Unhealthy Church Boards

  

PIC No. 53: Pails in Comparison (Nov. 14, 2023) 
Book #2 of 3 in the Churches in Transition Series

• Title: Unhealthy Church Boards - Bringing Health to Unhealthy Ministries (Book 2 of 3)
• Authors: Dr. Dennis Baker, Dr. David Fisher, and Dr. 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 characteristics, 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 must read:

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. The authors align with 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 includes a fascinating overview of church leadership and church size dynamics (“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?)

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.”

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 presidents, and more) combine to deliver a very helpful 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 several other must-read books in the Board Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

[   ] Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance, by Dan Busby and John Pearson (read the commentary by 40 guest bloggers!) Order from Amazon.

[  ] 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. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] Wisdom from Lyle E. Schaller: The Elder Statesman of Church Leadership, by Warren Bird. (Read my review.)

[  ] Succession: Seven Practices to Navigate Mission-Critical Leadership Transitions, by Peter Greer and Doug Fagerstrom (Read my review.)

[   ] Next: Pastoral Succession That Works, William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird (Order from Amazon.)

Watch for my next two reviews:

[  ] Church Board Training Manual: For Churches in Transition (Book 1 of 3), by Dennis Baker and John Vawter. (Read my review.)

[  ] Transforming Church Boards: For Churches in Transition (Book 3 of 3), by Dennis Baker, David C. Fischer, 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 reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews.

MORE RESOURCES:

   • John Pearson’s Buckets Blog
   • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews
   • John Pearson’s book reviews on Amazon
   • Management Buckets website
   • Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Blog

Note: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Pails in Comparison Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 100+ blogs posted (between 2022 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month. 

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