Governance is the way the rules, norms and actions are structured, sustained, regulated and held accountable.
Some of the attributes of our Elder Governance are:
- The Elders proactively create policy for staff decision-making empowerment.
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The Elders monitor performance as reported in detail by staff, but only against policy criteria (i.e., mission & vision related measures, controls compliance, etc.).
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The Elders set boundaries rather than telling the Senior Minister & staff how to do their job. Staff will require Elder approval for any exceptions.
The Elders will focus on “strategic thinking." Their leadership will be characterized by shared expressions of policy documented in four prominent segments: Vision, Process, Relationships and Limitations. These policies will provide proactive decisions on the fundamental issues of mission, vision, values, job products, authority, metrics, limitations, etc. Each policy is to be reviewed and/or updated at least annually.
Policy Content
Vision:
These policies describe the desirable state of the future. The top-level view of this future is called the “mega-vision” and layers of that vision provide measurable definition. Using descriptive nouns and adjectives, these statements describe a picture of the desired future of the church in completed language – a description of what the Elders desire the church to look like in the end – as if it had already been accomplished.
Process:
These policies describe the methods the Elders use to operate. They include values, norms, job products, officer roles, elder team membership, subordinate teams, and other interpretations as needed.
Relationships:
These policies define the job products for the Senior Minister. They also provide top-tier metrics for monitoring progress toward vision achievement.
Limitations:
These policies denote organizational conduct and actions unacceptable to the Elders. The Senior Minister is empowered to implement appropriate actions to achieve vision within these boundaries.