It's Not All Transferable

how congregational boards are different from other boards

For congregations with fiscal years that run January-December, this is the start of a new year - and often the start of a new board. And so it’s a very good time to remind new and old board members - including the executive team - what this responsibility requires. And more, why your experience on not-for-profit and for-profit boards will only take you so far.

Yes, congregational boards are different. Not completely, of course. Like all boards, congregational boards have fiduciary and legal responsibilities to the organization, as well as to the laws of the land.

And all good boards are there to clarify direction - developing and guiding strategic goals in line with the organization’s mission and vision. They are there to ensure accountability, challenging leadership and holding the organization accountable to your goals, mission, and vision.

Good boards also maintain ethical integrity. In Unitarian Universalism, it is our ethical integrity that keeps us in covenant both within the congregation and as a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.

All good boards also communicate well - both in sharing information and inviting input. Good boards know how to keep people in the loop and listen actively.

And finally, good boards support leadership: not just each other but the staff and those who implement programs and processes. Boards must help the staff - paid and unpaid - do their jobs and have the resources they need to do their jobs well, whether that’s clarity of goals and direction, physical space, training, benefits, empowerment, and care for the individuals.

What makes you different:

Most not-for-profit and for-profit boards are separated from the people doing the work of the organization. Whether their main concern is fundraising, capital campaigns, or shareholders, the people on these boards - by and large - are not the people being served by the organization. For example, the board of a food bank are very likely not also people experiencing food scarcity. And I’ll bet no one on the board of, say, Walmart, shops there.

Congregational boards, on the other hand are on the same team with the staff and the membership. You are all the same team. You ARE the people you serve. And the idea that leadership is in opposition to the staff/clergy is a trick – don’t fall for it. It’s not layfolk v. clergy, it’s all of you versus the trick of capitalism and corporatism.

And more, as a congregational board member, you are not a volunteer. You have a different role, that some faiths call discipleship. As Rev. Erin Wathen writes at Patheos,¹

“To volunteer means that you are an outside resource, stepping in to help an organization in need. Volunteering is what we do when we pick up trash at the park, or build a house with Habitat, or help sort food at the local food pantry.

“If you ask a grandparent, or an elder of your church, I’m pretty sure they will tell you that the church they grew up in never asked them to volunteer. Historically, the church has asked people to serve–as deacons, as greeters, as Sunday school teachers, or on the property committee. Whatever the job, it was considered a service. A ministry.

“Volunteering is what you do at a place that is important to you–but not at a place that belongs to you.

“And I guess that is the important distinction for me… You cannot volunteer at your own church, in the same way you cannot babysit your own kid. Because the church belongs to you in the same way your family does. It’s your own place, your own people. So of course you help take care of it. Of course you do yard work and make coffee and teach the kids and sing in the choir and whatever all else it is you do for the home and the people that you love.”

But that’s not all. As a congregational board, you are charged with offering spiritual support. Not doing the spiritual work of the ministry, but keeping the spiritual needs in mind as you support the minister, the staff, and the members. Congregations that grow have boards that keep in mind the spiritual nature of the organization. Everything you do - from making sure the snow gets plowed to paying for professional development to investing in solar panels - has a spiritual component.

Remember too that congregational boards are the governing instrument that helps your faith community grow in their faith, offering all the support and resources to make that happen. And that’s YOUR faith too.

You are conveners – you aren’t overlords. Your work, ultimately, is to set intentions, convene, build and maintain relationships, and present choices.

Showing up matters – for events, services, fellowship, activities, marches, etc. Folks want to know you are involved, not just ruling.

Finally, congregational boards must prize relationship over being right. Congregational boards should be less “making decisions for everyone and proclaiming from on high” and more “facilitating decisions and choices as a group” – which feels hard and maybe slows things down but also removes walls and keeps us in better relationship. You just aren’t “in charge” in the same ways. Staff isn’t doing the bidding of the board but is in relationship with the board. And both staff and board are in relationship with the congregation, because you all ARE the congregation.

It’s a big job, being part of a congregational board. It’s different than anything you’ve experienced elsewhere. And it can be one of the most rewarding, when you remember that it’s a spiritual and communal act of care.

1. And as I wrote about a year ago…