Hot +Take + Tuesday: Church Meetings
I think it is safe to say that most people do not look forward to church meetings.
Here is the thing: I have been convening church meetings for the past 30 years, and eventually, most of them turn into meaningful experiences of spiritual calling and genuine expressions of church leadership.
I would love to say it is because of my stellar moderating skills, but it is mainly because people genuinely want to have meaningful experiences and, given the right opportunities and permissions, are willing to explore how to get there.
To be clear, tactics are second to purpose, so you have to agree on why you are there in the first place. For church meetings (Boards, Sessions, Vestries, or Councils, depending on your denominational flavor), too often, we see these as boards of directors and managers of an institution and NOT spiritual leaders of the church community. Sure, the church has to run and people have to do things, but at the highest level of church leadership, a smoothly running church should not be goal rather a faithfully living one should be.
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So, if you can get folks to agree that spiritual leadership is the purpose, here are some tactical ideas that I have used over the years to help shift the tone and vibe of your church leadership meetings:
Share in communion. I assume you are a Christian, but if you are following another tradition, definitely substitute the appropriate rite/ritual. Whether at the beginning or the end (I prefer the beginning), sharing the bread and cup is a visible reminder that we are not there simply to run a church of Christ but to tend to the Body of Christ.
Engage in more profound study. Rather than reading a short devotional and asking what people think as everyone is chomping at the bit to get to the real part of the meeting, take some time to engage in conversation and ask deeper questions about the community. This group should have its finger on the community's pulse, so take time to discern what that is and what it means for the decisions we have made or are about to make.
Honor time and energy. Don’t set yourself up for failure by spending too much time on too many things at one meeting. Wherever I have served, I have consistently implemented two practices when it comes to business: only one big topic per meeting and no meeting longer than 90 minutes. I believe that after 90 minutes, most of our brains are done, and spending emotional and intellectual energy on more than one item is a recipe for burnout and bad decisions.
Plan ahead. To get to that 90-minute threshold, the group will have to get into the habit of a few things:
Be prepared enough to have a first read of a possible decision one month and take on the final decisions the next month. This allows for people to not be surprised or uninformed.
Set and be accountable for submitting written reports and reading them so that only highlights or questions need to be addressed during the meeting.
If you are using Robert’s Rules, start with the motion to move the discussion along in some direction, rather than making mentions after wandering discussions have already been had.
Set Agendas with ample time for people to know what is coming, but agree to be flexible when a crisis presents itself and you have to go off the agenda.
End well. How you end up can set the tone for how that meeting can impact future meetings. Here are five questions to ask as you end your time together
What did we not get to? As that list grows, make sure that this list is revisited as future agendas are set. Basically, practice not losing things.
What did we do well tonight? This is a time to affirm best and better practices and name patterns that are help to make the time meaningful.
What could we do better? This is the time to name and notice unhelpful patterns before they become the norm.
What virtues were expressed? This is the time to be honest about how the group interacted. If someone were watching the group, how would they describe the interactions? This will usually be positive, such as “We listened to one another” or “We laughed together,” but it could also be a time to address conflict before it becomes a crisis, such as “We talked over each other a lot.” Remembering that this question is coming at the end will help folks moderate their own behavior throughout the next meeting.
Who shall we pray for? It kind of goes without saying, but this is one more reminder that the primary reason we are called into church leadership is to take care of the souls and spirits of those whom we are called to serve.
Okay, there you go. I am sure there are many more ideas out there, but hopefully, something from above will be helpful. Please share if you have other ideas, hacks, or tactics to help make our meetings more meaningful.