves to grow into his or her maximum effectiveness, and effective workers do best when they and their work groups have the freedom to exercise independence, creativity and choice.

17. Constitutions Name Purpose, Vision, Mission Denominational Affiliation
Organization – who is the organization
Property Rights
Decision- making
Leadership Team – roles and overall responsibilities
Nominations and Elections
Meeting requirements
Quorums
Ministry Teams – identity and definitions
Robert’s Rules or other methodology
Amendment Processes

18. Bylaws The Bylaws Requirements may be: Membership Responsibilities
Status of Membership
Termination of Membership
Congregational Meeting processes
Leadership Team
Positional Duties
Way of Work
Meeting frequency

19. Bylaws Ministry Team Team foci Ways of Work Pastor and Teacher Rights
Election
Term of Call
Endowment Team
Fiscal Year
Amendment process

20. WAY of Work Document Does not require congregational approval
Requires input from governing board and ministry teams
Is an operational document
Reflects the way things are done in the here and now
Is easily revised based on the needs of the teams and groups
Shared with everyone, including potential team or board members

21. Way of Work Document Leadership Team Practices Describes: Covenant
How teams work
Duties of Teams
Leadership Team Practices
Responsibilities
Preparation
Meetings
Consent and Discussion Agendas
Minutes
Reports
Parliamentary Procedures – if used

22. Way of Work Document Describes Ministry Team Practices
Responsibilities
Preparation
Meetings
Consent and Discussion Agendas
Minutes
Reports
Parliamentary Procedures, if used

23. Policies How we do our work If it’s not written, it’s not a policy
As narrow as they must be for safety and liability
As broad as they can be to allow for decision-making
Changeable as we need to narrow the focus of our permission-giving
Topics for Policies
Financial
Safety – Sunday School, Youth, Families, outside groups, building access
Harassment – employee, sexual, bullying
Inclusion – disability access, environment, etc.

24. What next ? Specifically looking at : Size and scope of council
Council relationship with Pastor and staff
Number, size and scope of committees.
Based on your comments today and next week, council and staff will collaborate on proposed revisions to be presented by late December or early January for your approval at annual meeting.
Specifically looking at :
Size and scope of council
Council relationship with Pastor and staff
Number, size and scope of committees.