Transforming Church Boards

    

PIC No. 55: Pails in Comparison (Nov. 27, 2023)
Book #3 of 3 in the Churches in Transition Series

• Title: Transforming Church Boards: For Churches in Transition (Book 3 of 3)
• Authors: Dr. Dennis Baker, Dr. David C. 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. 55 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. 

8 Questions to Ask Current Board Members

If I had to pick the most helpful book of the three resource-rich books in the “Churches in Transition” series—I’d urge you to read all three! While written especially for interim pastors and the gargantuan challenge of leading a church in the period between pastors, each book is a stand-alone resource that will make good church boards better, and unhealthy church boards healthy. Really.

Read my reviews of Book #1 of 3 and #2 of 3. Here are my favorite insights from Book #3:

News Flash! “It is important to accept the fact not all board members are motivated by the Spirit of God and do not seek the unity of the Spirit. Sadly, the interim pastor must deal with such people.” (This reminded me of a pastor friend’s shocking story from a church board meeting a few years ago. Read “Lesson 34: Break Bread, Not Relationships” from Lessons From the Church Boardroom.)

Problem or Project? Have you segmented your board challenges into these two helpful groups? “If you see a difficult person ascertain if he is a ‘problem or a project.’ Most would be the latter. The interim pastor must be careful not to judge motives.”

What a Church Board Is and Does. The page, “Evaluating Past Board Training,” includes eight important questions to ask current board members. “1) Did you fill out an application or questionnaire before joining the board? And 2) Was there a Biblical explanation of what a church board is and what it does?”

Transformation. The authors reference numerous board governance resources including four pages of church board training outlines. “Transformation begins by putting first things first. The church doesn’t have a mission; the mission has a church.” (I love that!)

Discernment. “Perhaps the most important difference between corporate governance and church board leadership is the task of discernment.”

10-15 Minutes. “Use the first 10-15 minutes of the board meeting for ongoing training and refocusing on the mission and vision.” Preach it! (See the resource below on “10 Minutes for Governance.”)

Church Life Cycle. In the helpful 12-month plan of monthly board training sessions, the authors include a sobering one-page chart, “The Life Cycle of Too Many Churches.” The list  includes 10 periods in six stages: Birth, Growth, Maturity, Maintenance, Decline, and Death. Yikes. Must-read.

Honest—every page has valuable takeaways, including: 
   • A one-page chart on the four social styles (Analytical, Driver, Amiable, Expressive). Are you a student of your board chair, pastor, and board colleagues?
   • A sample board member recruitment letter.
   • Plus, very helpful resources on enriching your listening skills.

I mentioned in my review of Book #2 that if Interim Pastor Ministries had priced these incredible resources on a value-per-page basis, you could not afford these books. Gratefully, the are priced for church budgets. Order all three and enrich your church board’s work and ministry.  

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.

[   ] More Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: Effectiveness, Excellence, Elephants! by Dan Busby and John Pearson - Read the 40 guest blogs here. Order the book.

[   ] The Council: A Biblical Perspective on Board Governance, by Gary G. Hoag, Wesley K. Willmer, and Gregory J. Henson. (Read my review.)

[   ] Stewards of a Sacred Trust: CEO Selection, Transition and Development for Boards of Christ-centered Organizations, by David L. McKenna (Read my review.)

[   ] Serving as a Board Member: Practical Guidance for Directors of Christian Ministries, by John Pellowe (Read my review.)

[   ] Read John Walling’s guest blog, “Lesson 39, Invest ‘10 Minutes for Governance’ in Every Board Meeting” from Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom. (Read the blog here.)

Read my previous reviews:

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

[  ] 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. (Read my review.)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for Transforming Church Boards: For Churches in Transition (Book 3 of 3, by Dennis Baker, David 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. 

© 2026 John W. Pearson. All rights reserved. New blogs for Pails in Comparison are posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. 

Church Board Training Manual

   

PIC No. 54: Pails in Comparison (Nov. 21, 2023)
Book #1 of 3 in the Churches in Transition Series

• Title: Church Board Training Manual: For Churches in Transition (Book 1 of 3)
• Authors: Dr. Dennis Baker 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. 54 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. 

Church Boards: “No Meetings After the Meetings”

If the authors of Church Board Training Manual (Book #1 of 3 for Churches in Transition) had priced this incredible resource on a value-per-page basis, you could not afford to buy all 70 pages. Honest! This book is jam-packed with value! Pastors and church board members—everywhere—are now very grateful to Dennis Baker and John Vawter.

