Congregational Leadership
Church councils, boards and leadership structures vary from congregation to congregation, but they share a common purpose in overseeing and implementing the governance, administration, mission and vision of their congregation. On this page we will use the term 'church council'.
Council members have a responsible role. They are expected to:
- honour God’s calling and their congregation’s commission in their role
- act with integrity and make decisions in the best interests of the congregation
- ensure that the resources of the congregation are being effectively applied to meet the congregation’s mission
- keep themselves informed of and scrutinise the activities of their church with appropriate care.
Council roles and responsibilities
The council is elected by the members of the congregation. It is accountable to the congregation, regularly reporting to the members at congregational meetings and as required.
Church councils must be inward and outward-looking – past, present and future-oriented. They work with the congregation to define its mission, vision, direction, influence, culture and values.
The church council has an important part to play in the life of a congregation/parish.
Key church council roles include:
- Setting strategic direction: Council members work with the congregation to establish its mission and vision and set goals, strategies and policies for the church.
- Resourcing: Council members ensure resources are available to achieve the congregation’s mission – including money, time, materials and people resources.
- Monitoring performance: Councils monitor performance against the plans and targets. They also monitor and ensure the ongoing support of any pastors and/or staff that they have.
- Compliance: Councils ensure adequate processes are in place to comply with child safety, workplace health and safety, employment and other legal and accounting requirements.
- Managing risk: Councils ensure that the risks the congregation is exposed to are identified clearly and that suitable processes are in place to manage those risks. Those risks include child safety risks, health and safety risks, financial risks and even reputational risks.
- Accountability to members: Councils regularly communicate with and report progress to the congregational members and ensure the collective interests of the members, the council and employees are aligned.
The role of the church council is underpinned by an understanding that it acts in the best interests of the congregation/parish as a whole and is accountable for the overall direction, management and governance of the congregation/parish.
Key responsibilities of the church council:
- Ensure the congregation’s activities work towards achieving the objectives set out in its constitution.
- Establish the strategy and goals of the congregation (consistent with the congregational constitution and with regard to the LCA Strategic Direction).
- Engage in creative thinking to ensure the strategic directions are consistent with the core purpose of the congregation and driven by its underlying values.
- Comply with the policies of the church as published from time to time.
- Monitor compliance with the laws and regulations applicable to the jurisdiction within which it is located and the nature of the congregation’s legal status (incorporated body, unincorporated, association).
- Establish effective controls and procedures to enable risks to be identified, assessed and managed.
- Establish effective delegation authorities to ensure clear lines of individual and collective accountability.
- Establish and maintain adequate and effective reporting procedures, which enable all material matters and information to be reported to the council and congregation/parish.
- Recommend to the congregation an annual budget and oversee financial reporting obligations.
- Recommend to the congregation/parish the financial, operational, human, technological and administrative requirements required to meet the congregation/parish’s objectives.
- Appoint paid staff or oversee the call process.
- Review and assess the performance of paid staff and the pastor against appropriate indicators, as decided by the council and/or the church.
- Ensure paid staff and pastors are provided appropriate care and opportunities for education and development to assist them in effectively carrying out their roles.
Council members
It is vital to understand what is required of you as a council member and your responsibilities and duties.
Members must honour God’s calling and their congregation’s commission in their role. They must act with integrity and make decisions in the best interests of the congregation. They must ensure that the resources of the congregation are being effectively applied to meet the congregation’s mission. And they should keep themselves informed of and scrutinise the activities of their church with appropriate care.
Council members should:
- Attend and participate in council meetings.
- Spend the time required and meet as often as necessary to properly discharge your responsibilities.
- Review meeting materials before council meetings.
- Publicly support the letter and spirit of all council meetings and decisions made.
- Take a careful interest in the information available to you to understand that information and apply an inquiring mind to the responsibilities placed upon you.
- Provide feedback when asked and actively participate in meetings and decision-making.
- Ensure you have had the appropriate checks relevant to your state or territory (for example, Working With Children checks and blue cards) and have completed your Safe Church Training.
It is important for council members to be encouraged to ask questions, request information and raise any issue of concern concerning the matters under consideration. If possible, these should be raised before a meeting so that the person/s responsible for the matter can be prepared to address them.
