As I reflect over 20 plus years in ministry, most completed in one church, I wish I could redo some things. Here's one: I wish I would have spent more time creating healthy teams. We did yearly retreats, read books together, attended conferences, prayed together, and were challenged many times in leadership development lessons. But I would say I wasn't relentless.
Author Larry Osborne wrote the book, The Unity Factor, a book about creating a healthy board. I jotted down a few key thoughts.
What do you teach them?
I expose them to things I learned in seminary and in conferences and journals for pastors. I teach them everything from church growth principles to group dynamics. We talk philosophy of ministry.
As pastors, we often hold that information close to the vest until we’re in the midst of a decision and then pop it out as proof that everybody should do what we want to do. That makes you feel like a lobbyist.
I trained our elder board in the material before we needed it. My goal was to help them to think like pastors think, with the focus on what it means to lead a volunteer organization. Most people tend to lead the church like a business. The church is not a trucking company. The church is completely different.
What to look for in an Elder Board
First, we make sure potential elders don’t have glaring weaknesses as described in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. We look for the biblical qualifications first.
Second, we look for a fit with our philosophy of ministry. Just because someone is spiritually mature and attends our church doesn’t mean he has a right to completely change the direction of our church. A lot of churches fail to consider that when selecting church leaders.
Third, we look for team fit. We ask, What does our leadership team need right now? That changes. It’s like a sports team. You can’t win a championship with five Shaqs. Somebody’s got to bring the ball up the court.
How does a Leadership Team work as a team?
First, make sure your group is the right size—I suggest somewhere between five and twelve. If you have too many people, there is no way to keep the lines of communication flowing. Frankly, it’s the slightly-too-large board that often gets the time-bomb member—because the board is trying to fill that last slot or two.
Second, spend time together. The more time we spend together, the more we like and understand one another. Too many boards gather, quickly pray, do business, go home. I look for ways to have some play, socialization, time together.
Third, create shared experiences. That’s what training does. We get a common lingo, a common background that helps us—not necessarily to agree, but to understand our disagreements better.
What is the purpose of a board? What should members see as their function?
That changes as the church changes. In a smaller church, the purpose is usually helping a pastor get the job done. In a larger church it is helping a pastor make and communicate good decisions. In the largest churches, a board’s primary function is to be the brakes of the organization, the accountability, people who can stop anything. The board is also wise counsel, because a larger church is staff-led, so the board is more wise counsel than hands-on leaders. They also serve as a crisis team in waiting.
What do you do when your team isn’t functioning like one?
Pray. All the leadership understanding and insight in the world can’t make up for making sure the Lord’s hand is guiding you in what to do.
The second thing, if the relationships are really a struggle, is to bring in an outside consultant—one that both parties feel comfortable with. When people are not communicating well, just talking more doesn’t usually get anywhere.
How can you keep a board healthy?
Remember that you are a unit—whether you’re the pastor or a board member. I am a strong leader, but when my board says no, it’s no, and when my board makes a decision that’s not exactly the one I want, it’s our decision, not their decision. There have been times where a decision has been ten to one. At that point, that one has to walk out saying, “This is what the Lord has led us to do.”
Recall a time when your board was forced to face a difficult situation. What happened?
Three years ago serious allegations were made against me as a leader. The board did not jump to my defense immediately. It took those allegations seriously. I would have liked them to have immediately said, “Those charges are bogus.” But a healthy board is not “yes men”—they didn’t immediately say I was right. They worked to get to the bottom of the allegations and to move us on. As a result, we came through the kind of situation that can really shake a pastor and a ministry, and we came through it with stronger relationships.
Discuss
1. What statement in this interview stood out for you? What made it catch your attention?
2. What factors contributed to the Israelites’ failure to enter the Promised Land in Numbers 13–14? What do we need to do to guard against faulty judgment as a group?
3. Which of Osborne’s principles should we apply to our board?
