Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
As this winds down, hopefully, your church has begun planning for next year. As you begin that process, take the time to ask some crucial questions at the next church board meeting.
The success or failure of a church rests on its leadership and, ultimately, its board.
Those who have been given the responsibility of managing a church are required to take the necessary steps to ensure it is financially viable and exercise effective management practices.
Neither of these things happens without intent and planning.
Global planning for a church begins with the church oversight board.
Whether that board is an independent board, member board, or church leadership, planning is critical to a ministry’s ability to achieve its mission.
Effective boards meet regularly and discuss strategy, goals, and improvement opportunities. The approach should be detailed in the Board Policy Manual.
To ensure that these meetings are a success, they should be structured and facilitated to so that a plan is developed and the next steps are clear as to what (needs to be done), who (will do it), and when (timeline) key objectives will be met.
At least once a year, the oversight group should step back and assess the organization by asking some crucial questions.
12 Questions to Ask at the Next Church Board Meeting
1. What are we good at?
Successful organizations recognize what they are good at and put systems in place to improve on their strengths.
Whether that is a strong worship team, children’s ministry, or dynamic teaching, identify what your church does well and make it better.
For instance, if you have a great children’s program put a plan in place to document policies and procedures to ensure all volunteers administer the program in the same way.
2. What needs our attention and focus?
It is difficult to acknowledge weak areas, but it is important to identify those areas that need attention and focus.
If you don’t know what area to focus on, keep a list of ongoing comments and complaints from members and volunteers, and you are sure to recognize some improvement opportunities.
For instance, if volunteers consistently complain about the application, approval, and placement process, spend some time focusing on improving the volunteer application process.
3. What population needs help?
Growing churches understand the importance of supporting all demographics.
Whether it is older adults, teenagers, or children, identify which group needs time, focus, and resources and develop a plan to create or improve those programs.
For instance, if you have an aging membership, create programs that support older adults in all phases of life.
4. Are we fulfilling our Mission?
It is difficult to admit when we fall short, but if your church is not fulfilling its mission, there should be a conversation.
And the conversation should answer the question – why?
Revisit the church mission statement and try to articulate the mission strategy.
If there is not one, ask why and start the process to develop one.
5. What are our measures?
The famous management guru Peter Drucker once said, “What gets measured gets managed.”
Identifying key measures is the only way to gauge success.
If you don’t know what you are trying to achieve, it is difficult to know if you were indeed successful.
For instance, if you want to influence your community, what measures can tell you whether or not you are effective?
6. Do our volunteers have a good experience?
Volunteers are the church’s labor engine and should be given the support and resources to do their job.
Take the time to gauge your volunteer program’s effectiveness and constantly raise the bar for improving the volunteer experience.
For instance, take the time to ask volunteers what the church can do better to support their efforts. Simply asking the question will open doors of honest communication.
7. Do our employees like working here?
People who work for a church do so because they feel called to the ministry.
These jobs are often difficult because church employees work with limited resources and rely on volunteer labor to get the job done.
Help employees by providing them with the necessary resources and tools to do their job.
Acknowledge their hard work by rewarding them for good performance.
Solicit feedback from employees and identify things you can do to improve their employment experience.
8. Are members engaged?
Engagement is crucial to member support and loyalty.
Discuss member engagement and determine if an effort needs to be placed on increasing engagement.
A measure of this could be member involvement and participation in church programs, events, and volunteering.
9. Can members tell us why we exist?
Members who understand a church’s mission are more engaged than those who don’t.
Make sure there is a compelling mission and vision, and communicate it often to ensure members understand the why behind everything you do.
For instance, talk about the church mission in the new membership class to help members understand what the church is trying to achieve.
10. How are we doing compared to 1 year ago? 5 years ago?
Use your measures to assess how the church is doing compared to prior years.
- Is growth in line with targets?
- Are outreach initiatives impacting lives?
- Are church programs improving?
If things have become stagnant, use this meeting forum to jump-start fresh strategies.
11. Do we have the resources to support all of our programs and initiatives?
At the end of the day, it takes resources – people, time, and money to get the job done.
Spend some time reviewing the budget and determining if financial resources are supporting those crucial initiatives.
Talk about volunteer and employee labor and whether those valuable resources are spending their time on those things that are mission-critical.
Make the tough call and cut out the waste in any area possible.
12. How do we plan to improve next year?
At the end of all of this conversation, determine what needs to improve over the course of the next year and put a plan in place to monitor improvement efforts.
Be specific and identify the who, what, and when for each identified area.
Then, provide the necessary resources (people, time, and money) to get it done.
Church oversight is the foundation for growth and a ministry’s ability to achieve its mission.
Invest the time, at least once a year, to ask these tough questions provide the resources to support key initiatives, and you will be creating an infrastructure that ensures your church will achieve the mission that God has put on your heart!
Do you need help with training? Check out our Fundamentals of Church Administration course.