The publisher, Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM), provides “temporary interim pastors for churches between pastors, strengthening churches in transition.” IPM has published three books for churches in transition—and each workbook is a must-read. (Note: in my last blog, I started with Book #2 of 3, because the title was just too tempting: Unhealthy Church Boards: Bringing Health to Unhealthy Ministries.)

Book 1 of 3 is true to Scripture, practical, wise, and witty! And Baker and Vawter don’t waste your time. Here’s one of many take-aways from page two:

“At one church, it was the pastor who was strong and dominating. Board members had told him he was like a runaway freight train barreling dangerously down the tracks. When he demonstrated that behavior, one board member learned to head it off wisely by saying, ‘Here comes the Choo-Choo again.’ Everyone would laugh, and the pastor, to his credit, would humbly accept the message and ease back on the throttle.”

The authors add, “The board had found a soft, safe, kind way to tell the leader they respected that he needed to let Christ control the moment.”

The first section of the book succinctly covers “The Ten Core Essentials.” (What would be on your board’s list of the core essentials?) Their list: “Christlikeness, Faith in God, Honesty and Integrity, Humility, Unity of the Spirit, Self-Awareness, Kingdom Vision People … Seeing the Big Picture, Shepherd Leaders . . . Not Just Directors, Clearly Defined Roles, and Communication, Communication, Communication.”

Baker and Vawter also note Howard Hendricks’ insights on “Roles, Rules, and Relationships.” The authors list eight suggestions for having clearly defined roles between the pastor, the staff, and the church board, including this: “No meetings after the meetings.” 

You’ll appreciate the brief commentary on the tenth core essential. “Please notice in this section entitled ‘Communication, Communication, Communication’ that we did not have to use too many words, take up very much space or spend very much time to communicate, communicate, communicate. It does not take long to communicate to one’s flock…and every minute invested in communications will be well worth it.”

The book’s second section is equally helpful—and stunningly practical. The authors highlight 12 topics including:
   • Assignment Goal Based Approach
   • Board Members and Board of Directors Responsibilities
   • Covenant for Board and Staff Meetings
   • Who Leads the Church [with a “responsibility grid”]
   • Board Decision Making
   • Organizational Trust and Distrust
   • The Strategic Interim Pastor

I’ve read my fair share of the board governance literature, but I don’t recall ever reading a section on “The Church of Jesus Christ is both an organism (body) and an organization.” I love this line: “All organizations are organized (From Chaotic to Rigid) to accomplish a purpose.” Must-read!

The book includes a template for an elder covenant (“A Solemn Agreement”). And this also preaches: “Hindrances to Decision Making.” The authors list nine hindrances: Fear, Critics, “Someone will leave,” Indecision, Unanimity, Lack of prayer, Lack of collegiality, Lack of faith, and Uncertainty about the Spirit’s leading (but cannot go on indefinitely).

I’ve always encouraged boards to have written agreements with their top leaders (pastors or CEOs). The four-page template is comprehensive. Also helpful, the four guiding principles about mission from a Baptist church (plus “boundary” priniciples and “accountability” principles). This reminded me of another helpful prioritization resource, an “Ends Policy,” from Lancaster County Bible Church that is featured in John Carver’s policy governance 448-page tome, Boards That Make a Difference.

Did I mention the authors could have charged by the page? Page 56, “Organizational Trust,” is easily worth $100 in time saved when preparing a board meeting devotional talk on trust. Co-author Dennis Baker has written an annotated review of The Hungry Spirit, by Charles Handy, and his seven principles of trust. (What? I’m a big fan of Charles Handy, but I’ve never read this book. Grateful!)

This three-book series should be required reading for every church board member.  

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.

[  ] The Council: A Biblical Perspective on Board Governance, by Gary G. Hoag, Wesley K. Willmer, and Gregory J. Henson. (Read my review.)

[  ] The New Elder's Handbook: A Biblical Guide to Developing Faithful Leaders, by Greg R. Scharf and Arthur Kok. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] Best Practices for Effective Boards, by E. LeBron Fairbanks, Dwight M. Gunter II, and James R. Cauchenour. (Read my review.)

Watch for my next review:
[  ] Transforming Church Boards: For Churches in Transition (Book 3 of 3), by Dennis Baker, David C. Fischer, and John Vawter. (Order from Amazon.)

Read my previous review:
[  ] 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. (Read my review.)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for Church Board Training Manual: For Churches in Transition (Book 1 of 3), by Dennis Baker 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. 

© 2026 John W. Pearson. All rights reserved. New blogs for Pails in Comparison are posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. 

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. 

© 2026 John W. Pearson. All rights reserved. New blogs for Pails in Comparison are posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.