Church Committee

One of the roles for a number of the Congregation is to serve on the Church Committee. Below are a few tips on being a member of a Committee.
This is an extract from the Evangelical Alliance UK WEB site. So, some top tips include:

What is the committee for?

• Be clear about its purpose & remit - have written terms of reference describing its role, authority, and relationship to other decision-making bodies in the church
• Be clear about its accountability to others - legal , financial, church members, external church structures
• Decide its lifespan, and build in regular reviews of its purpose & effectiveness
• If possible appoint committee members with the necessary skills & experience rather than only friends or just those who are willing & available
• Be clear what capacity members are there in - as individuals or representing others - and what is expected of them
• Ensure new members have an appropriate induction before they start - this will help them contribute effectively to meetings from the outset

Preparing for meetings

• Be clear about the main purpose of particular meetings - 'business' decisions, briefings about particular activities or ministries, long term strategy - as this will affect their length & shape e.g. presentations, buzz groups, discussion questions prepared beforehand, options papers
• Think about where prayer fits, if at all
• Set a realistic agenda for the time available & ensure they're distributed with any supporting papers so people can read them beforehand
• Good supporting papers are about content not volume - to help members understand the issues, their context, and options to consider
• Focus on essential items - be stringent about those that could be covered in other ways outside meetings
• Be clear about the objective of each agenda item - making recommendations to others, reviewing progress, matters for decision, etc
• Work out timings for each item, giving more time to strategic matters
• Decide to what degree and how relationship & team building will be part of the meeting
• Ensure the meeting room is suitable for the type of meeting, adequately ventilated/heated, and laid out so that participants can see each other

Running meetings

• Ensure all understand the facts relating to individual agenda items - give opportunity to ask questions for clarification before leaping into discussion
• Try different methods of ensuring all participate - buzz groups with feedback, generally inviting contributions from those who haven't done so yet, encouraging individuals outside meetings
• Foster a culture of learning, trust & openness
• Be clear about the purpose of the discussion, summarise the various views & options before making a decision, and restate the decision for accurate noting
• If items need follow-up be clear about who & when by, and whether there should be any reporting back
• Take care not to revisit decisions made at previous meetings unless circumstances require it - accurate noting of decisions helps here
• Review the meeting at the end - what was learned, was there adequate space to generate fresh thinking & ideas, were decisions clearly made, and practicalities.