Theresa Miedema

Managing changes to the church governance structure is challenging. I have been quite involved in these processes in my home church (which is Presbyterian, but I grew up in the CRC and am still closely linked with the denomination).

My recommendations to my own congregation are based on the three "P" principles: prayer; process and procedures; and participation. In general, when leadership follows the three Ps, leadership will arrive at answers that may not be pleasing to every single person, but are defensible, justified, and often satisfying to most congregation members. Let me briefly elaborate on each "P". Please note that all of my comments must be read with the understanding that the changes being pursued fall within the scope of church order guidelines.

Prayer: Any and all efforts to change a local church's governance structure must be bathed in lots of prayer and the prayer must seek to implement God's will for the congregation. In other words, ask God for direction in terms of both the process of the change and change itself. Don't come to God with a preconceived idea of what the change should be. Let God lead--and prepare to be led.

Process and procedure: Good process is central. Good process ensures that the process of deciding upon changes to the governance structure and the process of implementing those changes are done in a fair, transparent, and participatory manner. This area is often bungled by churches (and all sorts of other organizations). The process needs to be designed with the needs of the local congregation in mind, so there is no "one size fits all" approach. Still, I can tell you some of the traits of good process. Good process is open and transparent. Process and procedures are determined at the outset and clearly communicated to all stakeholders so that everyone knows how things will unfold. Decision-making mechanisms are adopted and their nature is also communicated to stakeholders. Good process involves participation (the last "P", described below). Studies on procedural fairness, for example, show that if people perceive that they have been fairly treated in a process they are more likely to accept the outcome of the process, even if the result does not favour them. To be fair, a process must allow people to be heard on the issues (see participation, below). The process must also be free from bias. Thus, if there is an individual who is known to have strong views on what the outcome of the process should be, that individual should not be the chair of the committee on implementing governance changes. You want a leadership team that is open to hearing a variety of voices and experiences and that is willing and able to think creatively about the changes to the governance structure and how to implement those changes. The final decision of the committee should generally be ratified by the congregation, though only after the committee has had an opportunity to present its findings and explain its recommendations.

In general, it is a good idea to ask other churches about their experiences with various governance structures. Gather as much information as possible to determine what type of governance structure would work in the context of your own congregation, given the needs of the congregation, its location, its demographics, and the vision that God has given to the congregation for its role in Kingdom service.

Participation: Participation is so very important. People must be able to participate in the process of change. The views of congregation members should be solicited. Town hall meetings, if run properly, can be very useful in this regard. Once the leadership committee has developed a proposal for change, the proposal should be presented to the congregation and the congregation should again be given the opportunity to comment on the proposal and to ask questions. Finally, as noted, major changes should be ratified by the congregation. It is also very important to determine what level of "yays" is necessary for the changes to be ratified: 51%, 67%, 80%? Decide at the very outset of the process and communicate this information to the congregation.

As a final word of advice, do not be afraid of dissent. You will never be able to please everyone. Furthermore, dissent early in the process, if managed well, can be fruitful since it can generate a wide range of ideas and options for consideration. As the process unfolds, you will want to move to more and more consensus building. If dissent persists, it may be a good time to reflect on what God is teaching the congregation at that moment: what is the source of this dissent? Does the congregation have a shared vision of what God is calling the congregation to be in its community?

At the end of the day, if a decision has been bathed in prayer and has been taken following a good, participatory process, the decision will be a strong one and justifiable even to the biggest cranks in the congregation. Of course, make sure the final decision complies with the church guidelines.

I hope that this lengthy reply has not bored you and that it has been at least somewhat helpful. I would be happy to provide further information about the above and to share tips about process, procedures and participation--and prayer, too.

Theresa Miedema, aka The Governance Geek

Interesting question. To me (a Canadian living in Toronto, one of the world's most multicultural cities), multiculturalism ranges from a tolerance of diversity to the full promotion and celebration of multiculturalism. I believe that, in the context of the Church, we ought to be leaning more to the full celebration of multiculturalism end of the spectrum.

But what does it mean in practice to celebrate multiculturalism within the Church? I think that it must go far beyond have a few token minorities around. While respecting our roots, we should be moving forward to creating a welcoming environment for people of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We should be careful that celebrating our Dutchness, for example, does not make others feel excluded and out of place.

My church in Toronto is quite diverse. We do sing songs from various countries (and the music director is quite adamant that we sing them properly, with a view to reflecting the traditional music of the countries of origin of the songs). Sometimes, on holidays, we have people bring greetings in various languages. Still, I think we are still pretty WASPy.

A true celebration of our diverse ethnic roots can likely only occur when we move beyond our own self-absorption to recognize that there are other, interesting people out there. We have to be willing to listen and not just talk. We have to get over our own insecurities and realize that sometimes eating food other than meat and potatoes is a refreshing change.

From my perspective, the fact that we are one in Christ notwithstanding our cultural, ethnic, racial and other differences is beautiful and powerful. We have never met, yet we have the same Saviour and are united in Christ. We share this bond with Christians around the world. I have more in common with you and Christians in China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia that I have in common with my colleagues at work. That's powerful. To discover how Christ has made himself known in Christians around the world is interesting, exciting, and, well, FUN.

Sometimes I think that the urban parts of heaven will be a little bit like Toronto: on any given day, you can walk down the street and hear three or four different languages being spoken. I buy groceries from an Indian lady, fruits and vegetables from a Chinese family, have my hair cut by an Iranian lady, and work with a South African ex-pat. I can eat Greek food for lunch and Ethiopian for dinner, which I enjoy with my friends who hail from Brazil, Singapore, Uganda, the US, Finland, Scotland, and Switzerland. Seriously. For me, this is what multiculturalism is about.