Our Latest Perspectives
Writing Leakproof Policies
Board members, tired of repetitive requests for approval or permission, often say, “We should write some policies.” This impulse is correct: Policies can spare the board much tedium and help ensure consistent handling of like situations. But in practice, efforts to write policies often frustrate and disappoint. It’s a lot of work and does not always stop the flow of management questions coming to the board.
Fortunately, a board can create “Leakproof” policies. The key is to reverse one of the assumptions most boards bring to making policy: that authority must be dispensed timidly, a little bit at a time. A wise board flips this script and delegates full management authority, then sets limits and adds guidance until it is ready to let others make decisions away from the board table.
Options for Congregations as Denominations Decline
Denominational headcounts have declined sharply in recent decades, reflecting both the overall drop in religious affiliation and the rise of nondenominational churches. In this new religious landscape, congregational leaders are considering new options for affiliation.
The Lost Art of Listening and the Role of Congregations
This presidential election year reminds us, once again, how deeply polarized we are as a nation. The faithful on both extremes of the political spectrum live in separate echo chambers, fueled by social media and the news channels they choose to watch. I am also susceptible to this phenomenon!
A key factor that sustains and deepens polarization is a lack of listening. Listening to build connections is challenging when some folks are closed off and opposed to taking in new information. I know that some of you are thinking that this is an obvious statement. We all know that when folks listen well, it improves relationships and can heal interpersonal breakdowns, but what sounds simple is really quite difficult.
Why Trust the Church or its Clergy?
I’ve been conducting focus groups with laity and clergy across the US for the past decade. A major topic is the clergy’s lack of trust in their denominations, the denominations’ lack of trust in their clergy and laity, and lay people’s lack of trust in both their clergy and denominations. Distrust is having a corrosive impact on church life today. It is at a much higher level today than it was when I first started doing focus groups.
Two Questions That Will Help Your Board Stop Micromanaging
Most boards know they shouldn’t micromanage. Meddling boards irritate their staff and volunteers and stifle creativity. Boards lack the day-to-day involvement a good manager should have. Most board members know that, but still when people bring us questions, we give answers. We just can’t resist!
Hang on to that “New Program Year” Energy
An energy buzz often appears at the start of a new program year. Staff return from vacation feeling rested and renewed. Small groups re-form with fresh curriculum. Committees connect with dreams for a new season. If we aren’t intentional about how we align this energy, it won’t last. Buzz dissipates. Unaligned, we retreat eventually to the former status quo.
Why Congregations Sometimes Change
Organizations are famous for resisting change. Despite the best efforts of their leaders, who often want change more than anybody else, organizations, including congregations, reproduce this week what they did last week, this month what they did last month, and this year what they did the year before. That’s the rule. However, once in a great while an organization decides to do something truly different—and then actually does so.
Which raises two important questions: Why do organizations—or more generally, systems—resist change so strongly? And why do they sometimes change anyway?