A few years ago, my wife and co-pastor Tasha and I were on sabbatical and set about to re-imagine our congregation’s committee structure. We understood that one of the gaps in our church’s work was facilitating and building new relationships inside the congregation and in the community. The solution we conjured was the “reach committee.” The single purpose of this committee would be to build and facilitate relationships. We were excited to create space in our church’s organizational structure to do what, we believed, was important work. But here’s the problem: in the now six years since its inception, the reach committee has never functioned as intended. It has sputtered along without making any significant or important breakthroughs around relationship building.
My observations of this committee made me question the wisdom of using standing committees to keep a congregation functional. This hunch has deepened in my work as director of the Thriving in Rural Ministry program at the University of the Ozarks. I see that my church is not alone in our struggle to bend the structure of standing committees to our needs. I am, therefore, convinced that it is time for many congregations to fundamentally re-imagine our workflow. My recommendation: ditch most of the standing committees.
My recommendation: ditch most of the standing committees.
The central flaw I have observed in standing committees is how they are populated. Oftentimes we recruit church members to serve based on committee needs; we need someone on worship, or we need another person on mission. This frequently leads to congregations putting people in positions to fail, or at the least grow frustrated, as they seek to do work and address questions that do not align with their passions or gifts. In other words, the needs of the committee structure dictate each congregation’s allocation of their collective time and talents.
What if we reversed that? What if we structured our congregations based on the time and talents of our members? A simple survey would help us discover what skills our congregations have, and how they might be used. I am reminded of the three questions Michael Mather, pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Boulder, Colorado, wrote about in Having Nothing, Possessing Everything. When his church explores partnerships, he asks those in the wider community: What do you care enough about to get off the couch? What do you know well enough that you could teach it to someone else? Can you get two other people to partner with you in your work?
What if we structured our congregations based on the time and talents of our members?
What would it look like if we utilized these questions to envision a structure for our congregations, in light of the church’s call to live the gospel? If we built our work around the gifts and skills of the people in the pews, congregants would be empowered to bring forward their passion and expertise, using these God-given talents in service to the church.
Letting go of a standing committee structure might also look like increasing our use of specialized groups. When faced with a challenge or question, what group of people might be best equipped to approach it? What skills are needed in the room? How many times do they need to meet? With whom do they need to speak? Moving strategic conversations outside of the existing committee structure and formalized decision-making patterns allows congregations to adopt novel perspectives.
Tasha and I have seen this work in our own ministry. As we watched the reach committee flounder, we saw a task force exploring our church’s mission resources flourish. The task force included two staff members and six congregants, chosen for their various expertise. Together, they explored the question, “Are we using our congregation’s mission resources as effectively as possible?” The committee met for a year, then produced recommendations which were run through the church’s sausage-making apparatus. The result of this work was a set of new initiatives rooted in a focused examination of our community and considered by a skilled set of congregation members. Their work complete and their recommendations adopted, the task force disbanded.
According to the Book of Order, a congregation is only required to have a nominating committee. Everything else is up to us. If your committees are working well, that is wonderful. Keep going. If, however, you are struggling to populate and maintain your existing committees, now might be the time to rethink the organizational structure you lean on.
If you struggle to populate and maintain your existing committees, now might be the time to rethink the organizational structure you lean on.
Jettisoning or curtailing standing committees will lead to inevitable questions about “how things will get done.” Don’t be intimidated. These questions can be answered. Stepping away from standing committees will create space to do things more creatively, to be more agile, and to make better use of the time and talents of our congregations. Ultimately, the mission of the church is not to perpetuate a structure but to serve Jesus Christ, and in this, we should always be curious.
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