Ministry Together: Governing Boards & Clergy
June 17, 2008 – June 19, 2008
Techny Towers Conference and Retreat Center , Techny, Illinois
Facilitator: Dan Hotchkiss
Click here to view a movie clip of Dan Hotchkiss talking about his upcoming event.
Have you had it with board meetings?
While most board members of congregations hope to contribute to their community’s long-term success, the reality of board service is that too often it frustrates and exhausts both board members and the staff who work with them.
This seminar is designed to help congregations to move beyond frustrating and ineffective ways of managing the work of boards, clergy, and staff. It draws on provocative proposals such as those made by John Carver, governance guru of the nonprofit world and author of Boards that Make a Difference, who challenges boards to quit most of their current work and start ‘making a difference’ by articulating the organization’s basic rationale for being and setting limits for its staff and volunteers. A Carver board spends most of its time thinking not about what the organization is doing but about why it should exist at all.
Dan has a very inviting and relaxed demeanor. He is knowledgeable and a good presenter.”
Dan Hotchkiss’ approach is based on the conviction that the art of governance in congregations is about creating a balance between ministers, staff, and the governing board or vestry. It is about the partnership tools needed for ministry together. A healthy governing body in a congregation:
• Starts with clearly defined roles and authority
• Succeeds when lay and professional leaders lead do ministry together, collaboratively, as partners.
You will learn specific practices and principles that will help your governing board streamline its decision-making, maintain clear limits, and keep the congregation’s mission at the center of its ministry. By discovering how to set clear policies and behavioral covenants, you will find that you can trust others to make their own decisions, give up micromanaging, and make space for holy conversations.
About Dan Hotchkiss
When congregations seek guidance for discernment and dialogue around issues of planning, visioning, and governance, Dan Hotchkiss is a valued partner for his creative approaches and sensitive understanding of the human and institutional dynamics within congregations. His next book is tentatively titled (of course) Ministry Together: The Art of Governance in Congregations.
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