By Brent Lacy

The meeting starts at 7pm. By 8:30, you have covered the financial report, argued about the color of the new carpet, and tabled three items that needed more information. Nothing was decided. Everyone is tired. The pastor drives home wondering why they do this.

This is the default state of many small church board meetings. It does not have to be.

Why Board Meetings Go Wrong

No agenda sent in advance. When people arrive without knowing what will be discussed, the meeting becomes a discovery process instead of a decision-making process. Everything takes longer.

No distinction between information and decisions. Some items need a vote. Some items just need to be communicated. When everything is treated the same way, everything takes the same amount of time.

No time limits. Without a structure, conversations expand to fill whatever time is available. A 60-minute meeting becomes a 90-minute meeting becomes a two-hour meeting.

The pastor wings the pastoral report. When the pastor has not prepared a written report, the pastoral update becomes a rambling conversation that takes 30 minutes and covers nothing systematically.

The Standard Agenda

A well-run board meeting covers everything it needs to cover in 60 to 75 minutes. Here is the structure:

• 0:00-0:05 Opening prayer. Rotate who prays. Keep it brief.
• 0:05-0:10 Approval of previous minutes. Distribute in advance. Vote to approve.
• 0:10-0:25 Pastoral report. Written and distributed in advance. The pastor presents highlights.
• 0:25-0:40 Financial report. Treasurer presents current balance, income vs. budget, any concerns.
• 0:40-0:55 Old business. Items carried from last meeting. One at a time. Vote when ready.
• 0:55-1:10 New business. New items only. Table anything that needs more information.
• 1:10-1:15 Closing prayer and adjournment. Set next meeting date.

The Pastoral Report

The pastoral report is the most important part of the meeting and the most often neglected. When the pastor wings it, the board does not know what is actually happening in the church. When the pastor prepares a written report and distributes it in advance, the board can read it before the meeting and the presentation takes five minutes instead of twenty.

A good pastoral report covers three things: what happened since last meeting, what is coming up, and what the pastor needs from the board. That is it. Keep it to one page.

Rules for Effective Meetings

• Start on time. End on time. Respect everyone’s schedule. People who work two jobs do not have unlimited evenings.
• One conversation at a time. No side discussions. If someone has a comment, they address the group.
• Table anything that needs more information. Do not make decisions in the dark. If you do not have what you need to decide, table it and get the information before next meeting.
• What is said in the board meeting stays in the board meeting. Confidentiality is not optional. It is the foundation of trust.
• If it can be handled by email, handle it by email. Not everything requires a meeting. Routine approvals, informational updates, and simple decisions can often be handled asynchronously.