The Hard Conversation Every Church Board Eventually Has
It was a quiet moment at the end of a long day.
We had just spent hours walking a church board through the difference between a managing board and a governing board. The conversation wasn’t dramatic. No one was angry. No one was defensive.
But you could feel it.
Then one of the board members, a faithful man who had served for 23 years, spoke up.
“My goodness,” he said. “You’ve described exactly who we are. And we have to make a shift. We have to change.”
He paused.
“And probably that means some of us won’t be a good fit for a true governing board.”
That’s not something you hear every day.
But it’s something every mature board eventually has to face.
Most Boards Start with Good Intentions
Most church boards begin with good intentions.
They care deeply about the church.
They show up faithfully.
They give generously.
They want to help.
And so they help the best way they know how.
They weigh in on staffing decisions.
They debate program details.
They approve line items.
They troubleshoot operational issues.
In other words, they function like a management team.
In certain seasons, especially in smaller churches or early growth years, that can work.
But growth changes things.
Complexity Changes Governance
As a church grows, complexity grows with it.
More staff.
More ministries.
More legal exposure.
More financial oversight.
More public visibility.
More risk.
Eventually, the old board model starts creating friction.
Executive pastors feel micromanaged.
Senior pastors feel second-guessed.
Staff feel confused about authority.
Decisions slow down.
Trust erodes quietly.
It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s subtle. Gradual. Often unintentional.
The board still cares. The leaders still care. But the structure hasn’t matured with the mission.
That’s when a shift becomes necessary.
The Shift: From Managing to Governing
A governing board looks different.
Instead of managing day-to-day decisions, it clarifies direction.
Instead of inserting itself into operations, it ensures accountability.
Instead of reacting to problems, it safeguards the future.
Instead of representing preferences, it protects the mission.
That shift requires courage.
It requires board members to ask:
What is actually my role?
Where have I been operating out of habit instead of design?
Am I holding authority I shouldn’t?
Am I inserting myself where I should be equipping?
Am I protecting the church or protecting my influence?
And sometimes, as that 23-year board member acknowledged, it requires recognizing that the next season may need different gifts.
That’s not failure.
That’s maturity.
Governance Is a Stewardship Issue
Healthy governance isn’t about control. It’s about stewardship.
When boards stay in management mode too long, two things tend to happen:
First, senior leaders either become passive and dependent on the board…or defensive and isolated from it.
Neither produces long-term health.
Second, legal and structural risk quietly increases. When roles are blurred, liability rises. When bylaws are outdated, authority becomes unclear. When accountability is informal, trust erodes.
Clear governance is not bureaucratic.
It’s protective.
It protects the pastor.
It protects the staff.
It protects the congregation.
It protects generosity.
It protects the mission.
The Best Time to Make the Shift
In this season, we’re seeing more churches realize they need to make this shift. Not because something has exploded, but because something feels misaligned.
That’s a good instinct.
The best time to clarify governance is before there’s conflict.
The best time to update bylaws is before there’s litigation.
The best time to redefine roles is before there’s distrust.
Strong churches aren’t defined by whether they face tension. They’re defined by how honestly they respond when they see it.
The Podcast Conversation
In this week’s episode of the LeadingSmart Podcast, Holly and I unpack what we call the seven shifts every church board eventually has to make.
We talk about:
Moving from managing to governing
Moving from reacting to anticipating
Shifting from personality-driven leadership to principle-driven oversight
Clarifying authority before confusion sets in
It’s not a conversation about theory.
It’s a conversation about sustainability.
Because at the end of the day, every board has to decide:
Will we structure ourselves for comfort?
Or will we structure ourselves for the mission?
You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.
And if you’d like help thinking through governance, structure, or what the next season requires, we’d be honored to walk with you. Book a discovery meeting here.