PIC No. 53:
• Title: Unhealthy Church Boards: Bringing Health to Unhealthy Ministries (Book 2 of 3)
• Authors: Dennis Baker, David C. Fisher, and John Vawter
• Publisher: ChurchSmart Resources/IPM (Jan. 1, 2020, 70 pages))
• Management Bucket #14 of 20: The Board Bucket
Welcome to Issue No. 53 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.
12 Types of Unhealthy Church Boards
Caution! Experienced church board members know that when a pastor resigns, the path ahead is often bumpy. The period between your last pastor and your next pastor often shines a spotlight on your church’s dysfunctions. And those unhealthy behaviors, perhaps, may have triggered your former pastor’s exit.
Here’s a thought: before your next pastor arrives, invite a trained and experienced interim pastor to guide you through a thoughtful and God-honoring transition process. Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM) provides “temporary interim pastors for churches between pastors, strengthening churches in transition.”
And Good News! IPM has published three books for churches in transition—and each workbook is jam-packed with take-aways. I apologize for starting with Book #2 of 3, but the title was just too tempting: Unhealthy Church Boards: Bringing Health to Unhealthy Ministries. (Stay tuned and watch for my short reviews of Books 1 and 3.) Here are three takeaways you will share with your church board:
12 TYPES OF UNHEALTHY CHURCH BOARDS. The authors list 12 board scenarios with strategies for each type. They include:
• Board #2. The Dominating Pastor Board
• Board #3. The No Term Limits Board
• Board #4. The Untouchable Pastor Board
• Board #6. The Passive and Ineffective Board
• Board #9. The Details Focused Board
• Board #10. The Post Conflict Board
Do you recognize your church’s board? If not, check out the other six types. The authors note that Board #9 is a common issue—the board that rarely talks about the foundational framework for healthy ministry (mission, vision, etc.). “Members just want to know all about the minutia, spend all their time focused on the details and do the staff’s work on those details.”
LYLE SCHALLER ON CHURCH SIZE. This book substantiates my “Page 25 Rule-of-Thumb”—my belief that by page 25, the meat and potatoes show up in many books. Pages 24 to 27 include a fascinating overview of church leadership and church size dynamics (see “How Strategy Changes With Growth,” per Tim Keller). Also helpful: the description of nine church sizes from Lyle Schaller’s book, Looking in the Mirror: Self-Appraisal in the Local Church. The nine church sizes: cat, collie, garden, house, mansion, ranch, state, nation, world. (What’s your church size?) Note: For more on Lyle Schaller, read my review of Wisdom from Lyle E. Schaller: The Elder Statesman of Church Leadership, edited by Warren Bird.
THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF ARROGANCE. Following a Scripture-based discussion of arrogance (“the antidote to pride and arrogance is humility”), the authors write about the “Three Faces of Arrogance” with notes on Arrogant Pastors, Arrogant Churches, and Arrogant Board Members. Yikes—not a pretty picture. They quote John R.W. Stott: “There is something essentially obscene about arrogance in Christian people and something authentic about humility.” (See also Andrew Murray's observations on humility.)
Even if you’re not in a pastoral and church transition, you will find this book immensely helpful. The stunning experience of the three authors (pastors, interim pastors, authors, seminary president, and more) combine to deliver a very insightful book for church board members. Co-author John Vawter, by the way, is the author of my favorite golf book (read my review).
PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of more must-read books in the Board Bucket, plus the 19 other buckets/core competencies.
[ ] Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance, by Dan Busby and John Pearson (read my review)
[ ] Read Lesson 13: “Caution! Understand the Governance Pendulum Principle" (read the blog by Paul Anderson), from the book, More Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: Effectiveness, Excellence, Elephants! by Dan Busby and John Pearson (read my review).
[ ] Wisdom from Lyle E. Schaller: The Elder Statesman of Church Leadership, edited by Warren Bird (read my review)
[ ] Succession: Seven Practices to Navigate Mission-Critical Leadership Transitions, by Peter Greer and Doug Fagerstrom, and Next: Pastoral Succession That Works, William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird (read my review)
Watch for my next two reviews:
[ ] Church Board Training Manual: For Churches in Transition (Book 1 of 3), by Dennis Baker and John Vawter (order from Amazon)
[ ] Transforming Church Boards: For Churches in Transition (Book 3 of 3), by Dennis Baker, David C. Fisher, and John Vawter (order from Amazon)
To order from Amazon, click on the title for Unhealthy Church Boards: Bringing Health to Unhealthy Ministries (For Churches in Transition, Book 2 of 3), by Dennis Baker, David C. Fisher, and John Vawter. And thanks to John Vawter for sending me a review copy. For more information on IPM, visit the website. For more book reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting.
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