To be council chair or officer can be a daunting and lonely task - especially for your first time.
We are forming an area group of leaders from 6 to 8 local churches. We are seeking input and/or materials to help us be more effective in our roles and to train our replacements and get them up to speed so that they can be more effective right from the start of their tenure.
There seems to be a couple of key elements that would be most helpful in carrying out these duties effectively;
a) to provide continuity to the leadership and vision of the council with the scheduled "churn" of 1/3 of the group every year
b) to improve communication and cooperations between the Pastor and the council - to ensure that the pastors are enabled to do their best without being burdened with administrative duties and to nurture a symbiotic relationship that gets everyone pulling in the same direction, enjoying and encouraging each other, each understanding their roles and helping each other.
If anyone has information, experience or advice on setting up and carrying out such a training plan we would love to hear about it.