Characteristics of a good board meeting.

Characteristics of a Good Board Meeting
Part 1

When we come to a board meeting, what do we expect to accomplish? How do we know that we have had an effective meeting? For many, a good board meeting is when there are no problems in the church, no disagreements on the board and enough time is left to talk about the latest commodity trends and hunting or fishing trips. However, an effective board meeting involves much more.
An effective meeting is centered upon prayer. Prayer is central to the ministry of the board. In Act 6:4 we find that prayer was one of the highest priorities of the church. In 1 Samuel 12:23 we read where Samuel considered prayer as part of his responsibility as a leader. For him, the failure to pray would be a dereliction of his duty. First we are to pray for spiritual direction and wisdom. The danger is that we can make decisions for the church without spending time seeking God for wisdom and guidance in those decisions. The result is that the church becomes marred by division (see Jeremiah 10:21). When we are making decisions we should spend time praying specifically for the issue and asking God for wisdom and guidance in the decision so that it would honor and glorify him. We should pray that the decisions that are made would bring unity rather than division within the church. Second we are to pray for the spiritual growth of people. When we examine the prayers of Paul in Ephesians 1:15-23,Philippians 1:3-11,Colossians 1:3-14 and 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 we find that he spent a great deal of time praying for the spiritual needs of people and for their spiritual growth. We are to pray for those who are ensnared in sin, we are to pray for those in conflict, we are to pray for our young people to know God’s will. The advantage of the small church is that we often know when people are struggling spiritually. Consequently we can pray specifically for people and the issues they are facing. However, a word of caution: When we pray for individuals it is important that we maintain strict confidence both individually and as a board. The issues that we pray for should never be repeated outside the board meeting, even to our spouse. Third, we are to pray for the physical and emotional needs of people. When people are going through difficult periods of their lives and under physical or emotional distress, we are to pray for them (James 5:12-14). Fourth, we are to pray for the ministries of the church. We should pray for their effectiveness and for those who are involved in the leadership of those ministries. This also means that we should pray specifically for the needs of the Pastor and his family. As a board we should always support the ministry of the pastor in prayer and seek God’s blessing upon his life and work.
Tragically prayer is often a sideline of the board meeting. One or two people pray at the beginning and at the close of the meeting. Even these are general prayers that are offered for God’s blessing. While it is certainly appropriate to ask for God’s blessing, we should also spend much more time praying for the specific needs of the church.