In particular, in the context of financial statements, council members should:
- read and understand these financial statements
- apply their knowledge to assess these financial statements
- have a basic understanding of accounting matters
- apply an inquiring mind and ask appropriate questions.
Several resources are available to support church councils on the LCA Portal under Church Worker Support. These include a specific Congregation Leadership Induction Handbook template and a general Congregation Induction Handbook template.
Detailed training is available for all those on church councils through the LCANZ Learning Hub, which can be accessed using your LCA email address. It is highly recommended that all council members work through this training.
Officebearers
Councils require certain leadership positions, which each carry specific responsibilities. These office bearers include the chairperson, secretary and treasurer.
It is important that anyone occupying these positions is made aware of all the duties that come with their role and that they complete the necessary training via the LCANZ Learning Hub to support them in fulfilling their obligations.
The following is a brief overview of the role of each office:
The chair is usually elected by the members every election cycle. The efficiency and effectiveness of each congregational or parish council is significantly dependent on the chair.
The role of chair is an important one that has many responsibilities. These include:
- presiding over council and annual general meetings of the congregation/parish
- monitoring the council’s effectiveness and assessing its meeting processes and actions
- setting the agenda for council meetings in consultation with the secretary and the pastor
- setting the agenda for congregational meetings with the pastor and council
- listening to and supporting the pastor and/or other paid staff with frequent open communication
- being available to be consulted by the pastor and/or other paid staff on significant issues between council meetings
- evaluating, with the Nominations Committee, the eligibility and suitability of potential candidates for nomination as council members, including undertaking any appropriate checks (for example, police checks)
- encouraging constructive debate and open discussion at board meetings
- regularly reporting council decisions to the congregation/parish
- initiating and overseeing regular evaluation of the council’s performance
- ensuring adequate induction for new members to ensure they understand their duties and roles, are oriented to the work of the congregation/parish, and are familiar with its policies and procedures
- ensuring that all elected and appointed officers and committees effectively carry out their assigned duties
- encouraging and cooperating with all office bearers
- supporting the implementation of district and churchwide policies and procedures
- communicating with district offices matters of importance.
The role of the treasurer includes:
- keeping an accurate record of receipts and payments in the form required by the congregation and in accordance with relevant accounting standards
- paying promptly all accounts authorised by the church council or congregation
- ensuring the salaries of pastor/s and paid staff are paid correctly as provided in LCA salary schedules and/or relevant awards
- monitoring compliance with statutory requirements, including GST/Business Activity Statements, PAYG, Fringe Benefits Tax, Workcover and Superannuation Guarantee Contributions
- remitting all monies for church and congregation/parish purposes
- preparing financial reports that present a true and fair view of actual performance for meetings of the church council and congregation
- providing reports on the financial position of the congregation and recommending action that may be necessary to ensure the financial wellbeing of the congregation/parish
- establishing and maintaining an asset register and/or depreciation schedule
- reviewing the value of the congregation/parish assets in conjunction with the property committee and/or property coordinator, particularly for the purposes of insurance and replacement planning
- organising annual, independent audits as required by the church council and in accordance with church policy
- communicating with the District Office annual giving pledges to support the operations of the district and national church
- sending the District Office a copy of the congregation's approved budget and the audited financial report for the prior year.
The role of the secretary includes:
- keeping an accurate record of all proceedings of the church council and congregation
- ensuring records of the congregation are held in a safe and secure location
- periodically transferring old records to Lutheran Archives for safekeeping
- attending to all incoming and outgoing correspondence
- preparing with the chair an agenda for meetings
- maintaining a congregation/parish calendar that records key dates, such as annual general meetings, contract expiry dates, property inspections, training events and registration renewals (for example, police checks and blue cards)
- monitoring legal and statutory compliance requirements, such as copyright, privacy and national employment standards, ensuring other congregational committees are informed of decisions affecting their functions
- sending the District Office a copy of the annual general meeting book of reports.
Meeting procedures
The aim of church council meetings is to lead the congregation or parish in enacting its mission and vision, to do long-range planning, to set goals and priorities, and to evaluate its activities in light of its mission and goals.
Send out an agenda and any required reading
For church council meetings, it is advisable that the agenda, with reports attached, is distributed seven days before the next meeting. Set the expectation that all reports are to be read before the meeting. If a group or individual requires a council decision, ask them to include a recommendation for action in their report.
