Today, I was about to mail postcards to the deacons reminding them of their meeting next week (which has been on the calendar for months) and the pastor happened to mention that he has moved the meeting to the next week. If he had not mentioned it, I would have given out wrong information and had people showing up at the wrong time.

This happens in some form or fashion every week, just under different circumstances. He seems very close-mouthed about things and is not forthcoming with details I need to know. I try to be proactive and keep things running smoothly, but I get blindsided fairly frequently with things that he knows about but does not bother to tell me.

Otherwise, he is pleasant and treats me fairly, but this has me stumped. I am not sure if I should discuss with him or with the personnel committee?

How can team building by gifts be integrated in all ministries of the church?

George Hunter III in Spread the Power, suggests that movements result from 1) a strategic plan with 2) widespread buy-in. Simple, probably not comprehensive. Lots of points to object to, such as “God can start his own movements whenever he wants.“ That is true, yet God seems to typically use point people to create his movements. The Exodus of Israel for example. I suppose God could have called a meeting of the elders of Israel and asked them to vote on the idea. Instead, he used Moses.

There is a third leg to movement creation: the tipping point. Malcolm Gladwell wrote The Tipping Point, focusing attention on how movements (or epidemics) begin and spread. His conclusion is that movement tipping points occur when there is a core of viral agents whose actions (intended or unintended) are focused in such a way that they have inordinate effect on everyone else around them. Agents are generators. A relatively small number of agents, whose energies work together, create a result far out of proportion to the number of agents. In otherwords, their effects multiply off of each other?

Here’s the question of movement creation: How do we, with our highly autonomous, congregational structure, get a sufficient number of agents focusing their energies together in order to reach the tipping point in the reproduction of 21st century churches?

Churches without written policies are navigating potentially litigious waters. This is a difficult balancing act, because we want to trust and be trusted. At the same time, humanity has been, is, and will be unpredictable and prone to sinful behaviors. We have the choice then to set proactive policy, or reactive policy. Rarely is the latter a better choice.

Back to the question at hand, “Do the elders have a policy-setting role?“ I prefer to think of it as a, “policy approving role.“ I would prefer elders spend time with members versus manuals. Have staff members turn to churches who have executive ministers on staff. Ask for a copy of their policies and procedures. Personalize it to your context. Ask Human Resource, Risk Manager, and Legal Professionals in your congregation to share their knowledge of proper pattern and practice and good policy setting methodologies. If your church is ever sued, the, “board of directors” is likely to be liable in some way. The more proactive policies you have in place - the less likely you are to lose that lawsuit. That does not make the person who breaks the policy immune from punitive damages. Good policy, however, can help clarify expectations often leading to a deeper sense of commitment.

I will stop here and provide an opportunity for others to respond. We are developing resources to help churches develop good policy. I will respond with additional information as it becomes available.