Hometown Seventh-day Adventist Church
CHURCH BOARD AGENDADATE OF MEETING: ______________________
(1) Devotional and prayer
(2) Approval of minutes
(3) Acceptance of agenda [This helps in planning and time issues.]
(4) Membership transfers [At this time the clerk presents transfers-in and out.]
(3) Report from pastor
(4) Evangelism/Outreach/Nurture review [This is an opportunity for the pastor and other leaders to give a report on some of the most important activities of the church. As the Church Manual states, the chief concern of the Board “is having an active discipleship plan in place, which includes both the spiritual nurture of the church and the work of planning and fostering of evangelism.”(1)
(5) Reports from departments and ministries [If you operate a school, the school should have its own board, but because it is a major function, the principal and/or school board chair should give a brief report. Other ministries also should give brief reports.]
(6) Treasurer’s report for [give date]. [The report should include both funds that are forwarded to the conference and local funds.]
(7) Proposal to install new carpet in Youth room [Be certain to have the facts, such as: price (have several proposals), color, date of completion, etc. A paper handout usually saves time because not all will have electronic devices and connectivity may be a problem. Use the best way to share information, not just the latest form of communication.]
(8) The need for two additional deaconesses [The church board—or a standing nominating committee—nominates individuals to fill vacancies after the regular nominating committee has completed its work. Such actions need to be voted by the church.]
(9) Date of next meeting: _____________
(10) Adjournment and closing prayer
ADDITIONAL POINTS:
· The Pastor’s report and Evangelism/Outreach/Nurture review should be major items of the board meeting.
· The treasurer’s report is important, but if not planned properly could lead to a detailed discussion taking up much time. If that is pattern on your board, appoint a finance committee that will go over the details and report to the board.
· Designate a suggested time for each item.
· Designate a firm starting and ending time for the board [If you have an ending time the group will usually function more efficiently. Some boards have previously agreed to only continue beyond the designated time if the group votes to do so.]
· In order to discuss an item, it is best to have a motion and second and then open for discussion. For example: the proposal in the model agenda to install new carpet in the Youth room would be done as follows—the person making the report makes the motion to accept the proposal, the chair asks for a second, and then the floor is open for discussion and action.
· “Question on the motion.” What does the chair do when a member states, “Question on the motion”? When a member speaks that phrase, it means that the person calling “Question on the motion” is ready to vote. The board chair has the discretion to then proceed to take a vote on the motion or allow for the discussion to continue. If there are individuals waiting to speak to the matter, the Board chair may choose to disregard the call unless the member has made a formal motion. If the member “moves the previous question”, or makes a motion stating such as “I move question on the motion” then that is a formal motion that needs a second, but goes to an immediate vote without discussion. If the motion passes, an immediate vote on the prior motion is taken without any further discussion.
· When a motion takes a significant amount of time to discuss, it may be that there is insufficient information for the board to make a decision. It might be well to table the motion, assign several board members to do further research, and bring a recommendation back to the next board meeting.
· The board chair needs to be alert to potential conflict of interest. For example, if a close family member is being considered for a position (also true of a regular nominating committee) the board member should leave while the name is being discussed. Potential conflicts may also arise when items such as contracts are discussed.
(1) Church Manual, 129.
