1. I expect you to be a people of prayer.
Ministry can only function in an atmosphere of prayer. Problems are solved by prayer. Personality conflict issues are dealt with in prayer. God speaks and guides through prayer. Corporate prayer needs to be coupled with private prayer.
2. I expect you to be a people of faith.
Not presumptuous. Not wishful thinkers. But people who are in touch with the direction God wants to take His church and are willing to step out in obedience to His voice. Leadership requires boldness and courage.
3. I expect you to be leaders.
It’s not enough to manage the status quo or preserve our pet interests. Together, we’re to chart the course. We’re to take the church to new heights. Together, we’re to inspire a following.
4. I expect you to deal with any unresolved conflict immediately.
Jesus clearly stated the procedures for dealing with personality issues. Board members can’t have lingering tension or misunderstandings among themselves or with anybody else.
5. I expect confidentiality.
Pastors and boards can’t work together without confidentiality. A lack of confidentiality destroys openness and honesty in meetings. It means people are afraid to say what needs to be said in the context of a meeting for fear of being quoted outside the meeting, where it could be misunderstood and misrepresented. Just as my wife is not aware of what happens in board meetings, so deacons’ spouses have no right to know boardroom discussion.
6. I expect you to be a team player.
Too many churches have adopted the model of the British parliament, where the party that loses the election is called “the loyal opposition” and sees its function as frustrating the government. Church boards are not the opposition; they are members of the same team. We’re to co-operate to get the job done.
7. I expect you to express your ideas.
Board members who never say anything in meetings worry me. I’ve learned that deacons who are silent in meetings tend to cause problems later. If there is a sensitive issue, I expect all deacons to declare themselves.
8. I expect you to protect me.
There’s no way I can know everything that’s happening in the congregation. Board members hear things that I don’t. I expect board members to practice tough love and to tell me the truth lovingly. I expect board members to protect me from presumptuous decision-making, from extremism in theological positions and from dangerous financial practices.
9. I expect your friendship.
There’s no way I can be a personal friend with everyone in the church, but I do feel I have the right to expect the personal friendship of board members.
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