Art of the Possible in a Small Congregation

I was sitting in on a Board meeting, the first time I had been with this group of church leaders, so I was not saying much, intending to listen to the way they did business before I plunged in.  But there was a moment that seemed to need me.  The election for president had already happened, and the very capable new president was at the table in her role as outgoing vice president.  It had become clear that some people objected to what was about to happen:  her husband was going to have to remain as Finance chair.

"It's our policy not to have members of the same family in two roles as close as these," went the complaint.  Seemed like a reasonable policy, but as the conversation evolved, it became crystal clear that there was absolutely no one else qualified to serve as Finance chair.  As the Board went over the handful of possibilities, we could all see clearly that appointing anyone else would be an invitation to disaster. With no qualified alternative, the president's husband would end up being the de facto chair in any event.

Clearly, the group hadn't been paying attention to this situation in time to have avoided it.  If the wife was to become president, the Finance committee would have needed to be developing new leadership.  But that is not the way of a small congregation.  Nominating looks to the likely prospects for the slots they have to fill, and committees just plod along with the leadership they have until the chair either gets tired or moves on to another leadership role.  Thinking about leadership succession at the Board level is not well developed, and thinking about leadership succession in committees is a luxury beyond contemplation.  Sometimes committees don't even have multiple members!

At that time, in the meeting I was attending, there was clearly nothing to do.  "You are a small congregation," I said.  "It's not ideal to have this kind of family connection in these roles, but at the moment, it is what you need to do in order to function effectively."  I went on to offer to help committees organize themselves to have systems of evolving leadership.

The first thing is acceptance.  Just be who you are, and work with the possibilities you have.  Then move on to make new possibilities.  Love one another and do your best.  It sounds so simple, but in the moment, it can be dazzlingly difficult.