The Small Church Board: The Board in the Small Church Context

When we are first chosen to be on the board of a small church, we do not come without any preconceived ideas. Depending upon our background and involvement in the church, we arrive with expectations and ideas of what the church board is to be and do and what our role is within the board. However, if we come from another church or from a larger church we may soon find that our expectations are vastly different from how the board actually functions. When we become involved in the leadership we soon become confused about what our role is. The result is frustration and discouragement and, at times, discontentment as we question the way things are run.

Often the problem is that we have failed to properly understand the culture of the small church and the way it selects and trains its leaders and the expectations that people have of those called to serve on the board. Within every church there are both biblical principles and cultural expectations that serve to govern the people’s expectations of its leaders. A necessary part of leadership is not only understanding the biblical principles that govern our task, but the culture in which we lead. Read more