How to Deal with a Controlling Church Board Member

In this series we have identified how to communicate roles and responsibilities to church board members. You also learned how a controlling church board can be problematic and how to avoid those pitfalls.  We shared strategies about resolving church board conflict, developing a board full of cheerleaders, and how to establish effective board communication. We will now discuss what to do when your church board doesn’t want to change.

Communication is one of the keys to reducing the fear or apathy found in a change-resistant church board. Change is inevitable in any church organization, and when a church is growing, change may occur quickly and abruptly. Furthermore, this may cause a church board to express apprehension. “Hold On. Wait. We are happy with the way things are.”

Change is a broad, but frightening term, because it has an inherent degree of uncertainty underlying within. When we introduce an internal change of direction, or an external change of influence, these thoughts of change may cause instant apprehension at the board conference table. We are not surprised. What specifically do you do when your church board doesn’t want to change?

There is a proven course of action, involving the way change is communicated that can mitigate some of the uncertainty to board members. We will share this communication process with you. It is important to remind board members that the mission and core values of the church are not changing. Everyone has agreed upon these higher level principles.

In this video:

The way you prepare your heart for introducing change is very important. Imagine if you had a board that operated in total unity with the vision that God instilled in your heart. How we communicate change to an already apprehensive audience is critical. So, there is a systematic way to transition apprehension into possibility and see a church board adjust their thinking to become enthusiastic about change.  In this video, we share ten transformational steps to navigating a change-resistant board.