For an annual general meeting or congregational meeting, the agenda, including all reports, needs to be distributed at least two Sundays before the meeting. (It is worthwhile to check the requirements of your constitution regarding this responsibility.)
Agendas for annual general meetings and church council are set in consultation with the chair, secretary and pastor. Congregational meetings are set by the chair in consultation with the pastor and council.
The agenda is a legal document, so be aware of your responsibilities in this regard.
Typical items on the agenda
- Attendance: Typically, a meeting begins with a record of all present and noting any absences and apologies.
- Opening and devotion: It is recommended that the meeting begins with prayer. This may be a devotional time that focuses the members on Christ. Rostering the devotion among the committee members enables all to have the opportunity to prepare the devotion and receive the benefit of preparation and reflection time.
- Minutes of the previous meeting: The next step is to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. The secretary records any amendments to the minutes. The minutes of the previous meeting, with the recording of approval and any amendments, ensure the minutes are considered final.
- Business arising: The business arising agenda item ensures that items from previous meetings are attended to.
- Correspondence: For correspondence, it is best practice to create two lists – correspondence in and correspondence out. This includes email correspondence and attachments, as emails can be considered legal documents. Print emails and file them in the folder of the minutes. The secretary records the action/response in minutes and files the action/answer with the correspondence.
- Reports: Monthly reports are received from the pastor and treasurer. Other committees and teams or associated bodies (school, kindergarten, child care, aged care facility) may be required to table regular reports. It is considered best practice that the reports are received in writing a week before the meeting and read by the church council members beforehand.
- Standing items: Ensure that any standing items are included on the agenda. These might be child safety items, Professional Standards items, workplace health and safety items, risk management issues, or the notation of any conflicts of interest.
- Unfinished business: This refers to matters carried over from a previous meeting. This business category is sometimes incorrectly referred to as ‘old business’.
- New business: After communicating with the pastor, the chair informs the secretary of any new business items. Ensure the items that require lengthy discussion are placed upfront on the agenda – in consultation with the church council – so that appropriate time can be given to important matters.
- Action list: An action list on the agenda and within the minutes monitors and ensures that items on the to-do list are acted upon. An action list includes who is responsible, for what action, and by what date.
- Next meeting: Before the meeting is closed, arrange a date for the next meeting. The best practice is to set meeting dates for the year so they can be included on the office calendar.
- Close: Lastly, close the meeting with prayer.
Respect people’s time
Most people are busy and have a limited amount of time. Being sensitive to this fact helps reinforce the importance of respecting all attendees by beginning and ending the meeting on time.
Being timely can become a cultural norm if members understand that being late means missing the first part of the meeting. This can be tricky but can be done if there is a determination to consistently begin and end every meeting at the scheduled time.
Stick to the agenda
Every organisation has unresolved issues, and members often take advantage of the time together to bring them up for discussion. Spend time before the meeting anticipating possible issues and naturally work an update into the agenda. If someone attempts to hijack the meeting, politely offer to discuss it at a later time to keep to the meeting agenda.
If a member brings up an important topic that isn’t on the agenda, it can be raised and discussed during the ‘new business’ portion of the meeting if there is time. Make a note of it if it doesn’t fit within your meeting's timeframe. Follow up by putting these items on the agenda for the next meeting.
Some new business items that are raised may require more thought, research or information before they can be discussed properly, so allow time for this to happen. Others may require a whole separate meeting dedicated to working through them. Be sure to follow up and schedule a time to discuss these outstanding matters. Follow-through is critical to establishing and maintaining credibility with members.
Use meeting language
Using specific formal meeting language can help to ensure that everyone understands and is clear regarding the meeting processes and decision-making.
- In a meeting, one of the first agenda items is to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. These minutes may be adopted as presented or may be adopted with amendments.
- Later in the meeting, reports are received. They may be read, commented on or discussed before they are adopted.
- A motion is a formal proposal for discussion and action.
- The person who proposes a formal motion is ‘the mover’.
- The member who formally seconds (or supports) a motion moved by another member is ‘the seconder’. Having a seconder for a motion is useful in formal meetings to ensure at least some support for a motion before debating begins.
Guidelines for meetings within the LCA
All meetings within the LCA are expected to be conducted with Christian principles per the guidelines within the LCA Standards of Ethical Behaviour brochure.
- We treat each other with dignity and respect.
