Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership (Book)
Dan Hotchkiss, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2009.

"Can a democratic congregation and an effective governing board operate in partnership with a strong, permission-giving ministry-team structure?" After answering this question with a firm "yes," consultant Dan Hotchkiss explains the importance of unified structures for making both governance and ministry decisions, as well as clear boundaries between governance and ministry.

Key to establishing unified structures is an understanding of the primary tasks in governance and ministry. For Hotchkiss, governance addresses such top-level tasks as voicing a congregation's mission, determining strategies for fulfilling the mission, ensuring that strategies are implemented, and protecting the people and property of the congregation. Ministry addresses the practical work of the congregation, including decisions about what and how to accomplish specific goals. It might be said that boards exercise oversight, with committees to support their work; ministers exercise management, with teams to support their work; and both practice discernment and develop strategies.

This book fully articulates the job of the board and offers valuable advice on how to make board meetings productive. It discusses relationships between clergy and laity, delegating power and authority, conducting evaluations, exploring change, and facing problems. Appendices offer tools for helping boards assess how they use their meeting time and enabling boards to construct useful policy outlines.

Throughout the book, Hotchkiss reminds readers of the connection between board leadership and the place of congregations in our culture. He also notes that board leadership is an expressive art more than an exact science. Here is foundational reading for any congregational board.

Average Customer Rating: Not yet rated
Rate this resource and share your thoughts.

Return to category listing

See also these resources:

Transforming Church Boards into Communities of Spiritual Leaders (Book)
Charles M. Olsen, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 1995.
This book offers ways to structure board meetings more like worship services than business meetings as a way to reduce conflict, offer board members a more fulfilling experience, and create a core of spiritual leaders in the congregation.

Behavioral Covenants in Congregations: A Handbook for Honoring Differences (Book)
Gilbert R. Rendle, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 1999.
Because congregations sometimes engage in the same mean-spirited behaviors that plague public life, Behavioral Covenants in Congregations offers congregations an approach to managing their differences with maturity and respect.