Governance
Godly leadership is required on your Governing Board. Irrelevant irrelevant details can sidetrack a good board? How do you keep the Board on task?
Ways to Build Trust by Drops and Avoid Losing It in Buckets
What are specific actions you can take to live and lead at a higher level of integrity? David and Warren recently convened 20 experts in various fields and asked for their tips on how [...]
Elder Boards That Work, Pastors Who Thrive: A New Vision for Church Governance
At some point, every lead pastor asks this question: How do we govern this church? Often with little background on the subject, pastors and boards cobble together a system that either works for the pastor [...]
5 Critically Important Things that Church Boards Don’t Like Talking About—Why It’s Not OK and How to Fix It
Fletch and Mike Batts talk through challenging subjects that are often overlooked in board meetings: senior pastor compensation and benefits; compensation of family members; related party transactions; issues that could bring liability or reputational [...]
Board Meeting Minutes and the Four Social Styles
I’ve recently had numerous inquiries about board meeting minutes. You can snooze now or later. So I’ve been thinking about the four social styles. Those four styles are analytical, driving, amiable, and expressive. I [...]
Watch Out for Boards Asleep at the Wheel
Golden Opportunities Are Missed When a Board’s Eyes Are Wide Shut It was a Busby family vacation trip to Texas. The afternoon we drove from Houston to Dallas is still etched in my memory. [...]
Registered Agents with Our State
Hey Fletch … I would like to say that the XPastor website is awesome! My church has changed the treasurer for the church. Is it necessary to make an amendment with the State of Texas? [...]
Church and School Issues
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 Hey Fletch … We are seeking some consulting regarding our church and a school we have. We are trying to make strategic decisions regarding the school and looking for a consultant [...]
How to Review the Elders, Senior Pastors and Staff
Friday, December 21, 2018 Hey Fletch … Our church doesn’t have a clue about how to do reviews. We want to review our Elders, Senior Pastor and staff. Can you help us? DRF—The place to [...]
External Investigator for Sexual Misconduct
Saturday, November 3, 2018 Hey Fletch … I read the “Hey Fletch” column about a policy for handling accusations against a pastor. At the end you said, "I would add to these a policy statement [...]
Co-Pastors or Peer SP-XP Teams
Saturday, October 13, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am chair of a committee and we are in the initial stages of discerning the future direction of the congregation. Our current structure is to have a [...]
Transitioning to Elder Led Church
Friday, September 7, 2018 Hey Fletch … We are in the process of transitioning to an Elder governance system and are currently accepting nominations. This is a major change for this Baptist church but the [...]
Launching an Initial Elder Board
Tuesday, September 4, 2018 Hey Fletch … I serve as XP of a quickly growing church plant. We are ready to plan for, appoint, and launch our initial Elder Board. What are the best books [...]
Can You Define the Report to the Board?
Tuesday, August 28, 2018 Hey Fletch … I got your answer about our board meetings going too long. The idea of a written report to the board could be significant for us. Can you give [...]
Who Owns the Pastor’s Book?
Thursday, August 23, 2018 Hey Fletch … I found the XPastor page with the intellectual property policy of Christ Community Church of Chicago to be informative. I am a member of a church board, [...]
Governing Board Meetings Going Way Long
Wednesday, August 22, 2018 Hey Fletch … You have got to help us. Our board meeting last night began at 7:00 pm and ended at 11:30 p.m. There was so much discussion on important but [...]
Well Paid Pastor Has No Retirement
Friday, August 17, 2018 Hey Fletch … Our Senior Pastor is in trouble. He has been at the church for most of his working life and wants to retire. He can’t afford it. He has [...]
How to Change a Church Constitution
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 Hey Fletch … Can you describe to me how a church amends its constitution? DRF—The first place to look for amending a church constitution is in the document itself. There should [...]
Who Owns a Book that the Pastor Writes?
Saturday, July 28, 2018 Hey Fletch … I have a quick question that may require a long answer. If a pastor is writing books, who gets the royalties and why? I’m confident that this [...]
Questions on Church Leadership Structures
Wednesday, June 27, 2018 Hey Fletch … Our church is wanting to look at our leadership structure. In the last ten years we have grown from one campus to many campuses. We want to continue [...]
Issues with a New Non-Profit
Thursday, June 14, 2018 Hey Fletch … I met you years ago. I continue to read and enjoy the columns and posts at XPastor.org but it's been a long while since we were in [...]
Knowing the Giving of Congregants
Tuesday, May 15, 2018 Hey Fletch … What is your position on the XP knowing the financial giving of a) the entire congregation, b) volunteers and key leaders, c) staff & elders and d) [...]
Solutions to Church Conflict
Tuesday, April 24, 2018 Hey Fletch … There have been some good developments and resolution on the 'leading the leadership team' front. A person from the denominational ‘church health team’ has spoken to our [...]
Can Our Church Join the ECFA?
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’ve heard about the Evangelical Council of Finance Accountability. Is that something that a church can join and how could I find out if my church qualifies? Would [...]