- We are courteous, kind and compassionate in our words and actions.
- We use polite and respectful language when engaging with each other.
- We respect the opinions of others.
- We exercise good judgement when communicating.
- We value each other.
- We set an example of financial integrity in our church activities.
- We ensure church and legislative requirements are followed.
- We refrain from seeking personal advantage or gain.
- We consider if there is a perceived or real conflict of interest when engaged in decision-making.
- We ensure compliance with all church and legislative requirements for the health, safety and wellbeing of all.
The LCA is committed to creating a safe place for all, including at church meetings. If the above principles are not being adhered to, call the meeting to order or stop the discussion to remind members of the principles. You may even reschedule the meeting or the debate on the topic to give people time to think, pray and approach the issue appropriately.
For more information, please go to the Professional Standards page.
Minutes
Minutes are records. It’s important that you keep an accurate record of all proceedings of the church council and congregation. Accurate records help to facilitate good stewardship of the resources God has given us. They provide a historical record of decisions made, including who was involved in the decision-making process.
It is also important as these records may be required in disputes or for legal reasons. The minutes are considered to be legal documents.
- Ensure your minutes include the full name of the committee or the meeting. It must be clear that the minutes are from a particular meeting, like the church council meeting or the congregation’s half-yearly meeting.
- It is important to include the name of the congregation or parish with the location, too. Remember, there is more than one congregation called St Paul’s or Bethlehem, so include the town or suburb in the title of the minutes, too.
- When you date and record the start time of the meeting, don’t forget to include the year for future reference.
- Please record the full name of those present and full name for apologies. (There may be more than one person with the same initial and surname in your congregation.)
- It’s important to have well-worded resolutions. Resolutions need to indicate who is doing what by what date.
- It is important to ensure that all are clear regarding actions. An action list can provide clarity as all members know who is enacting the resolution. It’s good to have a time frame connected to the action list to avoid unactioned items. The action list can also ensure that communication of decisions is shared with other committees and groups within your congregation.
- Ensure that pages are numbered and that the date of the next meeting is included in the minutes. This helps others to see that they have a complete record of each meeting and a complete series of meetings.
Taking minutes
- New secretaries or temporary ones (if the secretary cannot perform their duties) are often unsure how much or how little to record in the minutes. If in doubt, ask the chair and the committee what they would like recorded regarding the discussion that has just concluded.
- There is no need to record who said what in meeting discussions. Minutes can be minimal, recording basic information along with formal decisions. On the other hand, it can be required that a more detailed record of discussions be maintained. In any case, where significant matters are being discussed, it is important that sufficient detail is recorded to show that members gave adequate attention to the issues contributing to the decision.
- Ensure enough context in the minutes for a committee, group or individual to understand the direction and act on the decision.
- Confidential items can be discussed ‘in camera’ that is in private, with only the resolution recorded.
- The minutes do not show the mover’s and seconder’s names. These names are recorded in the notes for the benefit of the chair in the event of an amendment being proposed, providing the mover and seconder with the opportunity to agree to the amendment of their motion.
- Whether passed unanimously or by a majority of one, resolutions are meeting decisions. A member can request that their vote against a motion be recorded in the minutes; however, they should not agitate that decision outside the meeting while remaining a member. Even if they resign, they must not share opinions expressed by members in a meeting with people outside the meeting.
- Be sure to include an action list within the minutes. This ensures that items on the ‘to-do’ list are acted upon; an action list includes who is responsible, for what action, and by what date.
- Record any actual or possible conflicts of interest declared by voting members. You can also record the name of a non-voter due to their declaration of a conflict of interest.
- If a meeting continues informally after the close, do not include this information in the minutes. Rather, you may note, as an addendum, anything that occurred immediately after the close of the meeting.
The meeting might be over, but some important things must happen afterwards.
Communicate relevant information
Discuss and determine what information needs to be communicated to the congregation or parish and attached bodies and how and when it should be communicated. Good communication after a meeting is the result of taking the time to think through what kinds of information should be shared – with whom, when, how and in what format.
Minutes
Try to produce minutes within a week of the meeting. Best practice means that the members receive the minutes soon after the meeting, enabling them time to action items before the next meeting.
Watermarking the minutes as a draft is considered good practice until they are sent later with the agenda for the next meeting when they become ‘final’. The following meeting approves minutes with any amendments noted.
