Webinar on Board Responsibilities

will begin soon!

BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES: WHAT IS A BOARD TO DO?Lisa Presley,

District Executive, Heartland District, MidAmerica Region

BROUGHT TO YOU BY MIDAMERICA REGIONCentral MidWest, Heartland and Prairie Star Districts

WELCOME!WelcomeIntroductionsTechnical Issues

THIS WEBINAR IS BEING RECORDED

BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES: WHAT IS A BOARD TO DO?Lisa Presley,

District Executive, Heartland District, MidAmerica Region

WHAT IS A BOARD?

Body of people committed to the well-being of the congregation

Legal entity responsible for the congregationFirst among equals

Granted powers of decision making by:State/Commonwealth by lawCongregation through bylawsTradition and history

JOBS OF BOARD Fiduciary

Duty of care, loyalty to mission, and obedience to foundational documents

Govern by PolicyCreate the policies that will guide all four

aspects of congregational lifeCreate policies that will articulate the

“separation of duties” and delegate responsibility and authority appropriately

Spend time on “open questions”Who are we, where are we going, what is

next

WHAT IS IT RESPONSIBLE FOR?

Three separate (but related) obligations:

Fiduciary – duty of care

Strategic – duty of planning

Generative – duty of forward thinking

Governance as Leadership

FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Duty of loyalty and care for the congregation through:Financial oversight to protect against

waste, theft or misuse and ensure resources used effectively and efficiently

Mission oversight to make sure that congregation does not unintentionally drift or intentionally shift from its main mission/goals

Oversight to protect from foreseeable harm

FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES Not only legal imperatives but also moral

and practical imperatives Set the tone and tenor of how the

congregation is, should be and could be “Trustee” holds assets for the benefit of

another—Board members hold the congregation as a trust for future generations and for its mission

“Technical” work, not adaptive—finding the best way to do what we know needs to be done, and has been done before by others

FIDUCIARY QUESTIONSDo our systems and procedures protect: The congregation from financial loss or

downturn? The people from physical, psychological or

spiritual harm? Our children and other vulnerable adults from

abuse? Our buildings/campus from loss and

destruction? Us from being sued for things over which we

should have control?

STRATEGIC RESPONSIBILITIES Shift from internal review and oversight to

looking at possibilities “out there” How to get from Point A to Point B Big picture of congregation’s future: look to

internal strengths and weaknesses and align with external opportunities and threats

Look for where going, and what could be doing

Focusing on the next 3-5 years Moving from “technical” to “adaptive”

challenges, where there are no real concrete answers, but ambiguity and learning both exist

STRATEGIC QUESTIONSWho should we be 3-5 years from now?What is our mission, and how do we

achieve it?What is our trajectory for the next 3-5

years?What strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities and threats exist outside of us?

How can we build for the future?What is the Board’s role in moving the

congregation forward?

GENERATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES Fiduciary & Strategic could be called

management Generative is “leadership” What could we be, what else is possible? Thinking outside of the box Looking to meaning and enhancing the

congregation’s value Longer term vision—min. 5-10 years, and

looking at the changing frame of society and religion

Pure “adaptive” work—it exists in ambiguity and possibility and there’s no clear answer to any of the questions; a wide open field

GENERATIVE QUESTIONS

What will be most strikingly different about our congregation five years from now?

What do we hope will be most strikingly different about our congregation five years from now?

Five years from now, what will be considered this current Board’s most important legacy?

GENERATIVE QUESTIONS

What is possible for us?Who sees the situation differently? What are we missing?What is the biggest gap between

what we claim and what we do?What headline would we most like to

see about us? What least like to see?

RISKS IN CONGREGATIONAL GOVERNANCE Some ways congregations get trapped: Trying to secure support by “pandering”

to people’s fears and prejudicesNeed to ask people to step beyond their fears

Succeeding so well at organization that it loses its religious missionForget the true purpose of the congregation:

to transform people and the world Living for the policy development, building,

rather than mission

WHAT MAKES GOVERNANCE WORK? No one right way for carrying out You are looking for:

Unified structure for making governance decisionsMission, Vision, Evaluation

Unified structure for making operational decisionsProgram, Staff, Volunteer Accountability

Creative, open atmosphere for ministry and governanceTransformation of people, the world

WHAT MAKES GOVERNANCE WORK? Clarity about job and job description Recruitment part of ongoing leadership

development program Orientation of new members

To the life of church, including physical plant

To the Board and its operations (including history, policy, covenant, expectations)

Regular evaluation of Board’s performance, including Board Member’s self-evaluation

ORIENTATIONOrientation to the position

What are the expectations?What are the existing documents?What scope or limitations?Confidentiality conversation

Orientation to the congregationHistory, including relevant secretsMissionTour of premises

EVALUATIONEvaluation of:

Programs, practices, policies: are they the right ones for us now?

Board performance: Are we doing our jobs, or someone else’s? Are we following our covenant of how we are working?

Board members: How am I contributing? Am I showing up? Doing my part? Remaining open to the whole? Holding on to the past?

BECAUSE YOU ASK: WHAT KINDS OF GOVERNANCE POLICIES?

There are four kinds of policy that Boards need:

Discernment: all about mission, and how that’s determined

Strategy: all about what things at what time; what are the major projects and when will they happen

Management: ensuring that things run, and they run right, by delegating power and authority appropriately

Oversight: ensuring that the resources of the congregation are properly safeguarded, managed, handled

RESOURCES

Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards, Richard P. Chait, William P. Ryan and Barbara E. Taylor; Wiley

Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership, Dan Hotchkiss; Alban Institute

Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What, Peter L. Steinke, Alban Institute

Leadership Without Easy Answers, Ronald A. Heifetz, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press