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Board Responsibilities: Webinar January 2012
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Transcript of Board Responsibilities: Webinar January 2012
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