Annual general meeting (AGM) minutes are formally adopted at the following congregational meeting, which may be in the future. Ensuring AGM minutes are tabled at the next council meeting means the minutes are viewed by the council and are actioned in a timely way.
Best practice also ensures that approved hardcopy minutes are signed by the chair and stored for future reference.
Follow-up
Ensure the action points from the meeting are actually actioned. Nothing is worse than coming back, meeting after meeting, to find that nothing has been done and no progress has been made.
Follow-up work is primarily about trust. You and others have agreed to get things done as a result of the meeting. Doing what we say we will do is how we build trust. It’s a simple dynamic that never fails.
Council leaders must set the tone by getting something done after the meeting as soon as possible and communicating it to the rest. This will usually get others in gear to accomplish their action points or tasks.
If a week or two go by and some tasks remain unfinished, it will be important to contact the person responsible to remind them to finish the task.
Review
Do a periodic review of your meetings so those attending can share their views on how meetings are working for them. Use the feedback to improve meetings and help them to be more effective.
Annual general meetings
An annual general meeting (AGM) is a meeting held once a year that all members are invited to attend. The purpose of an AGM is to give members a report on the activities and finances for the previous year, to allow time for members to ask questions, and to elect members of the governing body (such as its council or committee members).
- Advance notice needs to be given, with communication covering the agenda, nominations, positions available, who is eligible to participate, and who is eligible to stand for leadership positions. It should be possible to make a date claimer months in advance. Members should be able to submit items for inclusion in the agenda, vetted by the chair, secretary and pastor.
- Reports must be in the hands of participants two Sundays before the meeting to provide time for thought and response. Participants should be reminded about the need to read reports in advance. You could include a phone number or email address at the end of each report so that people can ask questions or make suggestions before the meeting. Financial reports should be audited before the meeting.
- Check your constitution for how many people must be present for the meeting to have a quorum and any other requirements pertaining to AGMs.
- People should be informed about accessing relevant parts of the constitution and be supplied with any other reference material or information.
- Ensure you have enough eligible and suitable people ready to nominate for any vacancies you have. Many congregations and parishes have Nominations Committees that see to this.
Reports provide a level of accountability and a historical record for the future. They can also inspire and encourage the members as they see how the mission and vision of the congregation or parish are being acted upon and lived out.
The church council needs to decide who needs to report to the AGM. Here’s what you should expect to read in the annual report:
- overview of the congregation/parish mission, vision and strategic plan (if you have one)
- pastor’s report – how the mission and vision have been enacted
- staff or ministry reports – providing key leadership perspective
- chair or church council report – covering key governance issues. Include a list of church council members and their responsibilities
- finance – audited accounts, critical issues around income and expenditure, budget for the coming year/s
- property – critical development and maintenance achievements and issues
- key ministry areas – these reports could include information on progress and issues for attention, backed up by stories from groups or individuals, such as age-related groups, action groups or people carrying areas of responsibility.
- Distribute an attendance list and take apologies.
- Have a written agenda available for all participants. This could be sent out with the reports.
- Have a clear start, with an overview of the agenda and process to be used.
- Begin with a short devotion and prayer.
- Approve the minutes of the previous AGM as an accurate record.
- Motions must be moved, seconded and a vote (generally a show of hands) taken to:
- Accept the minutes of the last AGM.
- Approve the reports.
- Approve the treasurer's audited financial statement and budget.
- Let people know that all reports will be taken as read. That’s why they were distributed well beforehand. Any matters arising from the reports can be spoken to. It’s useful to try and work out beforehand what these might be. Decide whether the reports will be received and approved one by one or all together.
- Members can speak to the financial report (income, expenditure and balances) and ask questions. Then, approve the budget for the coming year and the auditor for next year’s financial report.
- Have a system for electing people to leadership positions, for example, a show of hands or voting papers, pens and scrutineers.
- Use a clear decision-making process when working through the business of the meeting. At what point do you need movers, seconders and formal voting? Will that be by show of hands or using coloured cards (green for yes and orange for no, for example)?
- Limit the time of speakers from the floor to three minutes. Don’t allow people to repeat issues unless new information or insights are being added.
- Take minutes that can be written up and distributed within the week to provide enough feedback from participants so they can be ratified at the next general meeting or church council meeting.
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