Jan 15, 2019

Confusing, outdated, unclear and vague church governance systems


Many churches are long overdue to change their governance systems, but I am still surprised to read many church constitutions that make real leadership very difficult. Church leaders who would never structure their business the way their church structures leadership are seemingly OK with the fact that it is almost impossible to do any kind of leadership within their governance system.

Yes,...
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Sep 20, 2018

Six board lessons from the recent Willow Creek events


My objective here is not to revisit the specific controversies of Willow Creek but to draw some lessons for those of us who serve on church boards to consider. For my part, I am drawing on decades of working with church boards as well as having served for years on various boards. The recent issues at Willow Creek simply serve to illustrate my observations. I suspect that the good people who...
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Aug 09, 2018

Willow Creek and governance lessons: A watershed moment

The inevitable resignation of the entire board of Willow Creek Community church today along with that of the two senior pastors is a watershed moment for church governance - and its failure. There are many lessons to be learned about what good and poor governance look like when it comes to the church. The leadership failures at Willow will become textbook fodder on governance for years to come.

One...
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Aug 09, 2016

Five simple principles for governance in churches and non-profits


Governance systems in churches and non-profits are often antiquated, discouraging and massively complicated. The result is that it is hard to make decisions, know who is responsible, ensure results and create accountability. The result is that the return on mission is significantly compromised.

There are five simple principles that should apply to any governance system. You can also measure your...
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Feb 14, 2015

Quick links and index to all of my blogs on church boards and governance



Eight dysfunctions of church governance boards

Church boards who live with their heads in the sand

Pastors, staff and board members who use inappropriate language, emotions and actions

Eight reasons that boards do not address known issues of a senior leader

A dialogue between TJ Addington and Tony Morgan of the Unstuck Group on church governance

Signs that leaders are leading from a posture of fear and...
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Feb 14, 2015

Quick links and index to all of my blogs on church boards and governance



Eight dysfunctions of church governance boards

Church boards who live with their heads in the sand

Pastors, staff and board members who use inappropriate language, emotions and actions

Eight reasons that boards do not address known issues of a senior leader

A dialogue between TJ Addington and Tony Morgan of the Unstuck Group on church governance

Signs that leaders are leading from a posture of fear and...
Read more
May 08, 2014

Antiquated church governance systems that hurt the mission of the church

A fundamental concept for any governance system (how you do leadership) is that the system should serve the mission. Unfortunately there are still many churches who are living with antiquated and ineffective governance systems that actually hurt the congregations ability to do what Jesus called them to do. In these cases the mission ends up serving the governance system - the opposite of what...
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